Rangers general manager Chris Drury’s remodel of the team continued on Friday when he dealt five-year lineup staple Pavel Buchnevich to the Blues in exchange for 25-year-old Sammy Blais and a 2022 second-round pick.
The move comes a day after the Blueshirts locked up bottom-six grinder Barclay Goodrow to a six-year, $21.85 million contract and a week after unloading Brett Howden to the Golden Knights. And with the No. 16 pick in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft Friday night, plus the start of free agency on Wednesday, the Rangers may have more renovations in store.
Trading Buchnevich was necessary for the Rangers financially, with key players like goalie Igor Shesterkin, Norris Trophy-winner Adam Fox and top-line center Mika Zibanejad due for substantial raises over the next two seasons. The Rangers may have an abundance of cap space this offseason, but it is expected dissipate quickly.
Buchnevich, a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, is searching for a long-term deal that the Rangers simply wouldn’t be able to afford.
By shipping Buchnevich to St. Louis, Drury also freed up playing time and a spot in the top-six for younger players such as Kaapo Kakko or Vitaly Kravtsov. One of the Rangers’ most pressing lineup obstacles last season was having top-six caliber wingers buried in the bottom six. Buchnevich’s departure creates a vacancy that the Rangers can likely fill internally.
After getting drafted in the third round (No. 75) by the Rangers in 2013, Buchnevich posted 79 goals and 116 assists in 301 games over five seasons on Broadway.
Despite Buchnevich’s career-high 48 points (20 goals, 28 assists) in 54 games last season, dealing a restricted free agent with arbitration rights who is set to reach UFA status next summer is a tough sell for any general manager – let alone in a flat-salary cap world.
But it appears the return of a 2022 second-rounder and Blais, a north-south physical winger, is what Drury was looking for. The Rangers also now have eight picks in the 2022 entry draft, including three picks in the first two rounds and six in the first four.
Blais comes with a cap hit of a mere $1.5 million, which is much cheaper than what Buchnevich will get, and will become an arbitration eligible RFA next summer. At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Blais is a big-bodied competitor who falls into the category of players the Rangers are trying to add more of. Like Goodrow, Blais is a defensive forward that can bolster the bottom six with more grit and tenacity.
The Quebec native, who was drafted by St. Louis in the sixth round in 2014, will also bring playoff experience after winning the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019. In three of four NHL seasons, Blais competed in the playoffs, posting a combined three goals and five assists in 27 postseason games.
In 36 games last season, Blais scored eight goals and dished seven assists. He’s totaled 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) over 119 career NHL games.
