Report: The Blues have traded Vladimir Tarasenko

This just in from NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the St Louis Blues have reportedly traded forward Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers.

Check it out:

The 31 year old Tarasenko is in the final year of a contract that pays him $7.5 million annually. He has 10 goals and 29 points in 38 games so far this season and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason. He'll obviously add some offensive punch to the Rangers' lineup but at what cost? We don't yet know the return on this deal, so stay tuned for official confirmation. Rest assured that we'll update this article once the final deal is made public.

It should be noted though that this is a long, long awaited trade for Tarasenko. It's believed that he requested a trade from GM Doug Armstrong as far back as 2020 after a reported disagreement with the team over how to handle a chronic shoulder injury. The reports at the time is that Tarasenko was not happy with how the organization treated him regarding his shoulder surgery and that he was looking for a fresh start elsewhere. Since then, he has continued to play for the Blues and even put up a career season in 2021-22. Still, he has been hounded by trade rumors for month... even years now and if Seravalli's report is accurate then Tarasenko will finally get the fresh start that he has been seeking.

Again, we'll have to wait to see the price that the Rangers played, but they've featured prominently in Tarasenko trade rumors going back to the offseason. They've also been linked to the likes of Patrick Kane and Timo Meier as well, but you have to assume that today's deal takes them out of the running for any more big name players. Assuming the Blues did not retain any salary on Tarasenko in this deal, the Rangers have just $1.5 million in cap space heading into the March 3rd trade deadline. Again, we'll wait for the full details of this deal but it appears that the Rangers have just made their big move for the season.