3 Reasons New Jersey Devils Should Avoid Vladimir Tarasenko

Injury History

The number one reason that Tarasenko is not the right fit for the New Jersey Devils despite his desire to leave St. Louis is his injury history. Tarasenko has only played 34 games total in the past two seasons. He’s had a run of shoulder surgeries that never healed completely, and he hasn’t looked the same since returning to the ice late this year. He did have a two-goal game in the last one of the season as the Colorado Avalanche easily dispatched them, but there were only flashes of that greatness.

Shoulder injuries are like knee injuries. While they can be fixed, and there are some players that once they heal it’s never a problem again, there are some bodies that just don’t go back to 100 percent. Then, it’s only a matter of time before that player is back on the shelf for either maintenance or worse.

Tarasenko might be cooked. It’s very, very likely he’s not. However, there’s a non-zero chance that he is a much less player than he once was.

Will his injuries allow him to ever reach the heights of his peak? This is a player who was a consistent 35-40 goal scorer. Maybe he can be a 30-goal scorer at this point. To do it, he needs to stay on the ice. Can he do it for a full two more seasons? That’s still very much up in the air.