The New York Rangers have made the first big splash ahead of next month’s NHL trade deadline. Insider Frank Seravalli reported on Thursday afternoon that the Rangers were in agreement with the St. Louis Blues on a trade that will send veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko to the Big Apple. The Rangers 2023 Stanley Cup odds shifted immediately after the reported deal.
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Vladimir Tarasenko Trade Shifts Rangers Stanley Cup Odds
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Rangers Stanley Cup championship odds went from 20-1 to 16-1 following the Vladimir Tarasenko trade. Check out the full updated Stanley Cup championship odds below:
Tarasenko has been with the Blues organization since being drafted in the first round of the NHL Draft in 2010. The 31-year-old has turned into one of the most decorated players in team history, making four NHL All-Star games and proving to be an integral part of the Stanley Cup championship team in 2019.
Despite the Blues' disappointing first half of the season, Tarasenko had shrugged off any trade talk, remaining confident that his team could make another push to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a strong second half.
"I'm focused on the games," Tarasenko said at the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game Media Day on Thursday, per the NHL website. "I don't think I should waste my time and energy to be focused on things I cannot control. You can ask [general manager Doug Armstrong] what's going to happen."
The Blues (23-25-3) showed little promise to the front office by losing five straight games heading into the All-Star break to trail the Colorado Avalanche by eight points for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. The team has seemingly opted to cut their losses and accept that they'll likely be missing out on the postseason for the first time since 2018.
"I don't think the season's gone well and everybody knows it, but there's still some time," said Tarasenko last weekend. "We have belief in the room, and personally my own situation, you can ask Doug about it. It all depends on him."
New York had been linked to Chicago Blackhawks wing Patrick Kane leading up to the trade deadline, which may mean that other potential teams will now enter the sweepstakes for Kane. In Tarasenko, the Rangers will be getting a strong two-way forward who has 10 goals and 19 assists in 39 games this season. He had scored at least 70 points in three consecutive seasons prior to last year when he scored 43 points in 64 games played.
Based on the latest Rangers Stanley Cup odds, the oddsmakers believe Vladimir Tarasenko has plenty left in his tank, and perhaps we'll see a re-energized version of the veteran forward now that he'll be playing for a bona fide contender.
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