St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko made quite a strong comeback in the 2021-22 NHL season, which greatly helped his stock in the trade market, and that's leverage he definitely could use if he is still looking to get out of the team's fold. Tarasenko has a no-trade clause on his contract, but according to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, the Florida Panthers is a team that the Russian star could be willing to waive that clause if that meant being sent there.

Another destination high on Tarasenko’s list is Florida, which just endured an embarrassing four-game sweep by Tampa Bay in the second round of the playoffs. The Panthers have 17 players under contract and just $3 million in projected cap space but could have more if they place forward Anthony Duclair on long-term injured reserve following his surgery on a torn Achilles tendon and are able to exceed the cap by his $3 million AAV.

The Panthers have under $5 million in cap space left, per Cap Friendly, but a trade could still be made between the two teams, depending on the financial obligations that will be exchanged.

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Tarasenko only has a year left on his current deal which would pay him $7.5 million in the 2022-23 season, and the Blues might already be talking with another team ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft, so there's a possibility that Tarasenko would be out of St. Louis' control before the end of the week.

Florida is coming off a forgettable trip to the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where it got swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round despite the Panthers winning the 2021-22 NHL season Presidents' Trophy after collecting a total of 122 points in the regular season. Adding someone like Tarasenko to their roster would be a massive shot in the arm of the Panthers, who remain viewed as a major contender for the Cup.

Tarasenko scored 34 goals with 48 assists last season for the Blues after missing a bunch of games and racking up only 17 points in the two years prior because of injuries.