On July 7th, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reported that St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko had requested a trade. Fast forward just a week later, and the 10 teams that Tarasenko would approve a trade to were revealed in another article by Rutherford. One of the teams that’s reportedly on Tarasenko’s radar is the Philadelphia Flyers.
Tarasenko’s rift with the Blues begins with how he felt the organization dealt with his lingering shoulder injuries. He underwent two surgeries performed by Blues physicians, but he was still not at full health. It was revealed that he had sustained ligament damage in his shoulders that was not discovered until a meeting with physicians in Colorado away from the Blues.
Because of his injuries, Tarasenko has only played in 34 combined games over the course of the last two seasons. In that span, he has posted 7 goals and 17 assists for 24 points in 34 games, which is respectable despite a dip in the goal scoring we’ve been accustomed to. This past season he recorded 4 goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 24 games, and while his point totals have still fared well, his goal scoring prowess has gone down and it shows that the injuries he’s suffered have taken their toll on him.
It’s obvious that the Flyers are in need of some major changes this offseason, and there will be plenty of player movement between Seattle’s expansion draft next week and the upcoming free agency period, along with the bevy of trades that we may see over the course of the offseason.
Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher was very adamant in his press conference on Tuesday that there will be changes coming after the disappointing season that Philadelphia endured in 2020-21, and perhaps a trade for the disgruntled Blues forward in Tarasenko might be a piece of the puzzle.
Tarasenko is 29 years old with two years remaining on his contract, which carries an average annual value of $7,500,000 per season. The recent injury history would suggest that a trade for Tarasenko would be a pretty steady risk, especially given his high cap hit and his decline in goal scoring since returning to the ice. However, if Tarasenko were able to return to form, it could prove to be a huge payoff for the Flyers. He’d slot into the top-six immediately and could form great chemistry with either Sean Couturier or Kevin Hayes, two great two-way playmaking centers who know how to find their opening wingers and create plenty of offense.
From 2014-15 to 2018-19, here’s how the Russian winger’s goal totals read: 37, 40, 39, 33, 33. He’s a proven sniper that could be just as deadly as he was before if he can remain fully healthy. The Flyers haven’t had a player reach the 40-goal mark since Jeff Carter in 2008-09, and while Tarasenko may not reach that level again, if he could stay within the 30-goal club that he’s been a part of so many times then that would bode incredibly well for the Flyers.
With Tarasenko’s high cap hit, Philadelphia would need to find a way to make the salaries work in a trade. Jake Voracek carries an AAV of $8,250,000 until 2024, and James van Riemsdyk carries a $7,000,000 cap hit until 2023. Given that van Riemsdyk’s contract ends the same year as Tarasenko’s and his cap hit is only $500,000 less, he may be the likelier to end up in a potential trade deal to send to St. Louis. Granted, van Riemsdyk isn’t as good of a playmaker as Tarasenko is, but he can certainly put the puck in the net and the Blues are going to need someone to fill that void left by Tarasenko.
Of course, the expansion draft will play a role and the Flyers and other suitors may hold off on a trade until after the Seattle Kraken take their choosing of the league’s unprotected players. Voracek has already reportedly been told by the Flyers he will be left exposed to Seattle, and van Riemsdyk could potentially be in the same boat because of their large contracts.
It is also worth noting that a potential deal centered around Phil Myers and Morgan Frost could be the offer the Blues are looking to snag from the Flyers, according to Rutherford. However, that may be too steep of a price to pay for Fletcher given the risk that comes with Tarasenko coming back from serious injury coupled with the upside of a young budding star like Frost.
With the pedigree that comes with a name like Vladimir Tarasenko, it’s great to think that the Flyers have a chance at landing him. Only time will tell if the organization will look to acquire him, and what price they’re willing to pay for the former 40-goal scorer.