4 trade destinations for St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko

1. Vladimir Tarasenko trade fits: Los Angeles Kings

Early in June Darren Dreger of TSN reported he expects the Kings to be players this offseason, with two top-six forwards especially on their radar. Emergence as a possible suitor for Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel followed easily. In particular, a right winger looks like a need Kings general manager Rob Blake should focus on addressing.

Los Angeles finished 27th in the league in scoring last season (2.54 goals per game), with a power play that was better than that but still mediocre (18.9 percent; 19th in the league-32 power play goals-tied for 16th in the league). The Kings seem to always struggle to score, but there’s motivation and ability to change that this offseason.

Insider John Hoven has pointed to forwards who would be “bridge players” for the Kings while the team’s prospects come aboard, particularly those with closer to 2-3 years left on their contract, as an ideal fit as trades are explored. Does that sound like anyone? Maybe Blake aims higher/younger (Sean Monahan, Brandon Saad, etc.), but Tarasenko is probably on the radar and the recent news about his availability may ramp that up some.

The Kings could send a prospect or two to St. Louis for Tarasenko without gutting that pipeline, along with a player to match some salary (Dustin Brown would be an option, with a limited no-move clause himself).

Other teams who may be interested in Tarasenko: New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers