Vladimir Tarasenko trade grades: Rangers address top priority, Blues gain assets for future

Rangers GM Chris Drury didn’t wait until trade deadline day to make a big move.

Rangers took over star winger Vladimir Tarasenko from the Blues on Thursday, giving New York their answer to first place on the right wing. In return, St. Louis received a package that included forward Sammy Blais and a 2023 first-round pick.

The upcoming UFA striker is a player who shoots first. In his 11-year career, he has scored 30 goals six times in one season. Tarasenko was named a 2023 All-Star Game and has 10 goals and 29 points in 38 games with the Blues.

MORE: When is the 2023 NHL trade deadline?

Sporting News gives Rangers and Blues marks for Tarasenko deal.

Trading qualities of Vladimir Tarasenko

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

Ranger: A-

Ultimately, Rangers got what they needed – a front row right winger.

It was a rotating line-up, playing alongside No. 1 center Mika Zibanejad and his primary left wing, Chris Kreider. Head coach Gerard Gallant has tried out Jimmy Vesey and Kappo Kakko at this spot for most of the season, but neither is a proven first-liner.

Tarasenko is a real top winger when he’s healthy. He has scored at least 30 goals in every season in which he has played at least 75 games. His shooting percentage this year is under 10%, which is the second-lowest rate of his career.

While Zibanejad has played most minutes with Kreider on his left, there is potential for Gallant to bring his big three up front and play Zibanejad in the middle of Tarasenko and Artemi Panarin. The two Russians have played together at international level and it would be a pairing of a shooter with one of the league’s best passers.

The big caveat is “when healthy”. Injuries were no stranger to Tarasenko in the past. He only made 34 appearances in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons and has already missed time this year with a broken hand.

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 too will be UFA at the end of the season.

What it has cost Rangers might be a bit much for two players who could only be loaned out. However, by trading for Tarasenko now, Rangers are getting him for about 11 more games than they would have had they acquired him on deadline.

Rangers also have another first-round pick for this year’s draft and haven’t given up one of their best young players/prospects.

Also, the kind of player Rangers were looking for wasn’t readily available as of the deadline. Scorers like Patrick Kane or Timo Meier are similar players to Tarasenko, however Kane is not guaranteed available and Meier, a 26-year-old RFA, will cost a much bigger package.

Blues: B

Finally, Tarasenko is out of St. Louis. It’s been brewing for a couple of seasons now, but it felt like a move from Tarasenko was inevitable at this point given his free agency and where the Blues stand overall.

In exchange for Tarasenko, St. Louis gets a familiar face in former Blue, Sammy Blais. He returns to the team after being traded to Rangers two years ago as part of the deal that sent Pavel Buchnevich to St. Louis.

The 26-year-old didn’t find a role for the Rangers. Injury kept him out for most of the 2021-22 season, and this year he has only five points in 40 games with New York. He played mostly on the fourth line. The Blues like his game enough to bring him back for another try.

Arguably the biggest chunk of the trade coming to St. Louis is the 2023 first-round pick. The Blues will have either the Rangers or Stars first-round pick, whichever is lower in the draft, but either way so it will probably be a late selection.

It doesn’t matter. The Blues, who already have their own picks, have a chance to pick two players in the first round this summer in what ranks as one of the deepest draft classes in a number of years.

Hunter Skinner, the prospect of the deal, is not a standout player. A fourth-round selection for Rangers in 2019, he made the leap to the pro level after just a year with London in the OHL and has spent the last three seasons bouncing back and forth between the AHL and ECHL.

At 21, Skinner still has plenty of time to develop. His strength is in his own zone, but he’s rounded out his 200-foot game. It’s more of a nice depth piece for a blues prospect system in the middle of the pack.

As with any deal with a pending UFA, the Blues got something for a player who had the potential to go for nothing. That’s a win.

However, given that they’re eating up half of Tarasenko’s remaining salary this year, they could have done a little more. Tarasenko’s no-trade clause probably affected St. Louis’ return, but I would have liked to see them get a better perspective, especially since Rangers had other young defenders like Zac Jones or Matthew Robertson in their system.

All in all, it’s a solid achievement for a player of Tarasenko’s caliber and could pave the way for the Blues to re-sign captain Ryan O’Reilly, another upcoming UFA and potential victim of the trade deadline.