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Post by folatre on Feb 9, 2023 17:37:37 GMT -5
Two pending UFAs, Tarasenko (with 50 percent retained) and Mikkola, are headed to Broadway in exchange for a first round pick (worse of the Rangers and the Stars), Blais, a '24 third rounder, and d-man prospect Hunter Skinner.
Well, this trade checks a couple of boxes for New York. It was obvious they have been looking for a top six right wing and a LHD.
St. Louis is clearly raising the white flag and Armstrong's main wish was to get a first rounder for Tarasenko. I suppose Mikkola is worth, roughly, the third round pick and a b-tier prospect (Skinner).
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Post by PTH on Feb 9, 2023 21:06:46 GMT -5
It's not a huge return for a fairly big name - a middle-six player who was disappointing, an ECHLer and a late 1st.
NYR have now placed Libor Hayek on waivers... I know we have enough D, but I'd be tempted...
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Post by jkr on Feb 10, 2023 11:46:41 GMT -5
A little surprised. The online rumors I saw linked NY to Patrick Kane. Perhaps the ask was too high.
The Blues must like Blais as he returns to St. Louis.
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Post by PTH on Feb 10, 2023 11:50:58 GMT -5
A little surprised. The online rumors I saw linked NY to Patrick Kane. Perhaps the ask was too high. The Blues must like Blais as he returns to St. Louis. This might be a case where value was asymmetrical. The Blues know Blais and like what he brings more than other teams do, whereas the Rangers have generally been disappointed in him (and apparently fans dislike him since he's the disappointing guy they got in return for Buchnevich) |
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Post by folatre on Feb 10, 2023 12:11:34 GMT -5
I think Blais needed to move for cap purposes. Although you guys are right, Armstrong does like him. However, Blais is pending UFA and Armstrong may only like him at the league minimum and the player may just prefer to move on and see what is out there.
Blais plays hard and brings a physical edge. On a cheap contract, I would rather have Blais as the Habs fourth line RW than Armia. But Hughes is not a magician, so I have no idea how he could make Armia go away.
Now it will be fascinating to see what Armstrong does with O'Reilly. There have been some reports from the TSN Insiders that St. Louis is talking contract with O'Reilly. On the one hand, this does not surprise me because Armstrong does not run an organization that rebuilds. That is not their identity. They draft and develop well, but they see it within the context of staying competitive and fighting for the playoffs each season. Getting a couple magic beans for O'Reilly will not help the roster be competitive in 2023-24. I know the Blues have Bolduc, but he is not a lock to develop into a top six NHL centre and regardless he will not be ready for a couple more years.
I think Tarasenko was just a different case altogether. For whatever reason, the Russian rocked the boat two years ago when he said he wanted out. O'Reilly never said that.
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Post by PTH on Feb 10, 2023 14:20:04 GMT -5
I think Blais needed to move for cap purposes. Although you guys are right, Armstrong does like him. However, Blais is pending UFA and Armstrong may only like him at the league minimum and the player may just prefer to move on and see what is out there. .. Damn, I missed that he is a UFA. I find trade reports seem to want to focus on names and not what's important... which makes it so hard to figure out who was actually valued when looking at a trade years later. If Blas is signed for 5 years and plays well in STL, he might appear to have been an important part of the deal, but as a UFA he is probably largely there for cap reasons, and to perhaps give STL a chance to talk to him before he's a UFA. |
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Post by seventeen on Feb 10, 2023 14:35:36 GMT -5
Tarasenko is 31. In 21/22 he had 82 points in 75 games. This season, so far, it's 29 in 38 games. Is it just because the Blues are having a bad year? He is right in that range where a non elite forward starts to fall off a cliff. Anyway, I wouldn't have traded a first rounder this year for him. Next year, sure.
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Post by folatre on Feb 10, 2023 18:03:08 GMT -5
Totally agree that Tarasenko fits the profile of a forward likely to fall off the cliff in the near future. I would steer clear of him in the UFA marketplace. But hey someone will give him 4 x $6.5 or 5 x $6.
I do not see the cost the Rangers paid as excessive. Basically a high impact rental with pedigree is going to set you back a minimum of a first rounder and another modest piece. One must imagine that Carolina and New Jersey are planning to do something big.
Blais won a Cup in St. Louis and has a good relationship with Berube and Armstrong, thus I certainly think he would be open to signing there. However, he probably won't be excited about the type of offer the Blues may be willing to put on the table. Blais is in the prime of his career and has been making $1.5 per for the last three seasons, so he probably just goes to market before accepting a year or two at $1 million.
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Post by Cranky on Feb 14, 2023 15:57:24 GMT -5
Tarasenko could of been had for a box of kleenex a few years ago when he came back from injury and looked done.
Those painkillers are magic beans on the last year of a contract and I suspect that he has a sudden disappearing act after his next contract.
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Post by seventeen on Feb 14, 2023 18:16:17 GMT -5
Tarasenko could of been had for a box of kleenex a few years ago when he came back from injury and looked done. Those painkillers are magic beans on the last year of a contract and I suspect that he has a sudden disappearing act after his next contract. We sure had a first hand experience of that with Price and Weber. |
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