New York Rangers: Determining Buchnevich’s Value

New York Rangers rookie forward Pavel Buchenvich was assigned to the Hartford Wolfpack as the final step of his rehab from injury. Where is his value at?

The New York Rangers need a top-pairing right-handed defenseman, everybody has heard that a time or two recently. Among all the trade chatter are names such as Jimmy Vesey, Derek Stepan, and J.T. Miller. However, the Rangers biggest asset is a player that they know very little about, Pavel Buchnevich.

The 21-year old Russian rookie has appeared in 10 games so far this season, producing 8 points (4 goals and 4 assists). He has been sidelined for the majority of the season with a variety of injuries. First was the mysterious case of back spasms that a few of the players on the Rangers dealt with early on.

After playing in the team’s first two games, the back spams cost him and the Rangers the next five games. His return to the team reached an all-time high of excitement when Buchnevich scored in four straight games to begin the month of November. Be that as it may, Buchnevich went down yet again with another injury.

The last game he played was on November 11th, and the Rangers are still without a concrete timeline of when he will be back. This injury has been labeled as a matter related to strengthening the lanky Russian’s core. There has been speculation that weight gain due to the muscle he has added since joining the team has affected him negatively.

Nonetheless, Buchnevich remains one of the few members of the Rangers forward corps that seems untouchable in trade negotiations. If GM Jeff Gorton intends to make a serious play at big-name options at the deadline, Buchnevich represents a high-end prospect that has already shown glimpses of greatness at the NHL level.

It is widely agreed upon that names such as Jacob Trouba and Dougie Hamilton will require a massive amount of talent to be acquired. Although a package deal would be necessary, there are scenarios in which the Rangers could make a play for either of these players.

Calgary is a team that is constantly searching to improve their team, while also fighting to stay comfortably below the salary cap. Their forward group is headlined by Johnny Gaudreau, but their secondary scoring options are thin. Buchnevich’s upside could be the centerpiece the Flames are looking for if they choose to move Hamilton.

Winnipeg is in a much different position with Jacob Trouba and the state of their team. Trouba held out early this season searching for a larger contract, but his efforts were for naught. He eventually signed a two-year deal worth $6-million, a small number for his talent level. The Jets are looking for a defenseman of Trouba’s equal in return, as well as goaltending talent.

The Rangers are in the top tier of the NHL when it comes to goaltending prospects. Their minor league systems boast names such as Igor Shestyorkin and Brandon Halverson awaiting bigger opportunities. Perhaps the combination of a goaltender, and the allure of Buchnevich’s upside alongside their own rookie phenom Patrick Laine could suppress their asking price on defense.

John’s survey showed that Pavel Buchnevich is among the most coveted players of the Rangers’ young forwards. He’s been the team’s top forward prospect for years and has been linked to the team’s future core. The counter-argument would be that with only 10 NHL games with the team this season, it would be easy for the Rangers to never miss what they didn’t know.

Next: New York Rangers Should Dangle Vesey as Trade Bait for a Defenseman

Jacob Trouba and Dougie Hamilton both represent established puck-moving options on defense that the Rangers lack. If the Rangers must give up one of their young forwards it makes sense to trade Pavel Buchnevich.

He has provided so little to the organization, yet still has plenty of value to other teams. These factors make him Jeff Gorton and the Rangers’ best trade chip.