There are questions about what the missing piece is to put the Islanders into the Stanley Cup Final after losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions again, and it could be Vladimir Tarasenko.

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Tarasenko, who spent his entire career with the St. Louis Blues was one of the highly regarded wingers of the 2010s. The 29-year-old is a former three-time NHL All-Star, Stanley Cup champion in 2019, and a noted offensive producer, tallying 218 goals and 224 assists for 442 points. However, as per Jeremy Rutherford of the Athletic, Tarsenko has requested a trade away from St. Louis this offseason. While the stars potentially seem aligned for the Islanders to get their true star winger for Mathew Barzal, the risks here outweigh the possible benefits.

For starters, the Islanders have their own offseason priorities to handle. Much like last offseason, the team has several major free agents to re-sign, both restricted and unrestricted. On the restricted free agent end, forward Anthony Beauvillier and defenseman Adam Pelech are each due pay raises this offseason. Beauvillier was a key contributor to the Islanders’ playoff run this season, and Adam Pelech is one of the best defensive defensemen in hockey, so those two will likely get some pricey contracts on their own.

As for unrestricted players, Kyle Palmieri and Casey Cizikas among other pieces are at risk of walking away from the organization.

Even after the Islanders traded Nick Leddy and Andrew Ladd, and with the potential to still shed more salary with the upcoming Seattle Expansion Draft, Tarasenko’s $7.5 million annual cap hit could prevent them from resigning their RFAs. As a result, adding Tarasenko could fill a need, but it could have negative consequences on the salary cap and the Islanders’ ability to bring players back.

However, the more important piece to consider about Tarasenko is his injury history. When Tarasenko was healthy he was a key contributor. However, the last two years have been anything but for Tarasenko. Since he won the Stanley Cup, he only played in 34 regular-season games with several injuries setting him back.

The concerns began back in the 2019-20 season, where Tarasenko played in 10 games before suffering a shoulder injury. The injury required surgery and knocked him out of the lineup for five months, the remainder of the shortened regular season. Even though he did return for the start of the Round Robin of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he wasn’t at 100% and was sent back to St. Louis early.

The lingering effects of the injury kept him on the sidelines until March of this past season, and the impacts were apparent. Tarasenko only tallied four goals and ten assists in 24 games. Despite the small sample size, his production was far below what it should be for a player of his caliber.

Tarasenko may seem like a match made in heaven. With the Islanders looking for an elite piece to put them over the top, Vladimir Tarasenko has the pedigree. However, considering both the Islanders’ salary cap situation and Tarasenko’s injury history, it may be too big a risk to take. Of course, it’s possible the rewards could be historic if the Islanders trade for him and everything goes right, but considering the uncertainty of Tarasenko returning to form, it is not worth the gamble for the New York Islanders.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.