Reporter Discusses Possible Reunion With Tarasenko To Rangers
The Rangers are in first place in the NHL with an 18-5-1 record.
Things have been going very well for them.
One position that has been discussed almost endlessly since this season began, was the lack of production at right wing.
With the injury of Kaapo Kakko and massive disappointment of Blake Wheeler, it is the Rangers biggest question mark.
Jonny Brodzinski has been performing well on the top line but it's doubtful if he will be a permanent solution on the line.
Patrick Kane's name has popped up repeatedly throughout the year as a possible addition, but with his injury history and surgery, age, and chemistry question, the Rangers didn't want to risk it with a reunion.
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Plus he is now on the Detroit Red Wings, so that conversation is completely dead.
A name that did pop up is Vladimir Tarasenko, whom the Rangers did acquire in a trade last season from the St. Louis Blues.
He played well last season for the the Rangers, 21 points in 31 games.
But after the seven game flameout against the New Jersey Devils in the first round, the Rangers decided to regroup and cut losses with the two aforementioned players, and let both Tarasenko and Kane walk in free agency.
New York Post journalist Larry Brooks, was heard on the podcast called "Up In The Blue Seats", discussing the potential trade targets the Rangers could try to get prior to the trade deadline, and he had a lot to say about Tarasenko.
"[He] was a pretty good fit last year. As the team went down the stretch, the Rangers were trying to figure out how to get the most out of Kane, so Kane started to get a lot more minutes and Tarasenko's minutes dropped I don't think it was a particularly happy end for Tarasenko. He loved the Rangers organization and he would have re-upped if it would have been possible but his ending wasn't any happier, really, than Kane's. I just don't know that I want to go back to last Spring. Honestly, I don't think there are very many good memories out of last year. The Rangers had a pretty decent season, but last year is something that left a bad tasting in everyone's mouth the way it ended. Tarasenko is a good player. If he's there, and the Rangers are looking for a right-wing, you know he can fit, you know he can play with Zibanejad, but my first instinct is not to try and run it back from last spring. That doesn't excite me, honestly."
Well that was a lot to digest. Brooks is right. Tarasenko is a good player and he would fit nicely with the first line again, but it would remind everyone of the painful loss and defeat of last season which I'm sure every Rangers fan would love to forget and move on.
I believe the Rangers will make the necessary moves to film the void at right wing soon enough. If not with a player like Tarasenko, someone else's name will pop up.
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