New York Rangers: Pavel Buchnevich is securing long term roster role
It is the question we have all been asking ourselves: How did Pavel Buchnevich avoid the top line on the New York Rangers roster for so long?
This year the 23-year-old right wing has been making a big impact on the ice for the Rangers through the first 17 games and has helped to drive their success.
He contributes not only by putting up points, but also makes smart decisions with the puck, has the skill and speed to help drive possession and ultimately makes the players around him better.
With Buchnevich finally getting the opportunity he deserves, we take a look what he’s been doing and what his future with the New York Rangers looks like.
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The Numbers
Buchnevich has seven goals and seven assists for 15 points in the first 18 games. Five of his seven assists have been primary assists meaning that 13 of his 15 points have been primary points.
Through these 18 games, Buchnevich is currently on pace to hit 68 points this season. In all on ice scenarios he has registered an average 3.37 points per 60 minutes, has taken 46 shots on net and has a shooting percentage of 17.39.
On top of this, Buchnevich’s possession numbers are among the highest on the roster. He has registered an even strength Corsi-For percentage of 52.67 (fourth highest among active players).
Here’s how he stacks up against some of the other young Russian talent in the league today:
With such strong numbers so far this season, Buchnevich is on the path to becoming one of the Rangers most important players as he continues his career.
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His Role on the First Line
When Buchnevich came out of his first training came at the beginning of the 2016-17 season, he spent a few games during the preseason on a line with Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. And despite good puck movement, good opportunity and some success from the line, Alain Vigneault dismantled the pairing and Buchnevich ended up on the fourth line for the remainder of the season.
With a slightly different roster last year, this made sense. I don’t think it was necessarily a bad thing for Buchnevich to spend a year on the fourth line. The experience he had further prepared him for his shift into this top-line role.
Buchnevich has been skating with so much confidence — and it shows. He has been using one of his most dangerous characteristics his speed to get around defensemen and enter the zone. Like we saw against the Bruins on Wednesday:
Buchnevich has always had good vision and sense, but this season especially he has been extremely is decisive with the puck. Which makes him all the more dangerous.
The choice to come back to this pairing is one of the best Vigneault has made so far in 2017-18. (But let’s not forget the games where Vigneault put Buchnevich on the fourth line for reasons beyond explanation).
Regardless of their coach’s choices, this line has been the most consistent for the Rangers early this year. They have been responsible for 20 of the Rangers 56 goals (35.7%) and with the way these three play together, it will be hard to slow them down this year.
What this means for the future
I think that regardless of what happens with the Rangers in the remainder of the 2017-18 season, this will be the year that Pavel Buchnevich proves that he deserves an opportunity to play in the top six.
He has proven that he has the skill to make an impact on the ice every single night. And with the way he is currently positioned, this will absolutely be his breakout season.
More importantly, I think that with the proper support from his coach and the continued chemistry with his linemates, this could be one of the most successful seasons of his career.
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Regardless of how it all plays out, Buch is finally where he belongs. And if all goes well, he will be there for a long, long time.