Running 2022-23 NHL thread

Perfect right winger for Panarin. It's been missing. And they are friends.

Problem is the contract he is going to get. It is a pure rental.

I'd be OK with a second rounder and a prospect. I'd even be OK with say, second rounder that turns into one of their first rounders if they make the conference final (i.e. the Andrew Copp trade last season), plus one of their prospects or Vitali Kravstov. The haul in that blurb is pretty steep, although it's difficult for me to value what Niko Mikkola adds to the deal and what should go back for that piece.

I am holding my breath right now, because Drury has a penchant for overpaying. Tarasenko has a no trade, and I had read that he was OK with the Rangers. But it also leaves the Rangers with some leverage.

 

Rangers acquiring winger Vladimir Tarasenko from Blues

They don't know the return yet, but it says a first rounder is definitely going back to St. Louis.

At Tarasenko's cap hit, it means St. Louis has to be retaining part of the salary.

This is the exact piece the Rangers have been missing. It's just too perfect, so I am sure it won't work well.

 

Arthur Staple (the Athletic) is tweeting first rounder, Sammy Blais (who came from St. Louis in the Buchnevich salary dump) and an unspecified prospect.

Blais has been awful. I feel bad for the guy. He came back from the ACL tear (PK Subban slew foot early last season) and has not been able to get it going. He looks a step slow and is noticeably bad some games. He agreed to go to th AHL for a conditioning stint for 10 days and scored some goals down there before coming back up after the break. He had a grand total of zero goals during his career as a Ranger.

 

A la, Vince Mercogliano (USA Today):

Rangers are getting:
Tarasenko and Mikkola

Blues getting:
Conditional 2023 first-rounder
Conditional 2024 fourth-rounder
Sammy Blais
Hunter Skinner

The Rangers have 5 prospects (Brennan Othmann, Will Cuylle, Zac Jones, Matthew Robertson, Adam Sykora) that they definitely valued more than Hunter Skinner. And at this point they were probably ready to trade Sammy Blais for some stick tape. The first rounder was the price.

St. Louis is retaining 50 percent of Tarasenko's salary, so there had to be a price for that, too.

EDIT: Just seeing that the first rounder is the lower of the Rangers' two picks next draft (they have Dallas' first rounder). The fourth rounder becomes a third if the Rangers make the playoffs.

 

Electric atmosphere pregame at the Garden last night. Tarasenko got announced for the starting line up and got a huge ovation. Then he scored 2+ minutes in on his second shift on a feed from Panarin, and it was bedlam.

On paper, it was exactly what the Rangers needed. You never know how things will work, but at least last night. ... you had as good a first line as you are going to find with Mika centering Panarin and Tarasenko. The "kid" line with Chytil, Kaako and Lafreniere is playing out of their heads now, the speed and passing has been good for a goal or two a game over the last 8, 9 games. And they got a greasy goal from the Kreider / Trocheck paring / line.

And with St. Louis retaining so much of the salary and Libor Hayek clearing waivers (the Rangers have been going with a 22 man roster to accrue cap space), there is still room for one more move, a la the Tyler Motte trade from last season. They are so much more balanced with Goodrow and Vesey and Gauthier as a fourth line, but if they could get a Motte kind of player again and be able to move Goodrow or Vesey up to play with Kreider and Trocheck instead of having to rely on Kravtsov who is not ready, they are set. Kravtsov's skill is excellent, but he gets pushed around and still needs to grow into his body and add muscle. He's not suited for a third or fourth line role, but he couldn't be relied on to be the right winger with Panarin / Zibanejad or with Chytil. With somehing like Trocheck centering Kreider and Vesey (or Goodrow, who can play right wing), you get three veteran, north-south players. It gives them three badass lines.

Anything can happen when you get to the playoffs, and looking good on paper isn't worth anything, but you can't say that the Rangers didn't make the move they needed to. It's fun being a fan right now.