Four Potential Offer-Sheet Teams For Vladimir Tarasenko

By Kate Cimini | Apr 30, 2015

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St. Louis Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong went before the media Tuesday, saying that re-signing Vladimir Tarasenko was top priority for the club that badly needs to retain its star player, who was among the top goal- and points-scorers in the league during the regular season.

“The St. Louis Blues will not be in the spot on July 5, if he’s not signed, not to be able to match any offer sheet that’s out there,” Armstrong said. “If it means allowing players to go to free agency, or if it means making players sweat it out on what their deal’s going to be, he’s the priority for us.”

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Vladimir Tarasenko is not only a phenomenal points-scorer, but according to war-on-ice he is in the top 40 of all NHL players in Corsi-For among those who have played 50 or more games, coming in at a positive possession percentage at 54.97% He averages 1.39 goals per 60 minutes played, which lands him in the top five players in the NHL and averages exactly the same number of assists per 60, demonstrating his versatility as a forward.

While Tarasenko’s cap hit comes in at $1.75 million, according to NHL Numbers he only earned $900,000 over the 2014-2015 season, meaning that he must be offered at least 105% of last year’s money in his new contract.

Tarasenko is worth far more than that.

Apr 11, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) in action during the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Scottrade Center. The Blues won the game 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports

Bleacher Report has estimated that Tarsenko will go for between $6- and $8 million a year, but others, including our own A.P. Andes, have insisted that Tarsenko will fetch around $10 million a year if we’re looking at a contract that spans four or more years.

While it would be smart of a cap team like the Blues to lock Tarsenko up in a bridge contract while they get their finances in order and/or wait for the salary cap to rise, Tarasenko will almost certainly receive offer sheets that could offer him significantly more than the Blues’ first offer.

Once Tarasenko receives an offer sheet, he must sign it and present it to his club if he is interested in the terms of said contract.

Since Tarasenko played for the Blues last year, the St. Louis club has the right of First Refusal, or can take one week (seven days) to match the deal, dollar-for-dollar.

Any number of clubs will be interested in garnering a talent like Tarasenko for themselves. Read on to find out some of the likeliest contenders.

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