PITTSBURGH (93.7 the Fan) The 2020-21 NHL season has come to a conclusion and the Tampa Bay Lightning have become the second team in the salary cap era to win back-to-back Stanley Cups.
With that being said, now begins probably one of the most hectic and fascinating off-season's the NHL has seen in a long time.
Without even beginning the discussion of the upcoming Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft, multiple players are expected to be on the trade market this summer.
So far, one of the biggest names one the block is St. Louis Blues' forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who requested a trade from the team Wednesday night.
Tarasenko is 29-years-old, a multi-time All-Star, posted three straight 70-point seasons, and a 40 goal campaign in 2015-16.
With the Blues, Tarasenko won the Cup in 2019, scoring a career high 17 points in 26 games.
According to Jeremy Rutherford of the Athletic, the one who broke the story, the Pittsburgh Penguins are among the teams that could be a suitable landing space for the Russian winger.
The Blues are likely to need defenders as a return, and Marcus Pettersson has been the lead of trade discussions in Pittsburgh since before the 2021 trade deadline.
Obviously this kind of deal wouldn't be a one-for-one, but a few extra pieces here and there, its possible.
In 531 career games, Tarasenko has 218 goals and 224 assists for 442 points and possesses one of the most lethal shots in the league.
Sure Tarasenko has only contributed 24 points the past two years, but he only appeared in 34 games dealing with injuries.
If Tarasenko can remain healthy and return to 70 points form, should the Penguins be in on him?
