#Rangers trade Pavel Buchnevich to Blues for Sammy Blais, pick

Rangers general manager Chris Drury’s remodel of the team continued on Friday when he dealt five-year lineup staple Pavel Buchnevich to the Blues in exchange for 25-year-old Sammy Blais and a 2022 second-round pick ahead of the 2021 NHL Draft.

Buchnevich, who is coming off a career-high 48 points in 54 games last season, is a restricted free agent and searching for a long-term deal that the Rangers simply couldn’t afford with other key players due for raises in the next two seasons.

In 301 games over five seasons with the Rangers, Buchnevich posted 79 goals and 116 assists.

Blais, a more prototypical bottom-six forward, had 35 points in 119 games across four seasons in St. Louis.