Tarasenko to get dealt in Blues' deadline teardown!?

Alright, let's be blunt and honest here: the St. Louis Blues have simply not been good enough this season after an offseason in which it looked like the team was ramping things up for a healthy playoff run in 2018-19. Halfway through the season and the Blues look more like a Draft Lottery contender than a Stanley Cup contender, which obviously led to the firing of former head coach Mike Yeo and has now led to some seriously wild trade speculation.

What if one of these extravagant trade rumors came true? This is what The Score believes will take place as they predict star forward Vladimir Tarasenko will get dealt in a Blues' deadline teardown. 

"Vladimir Tarasenko, who has been rumored to be drawing interest, is among St. Louis' most attractive trade chips. The 27-year-old is playing at a career-low 50-point pace, but his goal-scoring prowess will likely intrigue a playoff-bound team. He scored 30-plus goals in four straight seasons prior to 2018-19.

Tarasenko's no-trade clause kicks in next year for the final four seasons of his contract. So the Blues need to act now if they want to make a move."

With 11 goals and 22 points in 37 games this season and with four consecutive 30+ goal seasons in Tarasenko’s back pocket, there’s no denying his elite level skill. But with so much on the line in St. Louis and with GM Doug Armstrong now on the hot seat, could the Blues be forced to move their most consistent scorer? The Score believes they will...

Back on December 12, team insider Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic admitted that everyone was for sale in St. Louis during a radio appearance with 101 ESPN. 

"A couple General Managers around the league have said that they're hearing the big names are all on the block. Everything is open. Even Vladimir Tarasenko."

Suffice it to say that if the Blues move on from Tarasenko, and captain Alex Pietrangelo who is also on the trade block, then they’ll be in a full on rebuild mode. This means that veteran players like Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron and Alex Steen could also be on the move.

Tough times in St. Louis. Let's see if the Blues pull the trigger on that deadline teardown in the coming weeks...