Audio Courtesy of Vladimir Tarasenko

Photo Courtesy KTRS Sports

Vladimir Tarasenko caused quite the stir over the weekend by declining to speak to the media on locker clean-out day. The Blues’ superstar tried to ease some of that discontent with a more than 11-minute session with local media on Tuesday morning.

Tarasenko explained that he was still “too frustrated, too upset,” to speak to reporters last week. “If I have a chance to put my mind together, I’d like to do it more than go in and say something that you (the media) talk about for the next three months.”

The 24-year old tried to put to rest any notion that there was friction between him and the organization, as was reported last week.

“It’s never even been talked about. We have a very good relationship,” said Tarasenko. “If there was a problem, I wouldn’t have signed here for eight years.”

It was a short time later that everyone learned Ken Hitchcock would be back, but for a season that Hitchcock said would be his last. Tarasenko explains that he still learns things from Hitchcock and believes the rest of the team “enjoyed working for him.”

Tarasenko’s appearance was a mild surprise on a day that was designated for Doug Armstrong and Ken Hitchcock’s season ending news conference.

To hear all of Tarasenko’s unedited thoughts, click the audio players above.

Twitter @brendan_mw16