NHL Offseason Rumors 7/5

The Blues are exploring options to trade Vladimir Tarasenko. (Frank Seravalli)

From 2014-15 to 2018-19, Vladimir Tarasenko was considered one of the best goal scorers in the game, scoring 30+ goals in each of those seasons. But since then, Tarasenko has fallen off, only playing a combined total of 34 games in the past 2 seasons due to his multiple shoulder surgeries. Tarasenko is in need of a fresh start and both parties are looking to part ways. If Tarasenko can stay healthy, he could get back to form and be one of the best goal scorers in the league. But it would be a big risk for a team to take on Tarasenko’s big 7.5 million contract and hope he will return back to form.

The Flyers are pushing hard for Seth Jones (Elliotte Friedman)

Last season, the Flyers were the worst team in the league defensively, allowing the most goals in the entire league. The Flyers’ poor defensive play was the main reason for their downfall. Now, the Flyers are looking to fix their weak defense by trading for the best defensemen on the trade market in Seth Jones. The addition of Seth Jones could help the Flyers find their way back to the postseason and help Flyers goalie Carter Hart rebound from his disappointing season.

Everyone on the Coyotes is available except Jacob Chychrun (Frank Seravalli)

The Coyotes are in a tough spot right now as they aren’t good enough to make the playoffs but aren’t bad enough to get a top pick in the draft. On top of that, the Coyotes don’t have a good prospect pool. Now, the Coyotes are looking to make some big changes to their roster to try to shake up their franchise. The only untouchable for the Coyotes heading into the offseason is defensemen Jacob Chychurn who had a breakout year this past season.

Capitals are tired of Evgeny Kuznetsov’s antics and will try to trade him (Frank Seravalli)

Just like Tarasenko, Evgeny Kuznetsov is another Russian star that has regressed over the last couple of seasons and will be traded this offseason. In 2017-18, Evgeny Kuznetsov had a fantastic season, scoring 83 points in 79 games last year and was one of the main factors leading to the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup run. But since then, Kuznetsov has fallen off due to his on and off ice issues. The Capitals have had enough of Kuznetsov’s problems and are looking to trade him. Kuznetsov still is capable of being a 1st line center on a team if he manages to solve his off-ice issues and could easily rebound in the right situation.