St. Louis Blues star player Vladimir Tarasenko was quite vocal in late December about his disappointment over not being named the team's new captain. He told media in his home country of Russia that he was unhappy with the decision after being with the club for eight years and being an assistant captain for so long. With training camps opening this week, reporters finally had to the opportunity to ask Blues GM Doug Armstrong what he thought about Tarasenko's comments. Armstrong chose not to criticize Tarasenko for his comments.
"I think that shows his passion for his commitment to St. Louis, his commitment to the organization," said Armstrong. "It's a difficult decision. It's something that we didn't take lightly. I have no problems with his disappointment."
Tarasenko was very blunt in his assessment that either he or Jaden Schwartz should have been named captain over Ryan O' Reilly based on how long they've been in St. Louis.
"But the management made a decision, I see no reason to discuss it. There were hopes, but how it happened, it happened. I just have to accept it, go out and play," said Tarasenko.
"I think it's okay to count on certain leadership positions after eight years at the club," Tarasenko continued. "But everyone has their own opinion. [My agent] Alexey Dementyev expressed it and has every right to do so. This is probably not the time for intrigue. I personally want to focus on recovering from my injury."
Tarasenko had a second surgery on his injured left shoulder in August and was expected to be sidelined for around five months, meaning he could return to the ice sometime in February if all goes well. He had the same shoulder surgically repaired in October of 2019. The first-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2010 (16th overall) has 214 goals and 428 points in 507 regular season games with the team.
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