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As Pavel Buchnevich pieces together a career year in St. Louis this season, it’s fair to wonder what could’ve been if president and general manager Chris Drury somehow managed to keep the Russian winger on the Rangers’ top line.
Emphasis on somehow, because realistically, Buchnevich was never going to get the long-term deal he wanted with star goalie Igor Shesterkin, Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox and top-line center Mika Zibanejad still in line for new contracts at the time — all of which materialized.
“I’m good with like everybody [on the Rangers],” Buchnevich, who mentioned that he went to dinner with some of his former Rangers teammates, told reporters. “I’ve been there five years. I have a bunch of friends, a bunch of memories. I know Shesterkin, his biggest goal is not to let me score. A bunch of guys, same way. So I try to do my best and score a goal, win the game. This is important for me.”
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But in talking hypotheticals, if Buchnevich agreed to a one-year deal this past offseason, the Rangers would’ve had their top line locked in. Instead, the Rangers have spent much of the season in a trial-and-error period with that right-wing spot next to Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
Buchnevich first skated next to Zibanejad and Kreider under former Blueshirts coach Alain Vigneault early on in the 2016-17 playoffs, in which the Rangers were knocked out of the second round in six games by the Senators. The trio finished out the postseason together and then played the first six games of the following season before they were broken up.
After a stretch next to Zibanejad and Kreider at the end of the 2018-19 season under then-coach David Quinn, Buchnevich started the 2019-20 campaign on a line with Artemi Panarin. The ‘KZB’ unit ultimately emerged as the Rangers consistent top unit a couple of months later.
Last season, Kreider, Zibanejad and Buchnevich logged 372:27 together, according to Natural Stat Trick, recording 19 goals and 68 high-danger chances. While Kreider posted career-low numbers and Zibanejad struggled mightily for the first half of his season, which was heavily impacted by a bout with COVID-19 at the start, Buchnevich morphed into a reliable all-situations kind of player.
So Buchnevich took his talents to St. Louis, signing a four-year, $23.2 million deal with an average annual value of $5.8 million. Prior to his first game back at the Garden on Wednesday, Buchnevich was tied for second on the Blues in points with 46.
As much as Drury probably wished he could’ve kept Buchnevich, trading him opened the door for a young Ranger to seize a top-six role. The hope was always that it would be Alexis Lafreniere, who occupied Buchnevich’s old spot on Wednesday as he had the past nine games.
The Kreider-Zibanejad-Lafreniere unit has scored seven goals and only allowed two since reuniting on Jan. 28 after a brief stretch at the start of this season. Should Lafreniere blossom into the perfect complement to the Rangers’ top line, the sting of losing Buchnevich just may fade.
“I’m making more plays than at the start of the year,” said Lafreniere, who had two goals and an assist in the last three games entering Wednesday. “Like I always say, I’m just trying to get better — every practice, every game. When you play with confidence, that’s where you play your best hockey. I think that’s the same for every guy. So, I’ll just try to keep going and keep working hard and keep helping the team win.”
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