Vladimir Tarasenko trade details: Rangers acquire sniping winger from the Blues to bolster offense

New York finally has its top right winger.

Rangers traded star striker Vladimir Tarasenko with the Blues on Thursday.

The Russian sniper has been the subject of trade rumors for the past few seasons. Tarasenko officially requested a trade from St. Louis in the summer of 2021 but ultimately stayed with the team.

As a pending free agent this summer, he was one of the top trade deadline contenders for 2023. Tarasenko had a no-trade clause in his contract, but he was willing to forgo the move to Rangers.

With the deal, New York will immediately boost their offense and get a proven goalscorer like Tarasenko to play in the front row. The all-star forward has 10 goals and 29 points in 38 games this season.

MORE: When is the 2023 NHL trade deadline?

The Sporting News have brought you the details of the Tarasenko trade.

Commercial details of Vladimir Tarasenko

• Rangers get: F Vladimir Tarasenko, D Niko Mikkola
• Get Blue: F Sammy Blais, D Hunter Skinner 2023 1st round pick, 2024 4th round pick

In addition to Tarasenko, Rangers took on defender Niko Mikkola. Forward Sammy Blais, prospective defenseman Hunter Skinner, a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick returned to the Blues.

Tarasenko immediately gives New York what it’s been looking for since last summer – a quality, shooting right winger that can be paired with star center Mika Zibanejad.

He was a top six winger for most of his career. When healthy, the forward is a 30-goal scorer. He’s hit that threshold every season that he’s played at least 75 games.

Tarasenko’s biggest concern is injuries. In the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons he only played 34 games in total and already missed time this year with a broken hand. If he can stay healthy and in the Rangers lineup, he could be key for a team aiming to return to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Alongside Tarasenko, Mikkola brings additional depth to the Rangers in the backend. The 26-year-old Finn has appeared in 50 games for St. Louis this season, recording three assists, 68 blocks and 96 goals. He will be UFA at the end of the season.

Blais is returning to the Blues after being traded to Rangers two years ago as part of the deal that sent Pavel Buchnevich to St. Louis. The 26-year-old has just five points in 40 games with New York this year and is playing in one of the bottom six roles.

Hunter Skinner is a 21-year-old defenseman who has played in the ECHL for most of this season. He was a fourth-round pick by Rangers in 2019.

St. Louis also received draft capital, earning a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick. New York has two first-rounders in the 2023 draft after earning the Stars’ pick in the Nils Lundqvist trade. The Blues get the pick included later in the draft. Additionally, the fourth-rounder will become a third-round pick if Rangers make the playoffs this season.

Contract details of Vladimir Tarasenko

Tarasenko is in the final year of his eight-year, $60 million contract, which he signed with the Blues in 2015. He is slated to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

As part of the deal, the Blues will keep 50% of Tarasenko’s cap hit.

New York has about $15 million in cap over the next year, but the team has a variety of restricted free agents to sign, including K’Andre Miller, Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Vitali Kravtsov. It is likely that Tarasenko is exclusively on loan and will test the free agency market this summer.