Poll: Where Will Vladimir Tarasenko Be Traded?
While most of the hockey world was focusing on last night’s Game 5 and the ensuing Cup-clinching victory by the Tampa Bay Lightning, there was one large story brewing in St. Louis. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford was reporting that Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko had requested a trade from the club earlier in the offseason. While Tarasenko trade rumors were nothing new this offseason, the declaration of a trade request definitely put the writing on the wall for his tenure in Missouri.
With more clarity coming today on the Tarasenko situation, he’s reportedly frustrated on how the Blues organization has handled his shoulder surgeries and the corresponding recoveries. While Rutherford’s reporting claims that Tarasenko now comes with a clean bill of health, the uncertainty surrounding his post-injury ceiling has got to be a bit of a red flag for teams interested.
Speaking of teams interested, Rutherford notes that both the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, as well as the Edmonton Oilers are all teams who are potential suitors.
The Oilers seem like the most natural fit. After all, their struggles to find legitimate linemates for Connor McDavid in the past have been well-documented. With the Oilers getting some cap space to work with this offseason, they’ve been active in most trade rumors. Tarasenko’s no different. If the Oilers can swing a deal, it would likely consist of a defense prospect as well as a relatively high draft pick, as well as a roster player. Tarasenko would inevitably play on McDavid’s right wing, likely with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or potentially Jesse Puljujarvi on his off-wing flanking them on the left.
The Islanders also stand as a natural fit for the Russian winger, as the team has lacked scoring punch in recent seasons to push them over the top. However, salary is a concern for the cap-strapped Islanders, who also have Adam Pelech and Anthony Beauvillier to sign to contracts this offseason. The Rangers also are an interesting idea, considering Tarasenko would get the opportunity to play with countryman Artemi Panarin.
So, PHR readers, we ask you – where do you think Vladimir Tarasenko ends up after all of this? Vote below!
Where will Vladimir Tarasenko be traded to?
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Other (comment below!) 37% (1,004)
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New York Rangers 28% (765)
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Edmonton Oilers 18% (505)
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New York Islanders 17% (473)
Total votes: 2,747
Mobile users, click here to vote!
Free Agent Focus: Montreal Canadiens
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The Montreal Canadiens come bitterly into the offseason after a Stanley Cup Final loss, but a large amount of unrestricted free agents mean it’s a pivotal time for the franchise.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Artturi Lehkonen – An up-and-down season ended strongly for the first Finnish Canadiens RFA. While in part due to the shortened season, Lehkonen had his worst offensive season to date, failing to post either 10 goals or 20 points for the first time in his five-year NHL career. He didn’t fare too well under either Claude Julien or Dominique Ducharme, at least in the regular season. It resulted in the lowest usage of his career, being played just 13:25 minutes per game. However, when the opportunity arose during their playoff run, Lehkonen rose to the challenge. Taking the left-wing spot with Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher, Lehkonen helped formed a line that shut down opponents’ top players for the majority of the playoffs. He added an overtime series winner to boot, as one of his three playoff goals sent Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final. Yet the reality stands that Lehkonen was inconsistent at best overall this season, and his next deal will likely reflect that. A shorter-term deal should be expected for a depth player like Lehkonen.
F Jesperi Kotkaniemi – It’s hard to know what to make of Montreal’s 2018 top draft pick at this stage in his career. Coming off of his entry-level deal, Kotkaniemi has broken expectations during each of his playoffs runs, totaling nine goals and 12 points in 29 games. Yet Kotkaniemi didn’t even score that amount in a full 56-game campaign this year, potting only five goals. While the young Finnish center has oozed potential during Montreal’s playoff appearances, he hasn’t been able to perform at the same level over the course of his regular seasons. With all that being said, it’s extremely unlikely that general manager Marc Bergevin commits to Kotkaniemi long-term this offseason. At just 21 years old, Kotkaniemi still has four more seasons of RFA eligibility. It’s impossible to imagine that Montreal would give him a deal longer than that, instead allowing Kotkaniemi to live up to his potential over the course of a lower-stakes bridge deal.
Other RFAs: F Joseph Blandisi, F Michael Pezzetta, F Ryan Poehling, F Jacob Lucchini, D Otto Leskinen, D Cale Fleury, G Michael McNiven
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Phillip Danault – Danault had largely been regarded as one of the more underrated defensive centers in the NHL over the past few seasons. That’s no longer the case. Danault’s shot-suppressing expertise was on full display throughout the regular season and playoffs. And while his offense took a backseat in the playoffs with just one goal and four points in 22 contests, he’s scored 124 points in 205 games over his past three seasons. The offense will come back next season if history is any indicator. It’s why Danault is expected to get a significant raise on his $3.083MM cap hit. With Danault possibly receiving offers over $5MM and even $6MM on the open market, Montreal will have to shell out the cash to retain their Quebec-born top-six center.
F Tomas Tatar – Montreal’s usage of Tatar this season, especially in the playoffs, was puzzling to many. It was just last year where Tatar had emerged to lead the Habs in scoring with 61 points in just 68 games. While Tatar was limited to just 30 points in 50 games this year, his line with Danault and Gallagher had performed extremely well from a possession standpoint. Even through the beginning of their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tatar’s line had succeeded at silencing Toronto’s top talent. Yet Tatar soon found himself scratched for the rest of the playoff run, with Lehkonen taking his role on that line. It’s hard to expect that Montreal will want to retain Tatar at this point, especially with outside teams knowing what they can get out of him. Expect Tatar to be in a top-six role again next season — just not with Montreal.
Other UFAs: F Corey Perry, F Joel Armia, F Eric Staal, F Michael Frolik, F Jordan Weal, F Alex Belzile, D Jonathon Merrill, D Erik Gustafsson, D Gustav Olofsson, G Charlie Lindgren
Projected Cap Space
While Montreal sits with a respectable $14.7MM in cap space, the team has a lot of expiring talent. Retaining the expected pieces and building on this roster’s weaknesses will likely bring Bergevin and Montreal into a tricky dance with the salary cap yet again next season. And while no drastic moves are expected from this year’s Stanley Cup finalist, it might be challenging for Montreal to navigate the free-agent waters after they’ve re-signed key pieces. However, Montreal’s camaraderie and team strength were on full display this season. It’s the type of performance that incentivizes players to take pay cuts to play for a winner, something that may very well be a reality for Montreal this offseason.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 07/08/21
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
Snapshots: Hall, Schmidt, Blackhawks
The Boston Bruins are working with the representatives for Taylor Hall to get an extension done, but Darren Dreger of TSN reports that there is interest from other teams as well. Dreger even suggests that the Toronto Maple Leafs would have interest if they don’t sign Zach Hyman. While the Maple Leafs would certainly be hard-pressed to fit Hall in under the cap with their current situation, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he has a market waiting for him if he chooses free agency.
In fact, Hall likely saved himself quite a bit of money by accepting the trade to Boston at the deadline. He scored more points (20) in 27 games with the Bruins than he did in 37 with the Sabres, and nearly doubled his career postseason appearances. Boston still seems like the most likely destination for Hall this summer, but waiting a few weeks to see what kind of long-term deals are out there certainly seems beneficial for the skilled winger. Remember though, any contracts that are signed right now would force teams into more protection issues for the expansion draft, meaning there hangs a delicate balance between waiting long enough to avoid Seattle and not waiting too long to risk losing a player to the open market.
- Nate Schmidt was supposed to arrive in Vancouver and help solidify their defense corps this season, but ended up posting his worst offensive season since 2014-15. The 29-year-old recorded just 15 points in 54 games and now is hoping for a change in scenery for next year. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet spoke about how both the Canucks and Schmidt know “it’s not a perfect match” and that the two sides will work together to try to find a solution. Of course, that’s easier said than done given that Schmidt is still signed for four more years at a $5.95MM cap hit, making him an expensive gamble for any acquiring team. He also holds a 10-team no-trade clause and saw his metrics fall basically across the board this season.
- The Chicago Blackhawks don’t currently plan on buying anyone out, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. The first window technically opens later tonight, 24 hours after the Stanley Cup was awarded, but tomorrow will be when players hit unconditional waivers if a team is planning a buyout. With Brent Seabrook now on long-term injured reserve with no plans on returning to the ice and Duncan Keith heading toward a trade, there aren’t really any contracts that would scream a buyout in Chicago anyway. Perhaps Brett Connolly‘s $3.5MM cap hit could be a candidate, but it seems likely that he will be capable of at least providing more next year than the six points he registered this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Travis Dermott
The Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up one of their key restricted free agents, signing Travis Dermott to a new two-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.5MM. PuckPedia reports that it will pay Dermott $1.25MM in 2021-22 and $1.75MM in 2022-23.
Dermott, 24, was eligible for arbitration this summer but has decided to forego that process in favor of a little contract security. The $1.5MM represents a nice raise from the $874K qualifying offer he signed last year and makes him an affordable NHL option for the Maple Leafs. The question now is whether Toronto will even be able to keep the young defenseman, as the looming expansion draft could end up putting him on a plane to Seattle.
The Maple Leafs currently have Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie to protect in the draft, meaning both Justin Holl and Dermott are at risk of selection. That is of course unless the team decides to go the eight-skater protection route, though that would still leave at least one of them on the table given the “core four” at forward that will need to be protected.
Of course, having valuable assets is never a bad thing, and Dermott still brings plenty of upside to the table. The 2015 second-round pick has shown an ability to step into the top-four at times, though the opportunity to do that has been rare, and with improved depth for the Maple Leafs, this season saw his average ice time decline to just over 13 minutes.
If that’s the role the Maple Leafs have penciled in for him next season, losing him to Seattle certainly wouldn’t be the end of the world. The team has top prospect Rasmus Sandin ready to step into the NHL and could even replace 13 minutes a night rather easily on the open market. It’s the growth that Dermott still may experience that is the real value here, especially if the team parts ways with Rielly at some point. The 27-year-old franchise pillar is an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season and has drawn some trade speculation over the last few weeks, given the Maple Leafs’ tight cap situation. Retaining Dermott would give them some added depth to replace Rielly if they did move him this summer, though it would certainly be a downgrade for the team.
Though they do still have a few minor league names that will reach restricted free agency, Dermott was the only real pressing negotiation this summer. Now the attention will turn to pending unrestricted free agents like Zach Hyman and Frederik Andersen.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Washington Capitals Re-Sign Beck Malenstyn
The Washington Capitals have re-signed one of their depth forwards, inking Beck Malenstyn to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K and pay Malenstyn $90K in the AHL.
For Malenstyn, just getting back on the ice will be a triumph after missing the entire season. The 23-year-old forward tore his Achilles tendon in December during offseason training, and was given a recovery timeline of six to eight months. That means he’ll be competing for a spot next season following a very long layoff and likely will need some time in the AHL to really get his game back on track.
That track had him in the Capitals lineup for three games during the 2019-20 season, though he did not register a point. The 6’3″ winger is likely going to top out as a fourth-line option in the NHL thanks to a lack of real scoring upside, but for the league minimum, he’ll be in consideration for a spot. Selected 145th overall in 2016, he scored 15 points in 46 AHL games the last time he was healthy enough to play.
Latest On Vladimir Tarasenko
July 8: Last night, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reported that Tarasenko actually requested a trade from the Blues earlier this offseason. The Russian winger apparently is “upset with the team’s handling of his shoulder surgeries in 2018 and 2019,” leading to a lack of trust with the organization. According to Rutherford, a trade is not imminent but is still expected at some point.
June 29: The St. Louis Blues have several questions to answer this summer after a disappointing first-round exit. The Colorado Avalanche made quick work of the 2019 Stanley Cup champions, sweeping them in four games with a combined score of 20-6. While pending unrestricted free agents Mike Hoffman, Tyler Bozak, and Jaden Schwartz could be heading for the open market, perhaps a bigger question mark is the future of Vladimir Tarasenko.
There has been trade speculation around Tarasenko for years now, given his injury troubles since that title run in 2019. The 29-year-old winger has played just 34 games over the last two seasons, recording seven goals in the process. For $7.5MM per season, the Blues aren’t getting enough production (even if his injury issues are out of his control) and now the team could be looking to shed that expensive asset. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff writes that Tarasenko is healthy now, but the Blues are exploring the trade market for the talented sniper.
Tarasenko has two years left on his current contract and holds a full no-trade clause, meaning he decides whether the Blues are even able to move him at all. But Seravalli reports that he has “alerted St. Louis to several teams he’d be willing to be dealt” and will likely not block a move. Of course, that does not guarantee that a trade will be completed, but it at least makes him an interesting player to watch this summer.
The Blues only have eight NHL forwards even signed for next season, with key restricted free agents like Ivan Barbashev, Zach Sanford, Jordan Kyrou, and Robert Thomas all in need of new contracts. Moving out a cap hit like Tarasenko’s makes sense if they want to go long-term and buy out UFA years with any of those young players, especially with other free agent decisions like Colton Parayko coming down the pipe in the near future.
Seller beware though in this case, as Tarasenko has proven to be one of the league’s most dangerous goal scorers when healthy. For five consecutive seasons before his major shoulder injuries, the Russian sniper scored at least 33 goals. That kind of production is incredibly difficult to find in the NHL and if Tarasenko can get back to that level again, a trade may end up looking like a huge mistake for the Blues. Still, GM Doug Armstrong has never been one to shy away from trading out key players if he believes it will improve the team in the short or long term, so the fact that he’s at least exploring a Tarasenko trade shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Teams Calling On Chris Driedger
The Florida Panthers have an interesting asset in Chris Driedger, the relatively unknown goaltender that has outperformed Sergei Bobrovsky for two years running. Because of Bobrovsky’s big contract and Spencer Knight‘s emergence, the Panthers don’t really need to retain Driedger, but with just a few weeks until he becomes an unrestricted free agent, time is running out if they want to cash him in.
The 27-year-old netminder is drawing interest, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, who tweets that teams are calling the Panthers about Driedger ahead of free agency. As he notes, however, the expansion draft looms and any acquiring team would need to be able to both sign and protect him if they want to keep him out of Seattle.
Buyer beware, as the former Ottawa Senators prospect still has just 41 games of NHL experience, but perhaps the late-bloomer has really just found a new performance level. As recently as the 2018-19 season he was in the ECHL, posting a .911 save percentage in 11 appearances for the Manchester Monarchs. This year in Florida, he had a .927 in 23 NHL contests.
Overall in his 41 NHL appearances, Driedger has a .926 and has posted a 21-10-4 record. The fact that he’s still young enough to potentially improve has to be enticing to teams (even expansion ones) and his lack of history should keep his price relatively low.
The situation is eerily similar to one that played out in 2017, when the Carolina Hurricanes (then led by Kraken GM Ron Francis) traded a third-round pick for Chicago Blackhawks backup Scott Darling, then signed him to a four-year, $16.6MM contract. At the time, Darling had played in just 75 regular season games and had a .923 save percentage (and was even just a few years removed from ECHL action himself). Of course, he also came with a Stanley Cup ring, as he appeared in five games during the 2015 run.
Darling flamed out during his first season as a starter, posting an .888 save percentage in 43 appearances with Carolina, and was bought out by 2019. There’s no guarantee that Driedger would suffer the same fate, but it certainly should pause some front offices that are drooling over his performance from this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 07/08/21
The 2021 Stanley Cup champions have been crowned. The Tampa Bay Lightning are back on top of the mountain, sealing their victory with another Andrei Vasilevskiy shutout. With that now in the past, teams and leagues all around the world can continue their preparations for the next season. As always we will keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.
- The Utica Comets have announced three contracts, their first signings affiliated with the New Jersey Devils. Mareks Mitens, Tyler Irvine and Patrick Grasso have all signed AHL deals for 2021-22. The first two already spent some time with the Devils’ previous AHL affiliate, but Grasso is fresh off a season with the University of New Hampshire. The 25-year-old was actually granted an extra year of NCAA eligibility thanks to a shoulder injury as a sophomore, meaning he spent five seasons with the program.
- Chay Genoway, who was once a highly sought-after college free agent, has signed a new deal to continue his hockey career in Sweden. The 34-year-old defenseman has been overseas since the 2014-15 season and actually suited up for Canada at the 2018 Olympic Games. Genoway’s deal is for one year plus an option for 2022-23.
- Former NHL goaltender Karri Ramo has signed a new contract with ERC Ingolstadt of the German DEL, after being the runner-up in Liiga last season. Ramo posted a .929 save percentage in seven postseason games for TPS, though his regular season numbers weren’t quite as strong. The 35-year-old last played in the NHL during the 2015-16 season.
Tampa Bay Lightning Win 2021 Stanley Cup Championship
For just the second time since the turn of the century, the NHL champion reigns for a second consecutive season. The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in Game Five at home on Wednesday night, cementing their back-to-back champion status after taking home the Stanley Cup in 2020 as well. Young Ross Colton scored the only goal of the game early in the second period and his teammates played tough defense to keep Montreal off the board for a shutout win to seal it.
The 2020-21 season was far different for the Lightning, though. In 2019-20, Tampa was a wire-to-wire favorite, leading the league in goals for and finishing second in goal differential, which earned them a share of the third-best record in the league. This year, the Lightning had their fair share of issues along the way, finishing only third in their own division and eighth overall in the league, falling to eighth in scoring and seventh in differential. Yet, in the postseason they were even better this time around than they were last year. In the 2020 playoffs, the Bolts recorded 3.08 goals for per game and 2.28 goals against per game, finished fifth in power play and penalty kill efficiency, and required extra time to win seven games. This year, Tampa Bay notched 3.26 goals for per game and led the postseason with 1.96 goals against per game, finished third and fourth respectively on the power play and penalty kill, and did not need overtime to win a single game.
Though it may not explain every difference between this season and last, it is hard to argue against the x-factor this season for the Lightning being Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov, the 2020 postseason scoring leader, missed the entire regular season after undergoing off-season hip surgery. While this cost Tampa one of the best players in the league, which could explain their regular season drop-off, the added salary cap space allowed the team to keep their championship roster together against all odds. Kucherov then returned to health in time for the playoff and again led the field in scoring – and by a wide margin. Having a fresh, energized Kucherov in the lineup was key to the Bolts’ success, especially as they faced several defensively skilled teams. While opinions differ on the integrity of how Tampa Bay managed Kucherov’s injury, the team stayed within the NHL’s rules and it led to a second consecutive title. While some may also argue that the Lightning’s back-to-back Stanley Cups came in the 2020 “bubble” playoffs and following a shortened 2020-21 season, it is difficult to see this roster not finding success under normal circumstances as well. Kucherov was followed in the 2021 playoff scoring race by four teammates – Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, and Alex Killorn – to round out the top five, while Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy had the best goaltending numbers of the postseason and was clutch when it mattered most, including a shutout to clinch all four series. The likes of Ondrej Palat, Anthony Cirelli, and Ryan McDonagh were also phenomenal for Tampa.
As for the other Stanley Cup finalist, the efforts of the Montreal Canadiens were valiant and will not soon be forgotten. The team with the worst regular season record in the postseason stunned two top-five teams en route to a completely improbable and unforeseen trip to the championship round. They will get a chance at revenge soon – Tampa Bay and Montreal will be back together in the Atlantic Division again next season, alongside several other top teams.