Report: Blues listening on Buchnevich, not shopping him
St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich has been generating a modest amount of trade buzz in recent weeks, but general manager Doug Armstrong isn't actively shopping him, a source told The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford.
Armstrong is reportedly willing to listen to offers for Buchnevich, but the Blues would need to be wowed by the return to seriously consider making a move.
Buchnevich has totaled 19 goals and 43 points in 53 games this campaign and is on track for his fourth consecutive 20-goal season. Only five of his tallies have come at five-on-five, but he's generated almost nine individual expected goals in those situations, according to Natural Stat Trick.
He has one more year remaining on his current deal with a $5.8-million cap hit. Buchnevich will be 30 years old once it expires. The versatile Russian winger would have some control over any potential deal thanks to his 12-team no-trade list.
St. Louis underwent a major fire sale last season, parting ways with Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O'Reilly, and Ivan Barbashev.
Even with that mass exodus, the Blues are challenging for a playoff spot this campaign. They currently occupy the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, though they're a distant 13 points behind the Winnipeg Jets for third place in the Central Division despite playing one more game.
Armstrong recently reiterated his hesitance to undergo a full rebuild in an interview with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
"I know in our market - and I've talked to our ownership group about it, and I get their guidance on it - I don't think our fan base deserves or wants to be part of an eight-to-10-year rebuild," the executive explained.
The Blues have gone 16-10-1 under interim head coach Drew Bannister since he replaced Craig Berube in mid-December. Their .611 points percentage is the 12th best in the league over that span.
Next up for Buchnevich and St. Louis is a clash against the New York Islanders on Thursday.
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