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Boston Bruins: Making the case to pass on Vladimir Tarasenko

By Caylee Allard |
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 07: Vladimir Tarasenko #91 of the St. Louis Blues skates against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 07, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Blues shut-out the Flyers 3-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 07: Vladimir Tarasenko #91 of the St. Louis Blues skates against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 07, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Blues shut-out the Flyers 3-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Earlier this week, St. Louis Blues‘ forward Vladimir Tarasenko requested a trade, making him a possibility for the Boston Bruins to add this offseason. The 29-year-old has been with the team for nine seasons.

According to sources, Tarasenko is disappointed with how the team handled his 2018 and 2019 shoulder surgeries that were performed by Blues’ doctors. He now feels he cannot trust the Blues organization with any further handling of his injuries or surgeries.

In 2020, Tarasenko had been complaining about having pain in his shoulder for quite some time and he believes the Blues waited too long to address it which caused him to need yet another surgery.

Just like any offseason, the Bruins are in the mix of possible names that could try to acquire Tarasenko. He has been one of the top scorers in the league for the past several years and recorded a career-high 75 points during the 2016-2017 season. You can count on him to put up 30+ goals consistently.

The Bruins should steer clear of Vladimir Tarasenko.

However, general manager Don Sweeney should steer clear of this acquisition.

First off, Tarasenko is too injury-prone and the Bruins have made this mistake recently with both Ondrej Kase and Kevan Miller. Tarasenko has undergone three separate shoulder surgeries over the past 28 months. He played just 24 games this season and only 10 last season.

Secondly, he also brings with him a $7.5 million cap hit, which the Bruins need to reserve for important unrestricted free agent (UFA) signings such as David Krejci, Taylor Hall, and Tuukka Rask.

The Bruins cannot afford any more dead weight.

Their main focus should be acquiring a sizable defenseman during the offseason. The top six forwards have great chemistry and if those guys can stay intact, the Bruins could excel in offensive production this coming season.

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While adding Tarasenko wouldn’t necessarily hurt, it’s an unnecessary move that brings more risk than reward. Between his injuries, cap hit, and not having much of a need for him in the lineup, this is one guy we can be okay with Sweeney passing on.

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