Bruins going after Tarasenko and fans aren’t happy about it!

The news reporting that Vladimir Tarasenko wants out of St. Louis has gotten more real this week, when the Blues veteran forward provided his team with a list of approved trade destinations. 

And the Boston Bruins are on that list, along with a handful of other teams, sources told The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford :

”Tarasenko has given the Blues a list of at least 10 clubs to which he can be traded, and we think we know a majority of those: the Rangers, Islanders, Golden Knights, Bruins and Flyers we reported previously, and you can add the Lightning, Capitals and Panthers to that list.”

We should not be surprised that Tarasenko would look to be part of the Bruins’ roster. Some pundits can easily see Tarasenko, a right wing, as a good option on a potential Taylor Hall-David Krejci-Tarasenko second line. However, neither Hall and Krejci are Bruins at the moment, as they both seek new deals. 

On top of that, Tarasenko has two years left on his current contract, which carries a cap hit of $7.5 million. Sure, the Bruins are capable making a splash this offseason with about $25 million of cap space in their possession, but they need to add a few pieces to stick to their win-now mode. 

Fans are upset to hear that the Bruins are focusing on a guy like Tarasenko, who sure is a five-time 30-goal scorer, but has undergone three shoulder operations Tarasenko has undergone since Apr. 2018! 

Since he hoisted the Stanley Cup on Boston ice in 2019, injuries have seen Tarasenko suit up for just 34 of a possible 127 games. Fans aren’t sure they wanna see the Bruins take a gamble with a potentially damaged-beyond-repair Tarasenko who would cost the team quite a bit. 

The Blues might agree to retain some of Tarasenko’s salary, but the thought does not convince Bruins’ fans all that much. It is quite a gamble when Boston needs to focus on its defence. Sure, the Bruins re-signed Brandon Carlo earlier this week, but they might be looking for more and could even be players in the Jack Eichel sweepstakes. 

Why take a gamble with Tarasenko, fans ask! 

The fans would prefer to see the Bruins focusing on re-signing Hall, and making better moves than going after a guy like Tarasenko, who sure might respond well to a change of scenery, but with better days now in the past… 

What say you?