Teams Trying to Strike Tarasenko Deal With Kraken, Dunn Complications

There could be an interesting situation playing itself out here over the course of the next few days. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, a handful of NHL teams have reached out to the Seattle Kraken and are discussing the possibility of a trade that would see Vladimir Tarasenko moves from the St. Louis Blues to the Kraken, then onto a different organization.

Pagnotta writes, “Some teams interested in Vladimir Tarasenko have reached out to Seattle about selecting him in the Expansion Draft and flipping him to their club. If the right offer presents itself, Kraken may be willing to retain a portion of his contract.”

Related: Why Blues Didn’t Trade or Protect Vince Dunn as Part of Expansion Draft

Some teams interested in Vladimir Tarasenko have reached out to Seattle about selecting him in the Expansion Draft and flipping him to their club. If the right offer presents itself, Kraken may be willing to retain a portion of his contract.

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 19, 2021

It’s an interesting situation that could provide a win/win/win scenario for all teams involved. For the Blues, it would move an unhappy player and his salary off the books. For the Kraken, they could take the player for free, flip the player for assets and they have some cap room to make such a move without it being too cost prohibitive since Tarasenko only has two seasons left on his deal. For the third team, it allows them to add a potentially deadly scorer for a lower cost than Tarasenko’s $7.5 million salary.

How much salary would need to be retained and what teams are interested was not part of the report.

What About Vince Dunn?

The wrinkle here is that there is a player from the Blues that could be more attractive to the Kraken than Tarasenko. His name is Vince Dunn and he is also available. He’s actually the player the Kraken are more likely to select in the expansion draft. What this means is that whatever team deals with the Kraken and convinces them that a trade is the better play, they’ll need to offer a sweetener.

The reality is, the Kraken would be giving up taking Dunn and retaining salary. That has value. How much value? That’s hard to say, but it depends on how much they value Dunn as a player they’ll no longer be able to put on their roster. The 24-year-old defenseman registered 32 goals and 102 points in the first four seasons of his career. He’s not always been in the good books of his coaches and he’s been made a healthy scratch on multiple occasions, but he has a ton of upside.

Next: Kraken and Canadiens Playing High Stakes Poker Game Over Carey Price