The defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues, sitting at a decent 6-3-3 record to start the 2019-20 season, are now in a tough spot following the loss of their best goal scorer, Vladimir Tarasenko. Tarasenko is set to be out for five months, at least until the end of March. The Blues are still a playoff-caliber team without him, but there are some moves that could be made.
Without Tarasenko, Blues' general manager, Doug Armstrong, needs to consider making a move to add to this roster to fill the void left by a perennial 35 goal scorer. The Blues have $7.5 million in cap space for the trade deadline, giving them the flexibility to add to the forward core. There are several options that potentially could be available on the trade market in the coming months to help the Blues while Tarasenko is out and in the playoffs if Tarasenko is not full strength.
Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers is an unrestricted free agent in 2020, and with the New York Rangers likely not to seriously contend for a playoff spot, he could be available. Kreider is a tough, left-handed forward with a goal-scoring touch in front of the net that will be an asset for any team. Chris Tierney and Jean Gabriel Pageau of the Ottawa Senators, both unrestricted free agents next summer, is another option. The Senators are terrible and might be seeking to deal several players for draft picks. While not as good of scorers, Tierney and Pageau provide value at their cap hit.
A couple more far fetched options are Taylor Hall and Ryan Strome. Hall, an unrestricted free agent next summer and 2018 Hart Trophy winner, could be made available if the New Jersey Devils are still a bottom feeder. With the loss of an elite player like Tarasenko, it almost makes sense for the Blues to go after another star in Hall. With New Jersey still looking to improve, the odds that Hall is on the market are slim. Strome of the New York Rangers is a restricted free agent next summer and is off to a great start, but like with Kreider, could be traded due to the Rangers' record. With his start, the Rangers are likely to keep him and then re-sign.
Besides making a trade, the Blues could stand pat and rely on existing roster players to pick up the slack. Highly touted minor leaguers such as Klim Kostin and Jordan Kyrou are options to be brought up to fill the roster spot while Tarasenko is out. Current Blues like Robert Thomas, Zach Sanford, and Sammy Blais will have to up their current offensive production during this time period, or the Blues may have some nights where goal scoring is an issue.
Overall, losing Tarasenko hurts immensely, but the Blues have plenty of external and internal options to render the dilemma. On paper, they are still a very solid team without him, but this is the NHL, and things could change significantly.
