Craig Berube expects Vladimir Tarasenko to start 2021-22 season with Blues

St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube expects Vladimir Tarasenko to begin the 2021-22 season with the team despite requesting a trade earlier this summer. 

"I expect Vladdy to play for us," the Blues head coach said Tuesday on the "Cam and Strick Podcast." "I'm going to treat him like every other player. Yeah, he asked to be traded, and things happened, but again, we want Vladdy to play good hockey for us."

Tarasenko requested a move early in the offseason because he reportedly didn't trust the club after how it handled two of his three shoulder surgeries. The Blues then exposed the veteran forward in the expansion draft, but the Seattle Kraken ended up selecting Vince Dunn instead. 

Tarasenko has appeared in just 34 games over the last two seasons due to his shoulder issues, tallying seven goals and 17 assists. 

The 29-year-old is a five-time 30-goal scorer and helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019, tallying 11 goals and six assists in 26 playoff games that year. He has spent his entire nine-year career with St. Louis, recording 442 points (218 goals, 224 assists) in 531 games. 

Tarasenko is under contract with the Blues through the 2022-23 season at $7.5 million per year. If he begins the season in St. Louis and plays well, his trade value could increase when contending teams make roster additions at the trade deadline.