I sat down to put together a post this afternoon, a bit unsure of what I wanted to write about. In truth, the last topic I really wanted to revisit was the Vladimir Tarasenko trade saga. We have all read countless material on the subject and are ready for this nonsense to come to an end. The crazy thing is that it has not. For some insane reason, the Blues have failed to trade Tarasenko elsewhere, prolonging the wonder if he will actually remain in St. Louis for at least the start of next season.

As I mentioned, I desired to avoid Tarasenko in this post. Unfortunately, I cannot help myself. The fact that he remains a member of the Blues organization truly boggles my mind. Yet, I'm getting the feeling he is actually headed nowhere at all.

It's crazy to think. How could Tarasenko actually pull a Blues sweater over his head again with the relationship between him and the Blues seemingly fractured beyond repair? Is the market for a once 30-plus goal-scorer truly that dry?

Mainly based on what I've read, I think there was plenty of interest in Tarasenko towards the beginning of the offseason. I'm sure there were at least a handful of teams willing to place his injury history aside and take the risk for the right price. The issue is Doug Armstrong's interpretation of "the right price" and what any potential partner deemed to be so were too far apart.

To a certain extent, I understand Armstrong's unwillingness to part with Tarasenko for a low value. Even more, I understand why any interested General Manager would be hesitant to fork over a steep return for a player that may never return to form.

So, as should be expected, teams once interested in the Blues winger went elsewhere to address a need at a price they felt comfortable paying. The latest example is New Jersey going out and signing Tomas Tatar. Of course, this leaves St. Louis twiddling their thumbs, wondering what to do next.

Aside from the Islanders and maybe the Rangers, I'm having difficulty picturing another team still pursuing Tarasenko. As each day passes, I believe more and more than Armstrong missed his opportunity to trade him.

To me, this is a large issue. Do I believe Tarasenko will come out and play his hardest each game for St. Louis? Of course, I do. However, I also think this story will remain in the spotlight until he is dealt. Neither the team nor the player wants to deal with that noise all season, or at least until the trade deadline.

Although things have certainly quieted down, trading Tarasenko is still technically a possibility. At the same time, the Blues organization better start game-planning to mend the relationship between them and Tarasenko because my gut tells me he is still in St. Louis to start the year.

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