Tarasenko on his trade to New York: ''There was no chance of staying in St. Louis''
Following his first morning skate as a New York Ranger, Vladimir Tarasenko met with the media and reflected on the move from St. Louis. He said that there was no chance for him to remain with the Blues because he wasn't offered a new contract.
"There was no chance of staying in St. Louis. No deal was offered, so I knew I was going to move somewhere. I talked with Artemi and they wanted me here... One of my best friends plays here and we have a chance to win a Cup again." Tarasenko said.
The Yaroslavl (Russia) native was dealt to the Rangers on Thursday with defenceman Niko Mikkola in exchange for forward Sammy Blais, defenceman Hunter Skinner, a conditional 2023 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick.
The 31-year-old went on to talk about his time in St. Louis, where he spent the first 11 years of his NHL career and thanked the city and the fans.
"I want to say thank you to St. Louis. It's been a couple of tough days But I'm really thankful for all those years. They made us feel like family & feel like home. But I have a new home now & the guys have been great to me. I'm excited about the new challenge."
Adding a player like Tarasenko will be huge for New York's top-six forward group. As a six-time 30+ goal scorer, he'll certainly put the puck in the back of the net and help the Rangers climb the standings in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers are currently in third in their division and sit six points back of New Jersey for second and ten points back of Carolina for first.
Tarasenko is set to make his New York Rangers debut on Friday night at Madison Square Garden against the Seattle Kraken. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Tarasenko on what led to the trade: "There was no chance of staying in St. Louis. No deal was offered, so I knew I was going to move somewhere. I talked with Artemi and they wanted me here... One of my best friends plays here and we have a chance to win a Cup again." #NYR— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) February 10, 2023
Tarasenko: "I want to say thank you to St. Louis. It's been a couple of tough days But I'm really thankful for all those years. They made us feel like family & feel like home. But I have a new home now & the guys have been great to me. I'm excited about the new challenge." #NYR— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) February 10, 2023
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