It’s already beginning to feel like there won’t be many trade chips left on the table by the time March 3rd rolls around. After possibly the biggest trade target in Bo Horvat was moved to the Islanders right before the All Star Break, their neighbours in New York got in on the action today, acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko from the Blues.
Here’s the full trade:
New York Rangers Acquire:
F Vladimir Tarasenko (pending UFA)
D Niko Mikkola
St Louis Blues Acquire:
2023 First Round Pick (conditional)
2024 Fourth Round Pick (conditional)
F Sammy Blais
D Hunter Skinner
The 1st rounder will be the later pick of the two that the Rangers currently own (their own pick and the Dallas Stars pick)
The 4th round pick can become a third if (when) the Rangers make the playoffs. Also important to note is that the Blues are retaining 50% of Tarasenko’s remaining salary and cap hit, which is key considering his AAV stands at $7.5 million
The Rangers seemed to be tied to every big name forward that was rumored to be available as we approached the trade deadline, and they jumped ahead of the line to secure a top end scorer that gives them one of the strongest top 6 forward groups in the league.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired F Vladimir Tarasenko and D Niko Mikkola in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Sammy Blais and Hunter Skinner.
Full details ⤵️https://t.co/HF8rg4uq40
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 9, 2023
Theoretically, Tarasenko will line up with elite playmaker Artemi Panarin and center Mika Zibanejad, forming a line that will give defenses nightmares. Adding the Russian forward will solidify the forward group, and allow them to move either Barclay Goodrow or Jimmy Vesey into a more suitable checking line role.
It will also take pressure off their “Kid Line” of Filip Chytil, Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko, who are full of potential but have yet to take that next leap in their development. The Rangers are currently ranked 15th in 5 on 5 scoring and having Tarasenko’s elite shot paired with the passing abilities of Panarin and defenseman Adam Fox will certainly improve that rate.
While Tarasenko’s production has tapered off this season, he’s remained a solid foot soldier for the Blues despite his repeated trade requests over the years. At 31 years old, and having gone through multiple shoulder surgeries he isn’t quite at the level he was in his 20’s, but the Rangers now have the depth to help insulate him and let him go to work in the offensive zone.
New York also acquired depth defenseman Niko Mikkola, who will likely be a bottom pairing d man going forward. When playoffs arrive, having a plethora of big bodied blue liners at your disposal is always a benefit, so he’s little more than an insurance policy at this point.
The Rangers did well to get this deal done early and not get caught up in a bidding war as the deadline loomed. Obviously no one wants to give up a first, especially in a deep draft like this one, but it will be the lower pick of their two, so it’s a fairly easy pill to swallow.
For the Blues, this trade seems to signify the end of the line for the team that led them to a Stanley Cup. They entered this season with a bevy of players on expiring contracts, including captain Ryan O’Reilly, Tarasenko, and Ivan Barbashev to name a few, but seemed committed to making on more push.
The team showed promise at the start of the season, but have fallen completely out of the playoff picture since and moving Tarasenko is the first move in what is looking to be a full scale rebuild. It seems that the Blues were willing to move on from Tarasenko for a couple seasons now, but the demand for him just wasn’t there.
They even left him exposed in the expansion draft, but the Kraken didn’t bite. That being said, they still have to walk away feeling disappointed in the return. Getting a 1st round pick in a draft as deep as this one is a big get, even if it will likely be in the mid 20’s. However, including a usable bottom pairing defenceman AND eating 50% of Tarasenko’s contract should have netted them more than that first, a mid round pick, a fringe NHLer in Blais (who is also a UFA after this season) and a mid tier defensive prospect.
There’s something to be said for finally just ripping off the band aid and committing to what might be a long rebuild. But you can’t help but wonder how far they could have driven the price up as the trade deadline approached, with so many teams looking like buyers with few sellers. Luckily for them, they’re sitting on a few more assets that will likely be next out the door, so they’ll have another chance to get it right.
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
Photo: Michael Miller. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.