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Arch Awards: Who Was the MVP of St. Louis Sports in 2016?

By Patrick Karraker

Aug 8, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) celebrates after being hit by a pitch by Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Ross Ohlendorf (not pictured) allowing the game winning run to score during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 8, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) celebrates after being hit by a pitch by Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Ross Ohlendorf (not pictured) allowing the game winning run to score during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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St. Louis Blues Vladimir Tarasenko
Dec 11, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; St Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko (91) at the faceoff in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, St. Louis Blues

Our memory of Vladimir Tarasenko’s performance in 2015-16 will probably be muddied for quite a while because of his poor showing in the Western Conference Finals, when he had no points and a minus-5 rating through the first five games before scoring two meaningless goals late in Game 6. Looking back at his season with a levelheaded point of view, though, it’s undeniable that he had one of the best seasons in Blues history.

In 80 games, Tarasenko scored 40 goals and collected 34 assists, continually making spectacular plays and carrying the Blues’ scoring attack for much of the season. According to Hockey Reference’s offensive point share metric (basically the hockey equivalent of baseball’s offensive WAR), Tarasenko had the eighth-best offensive season in the history of the franchise. Five of those top seven seasons came from Hall-of-Famer Brett Hull, with another coming from Hall-of-Famer Brendan Shanahan.

Tarasenko’s lack of productivity in the Conference Finals actually made his overall postseason performance all the more impressive. Over 20 games, he had nine goals and six assists, and he had three-point nights in each of the first two rounds. He seemed to burn out as the “second season” went on, but at the beginning of the playoffs, Tarasenko was about as invincible as a player can get.

Next: Who Was the Rising Star of St. Louis Sports in 2016?

Seeing as Tarasenko was the most dynamic player on the best team in St. Louis during 2016, it’s easy to see why one would argue that he was the MVP of St. Louis sports this year.

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