More is needed from Pavel Buchnevich, and the St. Louis Blues aren't wrong to demand more.
Pavel Buchnevich stumbled out of the gate and is yet to find his footing, and the St. Louis Blues can't afford to wait for him to find his game.
He's now in the first year of a six-year, $8-million contract extension, and two goals and seven points in 21 games is not good enough for the third-highest-paid player on the team.
The 30-year-old has been paired with different linemates, played different minutes and has been given special teams time, but nothing has sparked him. He's skated with Robert Thomas, someone he's built plenty of chemistry with, but they have not been able to regain their chemistry.
Today, against the New York Islanders, he'll skate on Dalibor Dvorsky and Brayden Schenn's right wing, looking to snap a five-game pointless streak.
But Buchnevich's production struggles stem further than the recent five-game skid. In his last 13 games, Buchnevich has recorded just one assist.
A deeper look would also show that both of Buchnevich's goals and four of his seven points have come on the man advantage. For a player averaging over 18:00 of ice time, his overall impact doesn't justify the minutes.
Buchnevich isn't the only player struggling or the only thing that has gone wrong during the Blues' 2025-26 campaign, but when a player as depended on as Buchnevich continues to underperform, it's hard for the team to reach their full potential.
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