Rangers send Buchnevich to Blues for Blais, 2nd-round pick

The New York Rangers traded forward Pavel Buchnevich to the St. Louis Blues for Sammy Blais and a second-round pick in 2022, the team announced.

Buchnevich is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, but the Blues have over $17 million in cap space to work out a deal, according to Cap Friendly.

The 26-year-old winger is coming off the best offensive season of his career, posting 48 points in 54 games. Buchnevich did the majority of his damage at even strength, too, scoring only one of his 20 tallies on the power play.

He should fit seamlessly into St. Louis' top six.

Pavel Buchnevich, acquired by STL, is a top-end first line winger who's been consistently strong through the last three seasons with great results at both ends of the ice. #STLBlues pic.twitter.com/m2pvi4wSdq

- JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 23, 2021

The Blues drafted Blais in the sixth round in 2014. He played 119 games with the club, registering 35 points. He doesn't have the same offensive upside as Buchnevich but counts for only $1.5 million on the cap until he becomes a restricted free agent in 2022.

The 25-year-old won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019.

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