Vladimir Tarasenko To Be Exposed At Expansion Draft

What a crazy day for the NHL! According to Frank Seravalli, the St. Louis Blues are leaving Vladimir Tarasenko unprotected for the Expansion Draft. Instead, they are electing to protect forward Ivan Barbashev.

Hearing #stlblues have exposed Vladimir Tarasenko in the Expansion Draft and are protecting Ivan Barbashev.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 17, 2021

This is truly a shocking development. Although Tarasenko requested a trade, it is unbelievable that the Blues would let him go for nothing. The Kraken now have the chance to take a first-line talent for free and they ultimately should. Tarasenko can be an elite player, but he has to remain healthy.

Tarasenko has had serious injury trouble these last two seasons, but there is no real risk for Seattle taking him in. He only has two more years left on his contract and they shouldn't have trouble handling his $7.5 million cap hit.

There also is the possibility of the Kraken picking him and then flipping him to one of his preferred destinations. Given his past success, a return for Tarasenko could be pretty good, too.

Regardless of what occurs, this could be a real win for the Kraken. They first need to select him for this to come into fruition, though. That is ultimately up to general manager Ron Francis at this juncture.

Nonetheless, the Tarasenko saga has taken a massive turn and not many people would have predicted this.