St Louis Blues Commit Grand Larceny (VIDEO)

St Louis Blues fans believed this day was coming. Vladimir Tarasenko wouldn’t be allowed to get away, offer sheet be damned. The rest of the NHL knew any sheet would get matched. If they knew what the contract Tarasenko would sign looked like, they might have tried harder to drive up the price.

Tarasenko and the St Louis Blues came to terms today on an eight year contract with an annual cap hit of $7.5 million. When I first heard the terms of this deal I thought GM Doug Armstrong was part magician, part federal criminal on the lam. There is no way this is anything but a steal for the St Louis Blues.

Tarasenko grew into his game during his first two seasons then unleashed goal-scoring hell on the NHL last year, scoring 37 goals and 73 points. Most of those goals were nightmare fuel for opposing goaltenders. Take this one against the New York Rangers as an example. Try to figure out how Cam Talbot didn’t rupture his groin.

The St Louis Blues have locked up arguably the games most exciting player and did so below market value. Look at his even strength possession numbers as well as highlights and tell me Tarasenko isn’t underpaid on this deal.

As much as the St Louis Blues signing Tarasenko is expected it signals a changing roster is coming. The first move was trading T.J. Oshie to the Washington Capitals. While more may come this year it’s future years when the big shift comes. David Backes, Steve Ott, Kyle Brodziak and new St Louis Blues forward Troy Brouwer are all in the last year of their contracts.

That means the pressure is on the St Louis Blues this year for a deep Stanley Cup run. That’s a tall order with several recent first-round disappointments so Armstrong could do more to reshape the roster before October. At the latest the St Louis Blues will have very interesting players available at the trade deadline.

Just because the St Louis Blues are transitioning doesn’t mean they have to be terrible after doing it. The return on trades is critical whether it be Kevin Shattenkirk, possibly Brian Elliott or anyone else. But this deal increases pressure on Armstrong to improve the St Louis Blues without falling to the bottom in the standings.

That’s something you do when you need your cornerstone player. The Chicago Blackhawks did it as did the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both the Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers are on the way up after years of struggles and top picks. The St Louis Blues don’t need to hit bottom to get their franchise player. They just signed him to the best bargain in the league.

The best news for Vlad the Goalie Impaler? When this deal expires he will be 31 years old, still in his prime and ready to cash in on another monster contract with the St Louis Blues. The next course of action is preparing the team to compete for and win the Stanley Cup.

The St Louis Blues have several pieces already in place toward that goal. Today Armstrong signed the most important piece for nearly a decade at an insanely low price compared to his value. Whether that’s Tarasenko taking a discount to help the team or the Blues as lucky as a team can get, the long-term deal everyone saw coming is here. The next moves shaping the team will decide if Tarasenko is a stud on a contender.

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