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Arch Awards: Vladimir Tarasenko Was the MVP of St. Louis Sports in 2016

By Patrick Karraker

Oct 29, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) is congratulated by right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) after shutting out the Los Angeles Kings at Scottrade Center. The Blues won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) is congratulated by right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) after shutting out the Los Angeles Kings at Scottrade Center. The Blues won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Our readers voted and decided that Vladimir Tarasenko was the MVP of St. Louis sports for the second straight year.

Over the past couple weeks, we’ve been rolling out the nominations for our annual Arch Awards, which pay tribute to the best athletes and moments in St. Louis sports. We’ve already given our Best Under-the-Radar Performer honor to Jedd Gyorko and our Rising Star award to Aledmys Díaz, and today we’ll hand out our St. Louis MVP.

After a week of open voting, the results are in. St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko is the MVP of St. Louis sports for the second straight year, edging out Yadier Molina, Carlos Martinez, and Brian Elliott. In one of the most highly-contested races that we’ve had this year, Tarasenko earned 36 percent of the vote to beat Elliott (23%), Molina (22%), and Martinez (19%).

The 25-year-old right wing continued to be one of the most dominant players in the NHL in 2016. Tarasenko had 18 goals and 17 assists in 42 games after January 1 in 2015-16, a stretch that was important for him as he collected 40 goals for the season, giving him the first 40-plus goal season by a Blues player since Brad Boyes had 43 in 2007-08.

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While Tarasenko’s sudden lack of offensive contribution during the Western Conference Finals was perhaps the biggest reason that the Blues didn’t make it to the Stanley Cup Final, he was a force to be reckoned with during the first two rounds of the 2016 postseason. After collecting four goals and two assists in the Blues’ seven-game series victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, Tarasenko had three goals and four assists in their seven-game second-round series win over the Dallas Stars. It’s amazing to think about since he wasn’t even 25 years old at the time, but Tarasenko established himself as one of the Blues’ best postseason performers of all time during the 2016 playoffs.

While Tarasenko has had his fair share of games thus far through the 2016-17 season where he’s remained quiet, he’s still been rather dominant compared to most other players in the league. Through 38 games, he’s averaging more than a point per contest, having collected 18 goals and 23 assists. At the completion of Wednesday night’s NHL games, Tarasenko was sixth in the league in points per game and one of only seven NHL players who was averaging more than a point per contest.

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While Molina and Martinez were vital in allowing the Cardinals to contend until the last day of the season and Elliott was indispensable for a Blues team that often lacked consistent offense and needed strong play in net, Tarasenko was pretty obviously the biggest difference-maker across the St. Louis sports scene in 2016. That’s why we’re naming him the MVP of St. Louis sports for the second year running.

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