No. 3: Vladimir Tarasenko
Tararsenko would look unbelievable in a Toroto Maple Leafs jersey, but it’s not happening.
However, let’s chat about him anyway.
Despite having a few injury scares over the past few seasons and a down-year, it’s not going to stop anyone from paying Tarasenko.
He’s a little under a point-per-game in his career, but in 12 seasons, he’s scored 30 goals or more six times.
That number includes three years where he played 38 games or less, so realistically, when he plays more than 80 percent of the games, he’s going to score 30 goals.
That type of consistent production is hard to find in the NHL, and as a result, he will get paid a monster number.
If healthy, Tarasenko can help any team’s offense and it’s worth the money.
But how much is an oft injured scoring winger worth when he’s 31 years-old? A fully healthy Tarasenko coming off a solid year would be one thing, but it’s hard to judge what he’s worth today.
It’ll be very interesting to see what the final contract value is for him, but unless it’s at an extreme discount, there is not much chance he ends up playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs.