St. Louis Blues Vladimir Tarasenko has requested a trade
St. Louis Blues Vladimir Tarasenko has requested a trade, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reported, which comes after Frank Seravalli broke the news that the Russian sniper could be available
Tarasenko, 29, has appeared in 531 games over his nine year career with the Blues scoring 218 goals and 442 points.
According to Rutherford, Tarasenko has taken issue with how the team has handled a shoulder injury over recent year:
So why does he want out? According to sources familiar with the situation, he is upset with the team’s handling of his shoulder surgeries in 2018 and 2019 — his first two of three such surgeries, which were both performed by Blues physicians — and feels there’s no trust left between him and the organization.
In March, The Athletic wrote about those procedures and a third one, in 2020, which was carried out by non-club doctors at the Steadman Clinic in Edwards, Colo. The ligament damage from the first injury was not corrected in either of the first two operations, sources say, and wasn’t caught until Tarasenko was seen by the doctors at Steadman.
Furthermore, sources say that Tarasenko complained about discomfort in his shoulder before rejoining the Blues for the playoffs in the Edmonton bubble in 2020 and that he believes the club waited too long before doing additional testing.
Rutherford reported Tarasenko, who has a no-trade clause, has submitted a list of up to 10 teams. It’s believed the list includes teams like Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, the Islanders, Vegas, Washington, Montreal, Toronto and Florida and that Tarasenko desires a move to a contender.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.