Islanders interested in Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko?

Tarasenko requested a trade because he's reportedly unhappy with how the Blues handled his multiple shoulder surgeries. The trust between Tarasenko and St. Louis was fractured because of it.

The 29-year-old is in the seventh year of an eight-year, $60 million deal he signed in July 2015. He has a cap hit of $7.5 million for the next two seasons, according to CapFriendly.

Adding Tarasenko could be quite difficult for the Islanders. They have expressed interest in re-signing Kyle Palmieri, which won't come cheap. The team also has several other free agents to deal with, including Casey Cizikas, Travis Zajac, Michael Dal Colle, Anthony Beauvillier, Andy Greene and Adam Pelech.

New York would have to shed major salary to fit Tarasenko's contract under the salary cap. One way to do that would be to float the $5.5 million contracts of Jordan Eberle or Nick Leddy to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. 

The Islanders could also part with one of those contracts in a potential deal for the Blues winger. The Athletic's Arthur Staple offers a possible trade package including Eberle and Beauvillier for Tarasenko and defenseman Vince Dunn. 

Trading Eberle and Beauvillier could ruin the Isles' chemistry, but exploring trade options for Tarasenko is a no-brainer for the franchise. 

The two-time All-Star has scored 30-plus goals in five of his nine NHL seasons and has 442 points (218 goals, 224 assists) in 531 games. He also had 17 points (11 goals, six assists) in 26 playoff games en route to a Stanley Cup title in 2019. 

In addition to the Islanders, The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford lists the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers as potential suitors for Tarasenko.