According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the St. Louis Blues are willing to entertain offers for star forward Vladimir Tarasenko. If this is true, these three teams would be the best fits for the dynamic scorer.
The St. Louis Blues came into this season with a lot of hope. This hope quickly turned into woe, as the team currently finds themselves close to the bottom of the standings. Only the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings are keeping them from rock bottom. According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the team willing to listen to trade offers for anyone. This includes star forward Vladimir Tarasenko.
If the dynamic Russian wing is actually available, teams need to take advantage. It’s rare for a player of Tarasenko’s caliber to be available at such a young age. He’s only 27 years old and has four consecutive seasons with at least 30 goals. Tarasenko is merely three seasons removed from scoring 40 goals. Since the start of the 2014-15 season, the only player with more goals than him is Alex Ovechkin.
Though he has never put up a point per game over a full season, he’s come darn close. In each of his past four seasons, Tarasenko has at least 0.80 points per game. He had at least 0.90 points per game in three of those four seasons. Tarasenko’s contract sounds expensive, but considering he’s a top-notch goal scorer, his $7.5 million cap hit over the next four seasons is pretty reasonable.
Even in an “off year” on a team heading off a cliff with two coaches known to stifle offense, he’s still on pace for about 55 points. Which, for most players, would be a solid season. That 55 points would be such a huge disappointment for Tarasenko is a testament to how consistently great he has been throughout his career.
So, why are the Blues trying to trade him? Maybe they’re worried about his decline (though that could be due to having Mike Yeo and Craig Berube as his head coaches). Perhaps the Blues don’t think they’ll be competitive before his contract runs out.
However, the biggest reason is most likely Tarasenko’s contract. The cap hit and term are both fine. But on July 1, 2019, Tarasenko gets a full no-trade clause. If the Blues are going to trade him, they better do it by then or he’ll earn the right to be able to choose where he goes. Which would significantly lessen the return the Blues would get for him.
It’s hard to gauge what kind of return St. Louis could get for Tarasenko. But, ironically, the Ryan O’Reilly trade sets the floor. And it’s a pretty high one – a first-round pick, a very good prospect, and a second-round pick (plus some salary cap dumps). However, Tarasenko’s more valuable than O’Reilly.
With all of this in mind, here are the three teams who should be calling St. Louis about Tarasenko. But first, some honorable mentions.