The St. Louis Blues missed the playoffs last season. They are in danger in missing it again this season. Their record is 11-14-4 with 26 points and St. Louis is currently in sixth place in the Central Division. Because of their horrific start, it is possible the St. Louis Blues will trade some of their super stars including winger Vladimir Tarasenko.
He is 27 years old and Tarasenko is in the prime of his career. He is an elite goal scorer and many teams could use his services. In 29 games so far this season, Vladimir Tarasenko has scored nine goals and has recorded 11 assists. His plus/minus rating is -13.
Tarasenko has four more years remaining on his contract and he will have a $7.5 million cap hit. Which teams could trade for him?
The first team that comes to mind is the New York Islanders. Mathew Barzal does not have a go to scorer on the first line right now. Tarasenko would fit in that scheme perfectly. It would also be a reason to convince players like Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle to stay after this season. The Islanders have the prospects to trade for Tarasenko. He would do very well in a system coached by Barry Trotz and they are in position to make the playoffs this season.
The second team that comes to mind is the New York Rangers. They are going to through a complete rebuild, but they don’t have a true go to goal scorer. He would be the guy that could change this franchise around. New York has been drafting better lately and it would be interesting to see what they would give up.
The third team that comes to mind is the New Jersey Devils. They were just in the playoffs last season and New Jersey didn’t make enough changes to the roster to improve. Can you imagine a first line of Taylor Hall-Nico Hischier-Vladimir Tarasenko? Ray Shero needs to make a move because they are in danger of missing the playoffs once again this season, even though they need help on defense and goaltending.
The fourth team that comes to mind is the Detroit Red Wings. They have a ton of young prospects in their system, but would St. Louis ask for Filip Zadina? If they ask for him, Detroit should hang up the phone immediately. If they don’t ask for him, I would definitely think about it because they are playing better, but they need that veteran and goal scorer inside the dressing room.
The fifth team that comes to mind is the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado is really good, but they might be relying too much on the top line. Tarasenko would provide scoring depth on this team in a top-6 role. They might have to give up prospect defenseman Cale Makar, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft in order to get him.
The sixth team that comes to mind is the Edmonton Oilers. They have no depth on the roster and can you imagine getting Connor McDavid a legit goal scorer on his line? That could be really run and the culture has changed in Edmonton under Ken Hitchcock.
– Glenn Kaplan, WTF Sports Intern
Edited by Scott Edwards
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