NHL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Potential Vladimir Tarasenko Trade, Corey Perry, More

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

In a span of two days, the landscape of the NHL has greatly changed. Free agency began Wednesday, and a ton of players quickly signed deals with teams. More free agents came off the board Thursday, continuing the flurry of offseason transactions.

Things aren't over yet, either. Some key free agents are still unsigned, and there's always the potential for more trades as the league's 32 teams continue to have discussions ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Here's some of the latest offseason buzz from around the NHL.

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It's been more than three weeks since Vladimir Tarasenko requested to be traded, but he remains on the St. Louis Blues.

The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford reported that a source told him that Blues general manager Doug Armstrong has "miscalculated the situation" by asking for "too much" in return for the Russian. That source also told Rutherford that the Blues are "only further diminishing his value by hanging on to him this long."

That doesn't mean a trade won't happen, though. Rutherford also reported that the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes have had interest in Tarasenko, while the New York Islanders "could be back in the mix again" considering they were on his trade list and it's known he would accept being dealt there.

Tarasenko, who has two years remaining on his contract, has a full no-trade clause and can choose his destination. Wherever he ends up, he should provide that team with an offensive boost, assuming he can stay healthy after being limited to 34 games over the past two seasons.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Corey Perry knows what it feels like to win the Stanley Cup, but that came when he was with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.

That seems to be why the forward decided to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions, on Thursday, inking a two-year deal worth $2 million. He could have made more, though, had he not wanted to sign with the Lightning.

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Perry "left money on the table elsewhere" when he decided to join Tampa Bay.

"Getting that second year was important, he wanted a place to call home, and he wanted it to be on a team with a chance to win," Seravalli tweeted.

Perry has seen the Lightning's success up close. In 2020, he played for the Dallas Stars when they lost to Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Final. The 36-year-old reached the Final again this year with the Montreal Canadiens, who lost to the Lightning in five games.

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Although free agency began Wednesday, a quiet offseason for the Islanders has continued. Not only has New York not brought in any free agents, but there are also some key players from its 2020-21 roster who don't have contracts for the upcoming season.

But the Isles seem to be working on re-signing two of those players and adding a new face. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that New York appears to be "closing in on deals" with forward Kyle Palmieri and that there's been "chatter over progress" regarding a deal for center Casey Cizikas. Former Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise was also reported as being close to a deal.

All are unrestricted free agents, so it's still possible that any of them could decide to sign with another team. But if the Islanders miss out, they will need to find other players to help fill those roles, and the potential free-agent options are dwindling.

Pagnotta tweeted that there "may be a couple other irons in the fire" for the Isles. So while things have been quiet to this point, the team could soon sign some players.