Tarasenko and Eichel may not be traded soon
Dan Rosen of NHL.com: Vladimir Tarasenko should remain with the St. Louis Blues all season as they are a playoff contender. If they are not in the playoff race at the March 21st trade deadline, they could trade him. If his shoulder doesn’t hold up, he won’t have much trade value. If he stays healthy and has a good season, there should be a good market for him, especially in the offseason. He carries a $7.5 million cap hit through the 2022-23 season.
Adam Proteau of The Hockey News: Although fans may hope that Jack Eichel and Vladimir Tarasenko are traded in the next couple of weeks, believes it may not happen until closer to the trade deadline.
Almost half the teams have under $1 million in salary cap space, and by holding on until closer to the trade deadline, it would allow more teams to be involved in trade talks.
The Blues may be looking for some cap flexibility and look for prospects and/or draft picks. Tarasenko does have a no-trade clause and likely won’t be interested in rebuilding team.
As for Eichel, contending teams likely aren’t going to have the salary cap space to take on his $10 million contract for another five seasons. A team like the Anaheim Ducks would love to land a No. 1 center and send out some prospects.
With both players having term left on their deals, the Blues and Sabres don’t feel the pressure to move them.
Bergevin holds the leverage as he enters the final year of his contract
Eric Engels of Sportsnet: Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin holds the leverage as he enters the final year of his contract. Get that sense that if his asking price isn’t met, he could be willing to walk.
Bergevin and Canadiens owner Geoff Molson have spoken dating back to the start of 2021, but it’s been a hard year for Bergevin being in Canada and his family and kids in the US.
It’s believed that Bergevin was offered a three-year deal but he may be looking for four or five. The Tampa Bay Lightning just gave Julien BriseBois $3.5 million on an extension, so Bergevin could be looking for over $3 million.
One would think that it would be best for both sides it get something done before the start of the regular season on October 13th. If a deal isn’t reached by then, the likelihood of Bergevin returning next season lessens significantly.