Vladamir Tarasenko is no longer part of the St. Louis Blues and I couldn’t be happier. The chances the Blues have at making a playoff run continue to dwindle. The injury bug is gone for the meantime, but with that the trade deadline is still among us which means more players could be dealt. Marco Scandella is back on the ice after spending time on LTIR due to a hip injury. Scott Perunovich still awaiting his season debut was sent to Springfield on a conditioning assignment.
The Blues are sellers this season which is fine as long as they can keep the captain. O’Reilly has already expressed interest in staying and does not want to be traded. The best piece left available is Ivan Barbashev because of the low salary not to mention his work ethic and hard hitting. Will another deal get done? If I’m a GM looking to make a push for playoffs I am bringing in Barbashev. Doug Armstrong pulled the trigger and sent a solid player who becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. Tarasenko could have just walked away at the end of the season to sign with another club, instead the Blues receive a 1st round pick in next years draft on top of a prospect in Hunter Skinner plus a familiar face in former Blue Sammy Blais. His first goal in 57 games, welcome home Sammy Blais!
The best part about this trade is how upset it made Patrick Kane. Apparently he wanted to go to the Rangers but didn’t want to be traded?
Its bittersweet seeing Tarasenko leave St. Louis but something every Blues fan knew was coming soon. Be happy for the guy who scored in his first game with the Rangers. He’s got his buddy Mikkola with him as well as his old pals Halak and Panarin. This is good for 91 and the Rangers now have a legitimate shot at the cup, something they wouldn’t have if they had traded for Patrick Kane.
The Morning Skate 
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