Blues' Veteran Could Come Up In Trade Conversations Again

The St. Louis Blues have won two of their past three games, but they still have a big hole to dig out of. It isn't going to be easy and there is likely going to be some changes to the roster, whether that involves hockey trades or selling a piece or two well ahead of the trade deadline to retool and get some assets.

David Pagnotta retorted, "We heard Pavel Buchnevich's name in the summer. He's got a full no-move right now. Do they entertain that?"

Like many of the Blues, the offense just hasn't been there for Buchnevich. He has two goals and six points in 15 games, but on a better team that is producing, those numbers would rise. He just didn't fall off completely from where he has been at for the majority of his career.

The 30-year-old has had five consecutive seasons where he has scored 20 or more goals, and he finished last season with 57 points in 76 games. In two of the three seasons prior to that, he finished with an above point-per-game pace.

Buchnevich is under contract for five more years at $8 million AAV, and while that doesn't look great right now, if he gets back to the level he was at for the past five years, his contract is worth it for the first half at least. He has a full no-move clause until 2029, so any decision to move will have to go through him. If the Blues are stuck in mediocrity or trying to get younger, Buchnevich might want to go to a different situation where he has a chance to win. He wasn't with the Blues when they won the Stanley Cup, so he's still chasing one.

With how the market is, the Blues would be worse off if Buchnevich were a top-6 center as that area is very dry around the league. He can play center, which makes him even more valuable, but if he becomes an option, teams would be intrigued by the idea of adding a piece like that. A team like the Carolina Hurricanes would definitely be in talks, like they are with every high-end player. The Blues have some decisions to make, but nothing is necessarily imminent as they could still turn their season around.