Pavel Buchnevich Becoming Intriguing Trade Asset for Blues

All of this is to say, should the Blues entertain trading away the forward, he quickly becomes one of the biggest trade deadline assets on the market. With recent news that the Pittsburgh Penguins dynamic winger Jake Guentzel is expected to be out for the next four weeks with an upper-body injury, the Blues suddenly have a bit of extra leverage for contending teams seeking a winger to add to their roster. The Russian forward’s stock has never been higher and the time to strike gold could be upon us.

Could the Blues Keep Buchnevich?

The Blues have been playing well as of late going 8-4-1 in January and a current 3-1 record in February after defeating the Edmonton Oilers 6-3 on Thursday night. His play at both ends of the ice has helped his team along the way playing at a Selke Trophy nominee rate. At this point, the club does not have anyone ready to take the reins and perform at the rate that Buchnevich has been playing over the past three seasons, and it will take time for any of the prospects currently in the pipeline to make their way to a top-line role, let alone a player that performs at such a high rate.

There is always hope that the front office will choose to keep the fan favorite and let him finish out his days as a member of the organization. As a New York Ranger, Buchnevich never truly found the same level of success that he has with St. Louis scoring 79 goals and 195 points over 301 regular season games. If the club can find a way to move out one of the heavy financial commitments to their top-four defensemen, there is always a chance that he could be offered top dollar by the club and re-sign for another seven years.

The Blues Should Sell

As nice and heart-warming as it would be for the Blues to re-sign Buchnevich to a long-term contract, it is becoming more and more unlikely that they will be willing to commit $16.25 million per season to Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, then add another $8 million annually for seven years. With clubs like The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning choosing to move in this direction and load up on top-heavy, offensive lineups, it shows a cautionary tale when trying to fill out a competitive, balanced roster over the next five or more seasons in an attempt to win another Stanley Cup.

With several long-term contracts and no-trade clauses strangling the Blues’ finances for the next few years, the salary cap shuffle becomes trickier to navigate. Veteran defensemen Torey Krug, Nick Leddy, and Justin Faulk all have their full no-trade clause shift to modified no-trade clauses after the 2024-25 seasons. This creates an interesting solution when looking to move salary out. It would require a willing party to take on the salary and a gamble for the Blues if they opted to retain Buchnevich in an attempt to reallocate funds. Not impossible, but certainly never a guarantee.

Several top prospects will be making their way to the NHL to take on roles on the second and third line, and potentially the first line if all goes well with their development. With new, cheaper players making their way to the NHL, they will command ice time and deployment that will be suitable to their play style. As previously stated, there is no guarantee that these prospects will enter the lineup and immediately become 65-plus point producers. However, they can come in and offer suitable threats throughout the lineup and provide long-term solutions that work better with the future direction of the franchise.

Players like Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky could earn roles as early as next season and become full-time NHLers by 2025-26. That being said, moving Buchnevich now increases his expected return as the receiving team earns a larger amount of time with the veteran and a longer period to re-sign him.

The Blues have not been afraid to make deals in the past even if they are in a playoff position. However, none of the trade deadline pieces come close to what a veteran winger with 70-plus point upside with term left on his contract would hold when it comes to value. A return for him could net something in the realm of a first-round draft pick, a top prospect, and a current NHLer. If general manager Doug Armstrong can work some of his trade magic, the Blues could find themselves another two or three gems making their way to St. Louis sooner than later.