Winger Vladimir Tarasenko is representing the Blues at the All-Star Game but with him being in the final year of his contract, it’s fair to wonder how much longer he’ll be a part of the team. Speaking with Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription link), the 31-year-old declined to comment if his trade request dating back to last season has been rescinded while also indicating that there have been no recent discussions about a possible contract extension. Tarasenko has 10 goals and 19 assists in 38 games so far this season and is expected to be one of the more sought-after rentals for next month’s trade deadline if the Blues are willing to pay down up to half of his $7.5MM AAV.
More from the Western Conference:
- Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane has long been viewed as one of the likely big deals at the trade deadline but The Athletic’s Arthur Staple suggests (subscription link) that there’s an expectation around the league that Kane needs hip surgery which is going to limit his market. If that’s the case, if he opts to play through the injury and wait to have the procedure in the offseason, there’s a good chance he’d miss the start of next season which could hurt his value in free agency. With that in mind, it’s possible that Kane could decide to have the surgery now which would take a big name off the trade market in the coming weeks.
- Golden Knights goaltender Laurent Brossoit admitted to Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun that he sometimes feels frustrated that he hasn’t had a chance to get back up to Vegas. He cleared waivers back in November after being cleared to return from his hip injury and he has been down with the Silver Knights ever since. The 29-year-old has a 2.77 GAA with a .906 SV% in 22 games with Henderson and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer so a return to the top level would certainly help his case on the open market.
I hope we find a taker for Brossoit he deserves a chance in the NHL.