It was announced a couple days ago that St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko has officially requested a trade. Per Jeremy Rutherford of the Athletic, the reasoning for the request is a perceived lack of trust between the club and Tarasenko. Nonetheless, the question arises should the New Jersey Devils pursue the services of the Russian wing? To put it simply, not only would this be a bit unrealistic, but it would also not be a wise investment for the team.
The Statisitcs
Vladimir Tarasenko was once one of the more prolific scorers in the NHL. He had a stretch of three consecutive seasons where he tallied 73 points or more. Then the following two season he tallied more than 66 in each. However, recent injuries have derailed his once-successful career. Since the 2018-19 season, Tarasenko has only appeared in 34 games due to a couple different injuries resulting in surgery. Over those 34 games, he produced at a 0.71 point-per-game pace which is decently below his career 0.83 average.
Not only has his point output declined since his injuries started, but his underlying numbers also took a large hit. From 2018-2021 Tarasenko’s offensive metrics rank in the league’s 38th percentile, while his defense in the 44th. This in comparison from 2015-2018 where his offensive metrics ranked in the league’s 98th percentile. The below Regularized Adjusted Plus-Minus (RAPM) chart also shows how he struggled this year, specifically at five-on-five.
Whether it be due to the injuries (which is likely), or just the fact he is now almost 30-years old, Tarasenko’s play is on the down-swing. Is there a chance he reclaims the play he was outputting as a 24-year old? Sure there is. Is it likely? That is where the risk lies.
The Contract
Tarasenko has two years left on a preveiosuly signed eight-year, $60,000,000 extension. So, he is scheduled to make $7,500,000 per year for the next two seasons. Now, for a player that is coming off a couple major injuries, and has yet to show he can but regain some form of his former self, $7,500,000 seems like a hefty investment. So much so, it would not be surprising that in any deal, the St. Louis Blues may have to retain salary. But, you never know.
The other interesting aspect of Tarasenko’s contract is he has a no-trade clause. Of course, since he requested a trade he surely is willing to waive it. But, for what teams? Is a rebuilding team like the New Jersey Devils somewhere he would want to go? Seems unlikely.
The Verdict
There are a few different reasons why the New Jersey Devils should not, and most likely will not be a trade destination for Tarasenko. First off, his performance since his major injuries and surgeries has not been good. He has shown little-to-no signs of returning near the form he once was earlier in his career. Secondly, he has a no-trade clause in his contract. The idea of him waving it to play for a rebuilding team like New Jersey seems unrealistic. Lastly, despite New Jersey having roughly $34,000,000 in cap space this offseason, $7,500,000 is an extremely large investment for a guy trying to re-find his game.
In the end, it comes down to whether a team is willing to take a large risk on a guy that they’re only under control for the next two seasons. In New Jersey’s current state, what good would taking a risk on Tarasenko do? In this case, it seems the immense risk outweighs the possible reward.