Pavel Buchnevich signed a six-year, $48 million contract with the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. It has an average annual value of $8 million and begins with the 2025-26 season.
The 29-year-old forward had 63 points (27 goals, 36 assists) in 80 games with the Blues last season. He tied for second on the team in goals and was third in points.
"Our goal is to have the players maximize their prime, and I think 'Buch' can do this, but the actuary tables say not everyone does it," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said Wednesday. "So you're looking out moving forward, and I just think that's just the cost of doing business in today's NHL."
Buchnevich, who was acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on July 23, 2021, has 206 points (83 goals, 123 assists) in 216 games for the Blues, including NHL career highs in goals (30), assists (46) and points (76) in 2021-22, his first season with the team.
"Obviously really happy for him. Deserved," Blues coach Drew Bannister said. "He's been an outstanding player for us. He's going to be a big player for us moving forward. He's a corner piece to our success and what we're trying to do here. ... He's been a big part of the success that we've had, or we're trying to have, and we believe in him. He believes in us, too, and what we're trying to do here, so, excited to have him back."
Selected by New York in the third round (No. 75) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Buchnevich has 401 points (162 goals, 239 assists) in 517 regular-season games and 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"I think since he's been here, he's performed to the level that he felt he could perform at, and he's a point-a-game player," Armstrong said. "He's a multi-positional player. We asked him about left wing-center, and his response is what you want to hear as someone that works in the hockey department: 'I don't really care, I just want to win.' ... It gives us the ability to have somebody that can play multiple positions, and he's a point producer and he touches every aspect of our game. He touches power play, penalty kill, closing out games, trying to score a goal at the end of the game. There's not an area of the game that we're not going to count on him moving forward to participate in."
On Tuesday, the Blues also acquired forwards Radek Faksa and Mathieu Joseph in separate trades for future considerations.
"We wanted to get to be a faster team," Armstrong said. "If you look at our third and fourth line, I don't think we've ever had better skaters now ... We have really quick players down there now that's going to get in on the forecheck, that's going to kill penalties that are going to relieve some of the necessity for our top-end players to kill, allow them to have more offensive zone face-offs. ... I like the makeup of that group. It's different than what we've had in the past just because of it's natural skating ability."
Faksa, who was acquired from the Dallas Stars, had 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 74 regular-season games for the Stars last season and one goal in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games. The 30-year-old has 200 points (89 goals, 111 assists) in 638 regular-season games and 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 79 playoff games since being selected with the No. 13 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft.
Joseph, who was acquired from the Ottawa Senators, had an NHL career-high 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists) in 72 games last season. The 27-year-old has 135 points (55 goals, 80 assists) in 135 regular-season games for the Senators and Lightning and two assists in 10 playoff games.
"We felt we have to be a harder team to play against, a team that can play stronger along the walls, stronger in front of the net," Bannister said. "I think that's something that certainly was addressed.
"Their strengths are plays away from the puck and certainly being able to kill penalties. I think in the role that they're going to play for us, it certainly frees up maybe some of our top players to play 5-on-5, more specialty team units on the power play, not relying so much heavily on the PK because we have these players that can play in these positions."
The Blues also received a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Senators.
On Wednesday, one day after the trades, the Blues signed Mathieu's brother, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, to a one-year contract.
The 25-year-old defenseman had 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 52 games for the Penguins last season and has 27 points (eight goals, 29 assists) in 147 regular-season games.
"After I talked to him (Mathieu), we started negotiating with P.O. a little earlier," Armstrong said. "So it was nice to make that second call and get the gang together."
NHL.com independent correspondent Lou Korac contributed to this report
