The NHL Rumors mill expected to have two big names as part of its summer speculation.
St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko and Winnipeg Jets’ center Mark Scheifele were rumored to be on the move. However, their respective GM’s had quite a bit to say regarding trade talk and it looks like both will be staying with their current teams.
NHL Rumors: Vladimir Tarasenko
St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong met with the media on Tuesday and was asked about the futures of Tarasenko and captain Ryan O’Reilly, who both have a year remaining on their contracts.
“I’m not sure the concern of everybody worrying about… let’s just dissect this year, give us your information on how you think we did as a whole, get ready for next year,” Armstrong said via NHL.com. “I’m not concerned about ‘Vladi’ for next year at all.”
O’Reilly has made it clear on several occasions that he wants to remain with the Blues. Of course, Tarasenko is a little different story since he requested a trade before the season started. Things went very well this year for him and he was very happy in St. Louis. Officially, he has not rescinded his trade request at this time.
Tarasenko, 30, posted a career high 82 points this season and then added 9 points in the playoffs. He has one-year left at $7.5M AAV.
Two other UFA’s are also on Armstrong’s radar to keep put. Both David Perron (F) and Ville Husso (G) are players he’s like to keep in the organization.
NHL Rumors: Mark Scheifele staying in Winnipeg
Scheifele, 29, has two years at $6.125M AAV which many teams would jump at this offseason if he were made available. He had a strong season with 70 points in 67 games, but there’s been a lot of rumors regarding changes in Winnipeg.
“Obviously I love it here,” Scheifele said. “I have to think about my career and what’s going to be best for me. I have to talk to my agents and everyone in my family and stuff like that and figure out what I really want.”
On Wednesday, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff laid to rest the speculation when asked about keeping his big center.
“Yeah, I do,” Cheveldayoff told NHL.com. “My exit interview with Mark went well. Again, it was an emotional time for everybody. We asked [our players] to wear their emotions in the exits, and I think they were very productive.”
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