The New Jersey Devils are reportedly still very much in the sweepstakes for St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko. According to the Fourth Period’s Dave Pagnotta, the Devils are in a fight with the New York Rangers and New York Islanders for the former 40-goal scorer. Obviously, the Blues are trying to start a bidding war for the three Metropolitan Division rivals.
This is good news for the Blues, but this is bad news for anyone trying to get Tarasenko. The Blues are working with no leverage. They need the cap space that comes from Tarasenko’s $7 million cap hit to get some flexibility after they sign their restricted free agents. Tarasenko made it clear he doesn’t want to be in St. Louis next season. There aren’t a lot of teams looking to take the risk that comes from Tarasenko, but the Blues are desperately trying to drum up some fake demand.
The Devils cannot spend actual assets on Tarasenko while also taking on that entire contract. He’s a distressed asset. Don’t get us wrong, he’s worth some kind of risk, but his shoulder is a real problem. Tarasenko saying he’s worried about how the Blues dealt with his shoulder injuries doesn’t exactly provide confidence for his next team. The risk is all on the team taking Tarasenko. He’s played 34 games combined over the past two regular seasons.
Would a 30-goal scoring Tarasenko really help the Devils top six? Of course he would, but that might not be the player the Devils are getting. This team needs to remember what happened when the Devils traded for P.K. Subban. He was dealing with a back injury, and he was a huge “what if”. Tarasenko is in the same position. It’s not unprecedented for a player to come back from injuries. Sidney Crosby had two years of concussion issues, but he’s still one of the best players in the world today.
This is a lot different than concussion issues. Head injuries have long-term issues, but players are either back or not. When it comes to joint injuries, there are a lot of other variables. Tarasenko could come back 100% or 20%. He could end up somewhere in between. Either way, it’s a risk.
This is a risk the Devils can’t afford to spend a 1st-round pick on. That is a nonstarter in almost every conversation, especially in the next two drafts that are loaded with talent. Also nonstarters are the high-level prospects the Devils have spent 1st-round picks on in the past. Alexander Holtz, Dawson Mercer, Luke Hughes, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Chase Stillman are not going anywhere in a Tarasenko deal. Neither are players like Yegor Sharangovich, Janne Kuokkanen, and probably Graeme Clarke, too.
If the price for Tarasenko comes down, then the Devils make sense. However, with just two years left on his deal and the Devils timeline likely coming after that, the Devils can’t afford to send guaranteed assets to the Blues for a risky proposition.