Well, the NHL roster freeze is upon us, and both Vladimir Tarasenko and Vince Dunn remain members of the Blues' roster. For now, that is.

About an hour after the deadline to make any last-minute deals passed, Frank Seravalli reported via Twitter that he heard that St. Louis had left Tarasenko exposed, choosing to protect Ivan Barbashev instead.

Hearing #stlblues have exposed Vladimir Tarasenko in the Expansion Draft and are protecting Ivan Barbashev.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 17, 2021

One has to imagine that Doug Armstrong did his best to move Tarasenko before the freeze but could not get a deal done. If Seattle elects to take him, St. Louis obviously won't receive any assets in return but will clear up the cap space to make other moves. To me, that is enough for the organization to feel satisfied.

Of course, just because Tarasenko is free for the taking, it does not mean the Kraken will bite. I'm sure the Blues will do what they can to add a sweetener if need be. Ideally, they would like to trade Dunn in another deal that brings back a return. However, I would not rule Armstrong enticing Seattle with including Dunn in an agreement to select Tarasenko.

Regardless, it makes things interesting heading into the expansion draft. What I once that was a sure thing in Dunn getting taking may no longer be the case.

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