NHL Rumors: Tarasenko Will Waive NTC For 3 Teams In The East

The belief is that Vladimir Tarasenko will be moved at the deadline and there are a few teams he was willing to waive his no-trade clause for last summer when there was a possibility he would be traded.

David Pagnotta reported that he thinks that there is a strong belief Tarasenko will test the free agent market. The teams the St. Louis Blues' sniper would have waived his no-trade clause for were the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders. All three appear to be looking to add a scoring winger and all three could be destinations, so let's check up on each of them.

The most likely landing spot of the three would have to be the Rangers. If they can't acquire Patrick Kane, Tarasenko fits exactly what they're looking for. To be able to keep the kid line together as the third line, the team is looking to add a rental top-six winger who can produce offence. That is just what Tarasenko can do. Despite having scored only 10 goals and 29 points in 38 games this season, he was over a point-per-game in 2021-22 and has scored 33+ goals in six NHL seasons. He would allow Barclay Goodrow to move down and center the fourth line to give the team great depth.

The Islanders would be the next best bet if they decide they are going to continue to be buyers. The thought is that they will decide their trade deadline plans over the next 5-7 games. Though they already added Bo Horvat this season, the hope was that they could sign him long-term and not just for a run this season. They succeeded in that. The Islanders have won both games since acquiring Horvat, but with cap space, can bring in even more scoring. Tarasenko has been linked to the Islanders as another potential addition, this time as a pure rental.

The Devils are looking to add a scoring winger, but they have made it clear they're more looking for a player with a bit of term left. This way the assets will be more worth it to give up and they have at least two potential playoff runs with the player. If the team's plans don't go according to plan and Tarasenko would waive his NTC for the Devils, don't count them out.