New York Rangers: Pavel Buchnevich Following In Nikita Kucherov’s Footsteps

Pavel Buchnevich, the New York Rangers budding star, is having a breakout season. His season is following a path very similar to Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov.

People all around the league are taking notice of the New York Rangers’ Pavel Buchnevich. The young Russian is opening eyes and removing jockstraps with his great offensive skills. His abilities, potential, and personality have made him a fan favorite in New York.

But what if I told you that this was just the beginning?

Everyone knows how good Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov is. One of the league’s best natural goal scorers, Kucherov is an electrifying player to watch. After scoring 40 goals last year, Kucherov is on pace for even more than that this season. What does this have to do with the Rangers’ own Russian youngster?

Buchnevich’s career is currently mirroring Kucherov’s in much more than just one way. Besides their native heritage, the two are incredibly similar statistically. Right now, Buchnevich is having almost the exact same sophomore season as Kucherov.

Let’s take a look at their careers and see where they match:

Rookie Seasons

As rookies, Kucherov and Buchnevich spent time in the AHL, though for very different reasons. Kucherov’s time was spent there for developmental reasons, where he was completely dominant. Buchnevich’s was spent getting up to speed after suffering a long term injury.

Kucherov, in the NHL, scored nine goals and nine assists in 52 games. He averaged 13:07 and shot 8.8 percent (nine goals on 102 shots). On the flipside, Buchnevich scored eight goals and 12 assists in 41 games, two more points in 11 less games than Kucherov.

Buchnevich played a similar amount of time, averaging 13:16 on ice. On a different note, Buchnevich had a much higher shooting percentage, putting in eight goals on just 55 shots, for a shooting percentage of 14.5 percent.

The differential in shooting indicates some slightly different usage, but it is notable that Buchnevich recorded more points in fewer games played than Kucherov. These balance out enough to indicate that these two were more than just similar as rookies.

Their sophomore years are where things start getting interesting…

Sophomore Seasons

Nikita Kucherov exploded as a second year player. With Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat at his side, Kucherov scored 29 goals and 36 assists for 65 points. His line was nicknamed the Triplets line, as their chemistry together was known league wide and they became inseparable.

Pavel Buchnevich currently has nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points in 26 games. This puts him on pace to record 28 goals and 34 assists for 62 points over 82 games. That stat line over one less game gives Buchnevich an identical pace to Kucherov: 29 goals, 36 assists.

Surely, Kucherov must have been used more, right? Buchnevich has been moved through the lineup in various ways this year despite his skillful play. However, this is also untrue; Buchnevich is currently averaging 14:54 of time on ice, while Kucherov averaged just three seconds more.

Well, Kucherov definitely shot the puck more, right? Kucherov is known for his shot, and Buchnevich is best regarded as a setup man. Kucherov shot 15.2% as a sophomore, and Buchnevich is currently firing at a 14.8% clip. Even if that number regresses a little, its still close enough to Kucherov’s to raise eyebrows.

Other Fun Facts, And The Meaning Behind All This

The similarities don’t end there. Kucherov, as previously mentioned, was known for his chemistry with Tyler Johnson, playing on the “Triplets” line. Though an arbitrary detail at best, Buchnevich plays on the “KZB” line, named for the chemistry Buchnevich has with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.

Buchnevich is even averaging better defensive numbers. Buchnevich currently has 14 takeaways through 26 games. Kucherov only recorded 22 takeaways as a sophomore, receiving some Selke Trophy votes that very year.

All these similarities lead one to believe Buchnevich is an extremely talented player. He is the biggest piece of the Rangers future, and is still getting better. Whether he becomes another Kucherov is yet to be known. However, it can be inferred that he will resemble him in some fashion, which is little to balk at.

Next: Expectations vs. reality with coaching styles

The Rangers have lacked a home grown game breaker for many years. With Buchnevich, not only do they have this, but he was found in the 3rd round. Finding players like that is key to consistent franchise success. The Rangers should be incredibly proud of their young Russian phenom.