In a pre-draft move, the Rangers have traded Right Wing Pavel Buchnevich to the St Louis Blues in exchange for left wing Sammy Blais and a 2022 second round pick. The fact that he was traded comes as no surprise, as the Rangers are expected to face some tough decisions going forward with respect to their Salary Cap, and with Buchnevich coming off a career year and holding arbitration rights, it was going to be expensive to keep him.
More surprising is the relatively small return for a guy who looks capable of hitting 60-80 points each season for the next few years.
Partnered with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider for much of the season last year, Buchnevich broke out to record 48 points in 54 games, which would equate to 72 points across an 82 game schedule. For the first part of the year, Buchnevich was the offensive leader on the team, while at the same time becoming a top penalty killer for the first time in his career.
A third round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Buchnevich struggled for consistency in his early career before setting career highs in assists (28) and points (48) as well as reaching 20 goals for the second time in his career, one short of his high of 21 set two seasons ago. All the more remarkable when you consider how short the season was.
In return, the Rangers have acquired Sammy Blais, a borderline third line player who appeared in 36 games with the Blues last year averaging 12:04 of ice time per game, almost all at even strength. The 6-2 205lb 25 year old recorded 8 goals and 7 assists and recorded 12 penalty minutes.
Over the past four seasons, Blais has appeared in 119 games, recording 17 goals, 18 assists and 44 penalty minutes while averaging 11:31 of ice time.