Tarasenko played only 13:23 on Thursday night, compared to 17:43 minutes of ice time for T.J. Oshie, 20:23 for Alex Steen, and 14:40 for Andy McDonald.
The difference in ice time is noticeable, especially considering that a couple of those other guys, particularly McDonald, are really struggling to create offense and make plays.
It is time for Ken Hitchcock to find a way to get Tarasenko more ice time and the coach should consider moving him to the team's top line.
Sure, Tarasenko has his deficiencies on the defensive end and is still trying to figure it out in his own zone.
But Tarasenko is noticeably trying to get better defensively and makes the right plays by getting the puck out of the zone quickly, moving the puck along the boards, and getting the puck deep when necessary. Those are all staple of Hitchcock's system and philosophy and for that Tarasenko should get rewarded for "buying-in."
Tarasenko should play on the top-line and get as much ice time as possible at this point.
Tarasenko should also be used in four-on-four situations and the rookie should also be the sixth man on the ice in end-of-game situations when the Blues are trailing and trying to scramble to score goals.
Tarasenko's seasoning period should be over. The Blues are in desperate condition as they sit in eighth place in the Western Conference standings and need to get Tarasenko as involved as possible sooner rather than later.
Move Tarasenko to the top-line and see what he can do. What do you have to lose? Things can't get much worse than they have been over the past several games and Tarasenko could provide the spark if given more opportunities.
