Plenty of activity was expected ahead of Friday night’s NHL Draft, and the New York Rangers have gotten in on the action, dealing winger Pavel Buchnevich to St. Louis in exchange for winger Sammy Blais and a 2022 second-round pick.
Buchnevich, 26, was the Rangers’ third-round pick in 2013 and had 20 goals and 28 assists in 54 games last season, his fifth with the Rangers, but was long thought to be a potential casualty of the Rangers’ pending salary cap crunch. Buchnevich is due to become a restricted free agent after completing his most recent two-year deal, but would likely have eaten heavily into the Blueshirts’ available cap space.
Blais, 25, had eight goals and seven assists in 36 games with the Blues last season, and has 17 goals and 18 assists in 119 NHL games over four seasons in St. Louis. He profiles as a bottom-six wing, and will be an RFA after next season, playing this year on the second year of a two-year, $3 million deal he signed in April 2020.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch