St. Louis Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich has struggled the past two seasons, and in the midst of an $8 million AAV contract, is it time for the organization to begin considering trading him away?
Pavel Buchnevich, a trade once considered both a robbery and a major win for the St. Louis Blues, has seen his play falter year by year during an important stretch of his career.
Entering the second season of a six-year, $8 million-per-year contract, Buchnevich will have plenty of eyeballs watching him as he attempts to live up to his deal.
Buchnevich's first three seasons with the Blues were stellar, averaging over a point per game in the first two campaigns and scoring at a 30-goal pace. His third season saw his production drop slightly, but he still notched an impressive 27 goals and 63 points in 80 games.
The concerns surrounding Buchnevich began during the 2024-25 season, when he mustered just 20 goals and 53 points in 76 games. While those are still respectable numbers, his overall impact on the game since his contract extension has declined drastically.
Fast forward to 2025-26, and Buchnevich's production faltered again, posting just 20 goals and 48 points in 81 games. For the first time in his Blues career, the team was outscored at 5-on-5 with Buchnevich on the ice.
Buchnevich has been far from a bad player over the past two seasons, but a 31-year-old veteran with 674 games of NHL regular-season experience being paid $8 million annually needs to be better.
The Blues and Buchnevich haven't entered must-trade territory, and the contract is not a total disaster, given that the salary cap continues to rise. Still, with several Blues prospects waiting to enter the NHL and play major roles, it's becoming a lot more challenging to feel comfortable with Buchnevich taking those minutes.
If the trend continues and Buchnevich's game reaches a new low, GM Alexander Steen will have to weigh his options, but for now, the Blues will continue to do whatever they can to get the Russian winger back to top level.
With the additions of Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael, the Blues believe they have added more talent to the roster that will help him improve.
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