Vladimir Tarasenko is having an incredible season. He has tallied 28 goals and 25 assists in 54 games and has routinely been in the league’s top-5 for goals scored. While fans cheer and celebrate Tarasenko’s wicked wrister and unbelievable accuracy, the topic of the youngster’s future is quietly being ignored. Tarasenko’s contract expires at the end of 2014-15 and it may be time to address the elephant in the room.
Historically, Doug Armstrong likes to deal with new contracts over the summer. He doesn’t want negotiations to distract players from the job they need to do out on the ice. That’s pretty sound reasoning, but it may cost the Blues. Perhaps marginally, but there’s really no question that Tarasenko’s price tag goes up with each goal he scores. He’ll be paid a hefty amount no matter what, but you can count on the fact he’s more expensive now than he would have been in the season’s first month.
Will the Blues be able to afford another big contract? Yes, but it’s not going to be easy. Tarasenko has been playing like one of the best forwards in the NHL and he deserves to be paid like one. With Paul Stastny’s annual $7 million cap hit as a benchmark, the Blues are going to have to dig deep. A new deal will likely mean a long commitment as well. Tarasenko’s current deal was a three-year contract and it’s a safe guess that he’ll want big money and big years.
The team currently has a little over $56 million on the books for 2015-16, and with the salary cap expected to be a bit above $70 million (projections have said $73 million), the Blues will have room to squeeze in another big deal but it means they’ll have to creatively address other issues on the roster.
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