Is anyone else tired of speculative talk and the "silly season?"

I am.

Sifting through the long list of hypotheticals came with its fair share of entertainment for a time. However, I'm ready to start discussing real moving and shaking.

Luckily we are not too far away. With protection lists due this Sunday and the expansion draft set for next Wednesday, we should prepare for a massive amount of discussion-worthy acquisitions across the NHL.

Still, for now, your "Blues Briefing" is filled with more "maybes" and "what ifs." Bear with me, folks.

1. In a recent article for The Athletic, Jeremy Rutherford dives into the need for a Vladimir Tarasenko to happen for the Blues to sort everything else out and make decisions about their roster. He could not be more correct.

There is so much attached to Tarasenko being off the books. First, what is St. Louis receiving in return? Are we talking roster players? Draft picks? Prospects? Whatever Doug Armstrong gets in exchange for Tarasenko could go a long way in determining his next move.

Somewhat attached to the return is the possibility of freeing up $7.5 million in cap space. Having that extra cap flexibility paves the way for other moves, such as bringing in Gabriel Landeskog (we'll discuss more on that in a bit). Of course, freeing up all of that money all depends on the specifics of the trade. Will St. Louis have to retain salary? Do the Blues receive a player in return that takes up some of that cap space?

There are so many unknowns that are difficult to answer before Tarasenko is traded. This means Armstrong has to look to get something done sooner rather than later, obviously.

2. Speaking of the Tarasenko trade, Rutherford also mentions in his article a list of teams he knows to be on the "trade me" list. They include the Rangers, Islanders, Golden Knights, Flyers, Lightning, Capitals, and Panthers. With the list being ten teams, that obviously means there are still two unknowns.

While some of these teams fitting the criteria of a potential trade partner, others can be chalked up into the "no chance" category. With Tarasenko having control of where he's headed, there is only so much Armstrong can actually do. Some teams that make sense, such as Calgary, likely aren't on his list of preferred destinations.

3. Then there comes the idea of leaving Tarasenko exposed for the expansion draft. I would not completely count out the idea of Seattle taking him, either. However, they will have a selection of high-priced, well-known commodities, and it's foolish to think they are going to snag all of them. Armstrong may try to persuade Seattle to select Tarasenko, a strategy many franchises will attempt, but the Kraken's asking price for doing so appears to be quite high. On the latest episode of the "31 Thoughts: The Podcast," Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek mentioned the asking price being somewhere around a first and third-round draft pick. That, of course, is a pretty steep price to pay.

4. Let's move on to Landeskog. As we already know, Gabriel Landeskog and the Colorado Avalance appear to be at a stand still regarding his new contract. As we also already know, St. Louis has come out and said they plan to make a serious push for the left-winger if he does indeed make it to the open market.

If that is truly the case, the Blues better be ready to fork over some serious money...

Told Gabriel Landeskog could be asking for a salary that pays in the range of $9-$10M in the open market. He’s willing to give Colorado a hometown discount but the Avs will need to up from their last offer which came in in the $5-$6 range on a 8 yr term.

— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) July 16, 2021

In no way, shape, or form do I want to pretend that Landeskog is not a highly skilled player and valuable asset for any team. I also do not want to ignore how great of a fit he would be as a member of the Blues. However, I question whether he is worth that kind of price tag, including the term he will demand.

Of course, what a player is looking for and what they will actually receive are two separate things. In a flat cap world, I find it hard to believe that most teams are willing to part with that kind of money for one player unless they fall into the league's realm of elite talent. If Armstrong could strike a deal with Landeskog somewhere between $7 million and $8.5 million, I would be all for it.

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