NHL Rumors: Vladimir Tarasenko, Erik Karlsson, and Timo Meier
Anthony Scultore
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The latest NHL Rumors regarding St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko. Plus what’s going on with San Jose Sharks stars’ Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier.
NHL Rumors: Vladimir Tarasenko
Tarasenko, 31, has 29 points in 34 games this season and is nearing a return from a hand injury that landed him on the injured list on January 2.
The pending UFA is believed to be testing the market this summer and has yet to rescind a public request to be traded prior to the start of the 2021-22 season. So is this going to be a showcase for the big right wing until the March 3 NHL Trade deadline? It sure seems that way.
Depending on how things shake out with Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks, Tarasenko is expected to be the next most sought after winger after him.
Several teams could very well be in the running including the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche. However, another team to keep an eye on are the Carolina Hurricanes, who lost Max Pacioretty to an Achilles tear and will need to replace his scoring for the playoffs.
Keep in mind that Tarasenko has a full no-move clause and controls his destination. Although, anyone of the contenders mentioned are likely places he’s like to go.
Other possibilities include the Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders.
NHL Rumors: Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier
The San Jose Sharks are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline and one of player that’s been mentioned as available is defenseman Erik Karlsson.
This season, the 32 year-old leads all defensemen in scoring with 62 points in 48 games.
I’ve discussed Karlsson on this site numerous times as being nearly impossible to trade due to his contract, which has 5 years remaining with a heavy cap hit of $11.5 million. It’s unlikely the Sharks would eat a large portion of his contract to facilitate a deal, and most teams that would be able to take on the full hit (or most of it) are probably teams Karlsson wouldn’t waive his no-move clause for.
Karlsson’s main objective in winning as he recently stated on a podcast.
“I will never sway from that. I want to win,” Karlsson told the “Got Yer Back” podcast. “And I think as you get older and you’ve been around for a longer time, you realize that it’s not as easy as it looks and you’ve got to hit it right at the right time.”
via NHL.com
Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s a team out there that could take him on and fits the “winning” bill.
Looking at a real trade candidate, Timo Meier is going to be a hot commodity.
Meier, 26, is having a great season with 27 goals and 47 points in 48 games. He’s not a pure rental as he’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights and has a qualifying offer of $10 million.
The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers are among the teams interested in acquiring him, though several other clubs have also reached out. Given Meier’s RFA status, teams reaching out are not necessarily all playoff-bound clubs. The Philadelphia Flyers, Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres are also speculated to have various levels of interest.
TFP
When looking at the list of clubs mentioned by TFP, I don’t see the Rangers as a fit due to their cap situation and number of RFA’s needing new deals this summer (Alexis Lafreniere, K’Andre Miller, Filip Chytil, and Vitali Kravtsov).
I will say that the New Jersey Devils are an intriguing club, especially considering Meier’s agent Claude Lemieux made a name for himself wearing their sweater.
