The Blues are leaving Vladimir Tarasenko exposed in the Expansion Draft
Though it might not be through a trade like he requested, it appears as though @Vladamir Tarasenko is going to get the change of scenery he’s looking for.
According to Frank Seravalli, the St. Louis Blues are planning to leave Tarasenko exposed to the Seattle Kraken in the upcoming Expansion Draft. It appears as though they’ll be protecting @Ivan Barbashev instead.
Hearing #stlblues have exposed Vladimir Tarasenko in the Expansion Draft and are protecting Ivan Barbashev.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 17, 2021
Back in June, Tarasenko requested a trade from the Blues. The word was that he was upset with how the team handled his shoulder surgeries in both 2018 and 2019 and he believes that there’s no more trust between him and the organization.
If he’s healthy, Tarasenko is one of the league’s most lethal forwards, but he hasn’t been since 2018-19 when he scored 33 goals and 68 points over 76 games. He also scored 10 goals in 26 games during the Blues Stanley Cup run that spring.
Tarasenko played just 24 games in 2021, scoring four goals and 14 points. He also only played 10 games in 2019-20.
His contract carries a $7,500,000 cap hit for two more seasons with a no-trade clause. Though there’s certainly risk attached, this is a great opportunity for the Kraken to add a marquee star to their team right off the hop.
Seravalli also noted that multiple teams were interested in trading for Tarasenko. Maybe there’s an opportunity for Seattle to select him and flip him to another team with salary retained on his contract.