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One shocking trade the NY Rangers can make with the Blues in the 2024 offseason

The NY Rangers must walk into the 2024 offseason with the intent of finding another puzzle piece or two that will take them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2025.

By Todd Matthews

Apr 6, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) and left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) defend against New York Rangers center Filip Chytil (72) during the third period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 6, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) and left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) defend against New York Rangers center Filip Chytil (72) during the third period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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The NY Rangers shouldn’t need to look far in the 2024 offseason, as there is one player they can perhaps shock their fanbase by bringing back to the organization this summer. Pavel Buchnevich, who was a successful winger for the Rangers, has been in the rumor mill since NHL trade deadline season three months ago, and that continues to be the case. 

Adding a player like him would further bolster a Rangers team that fell short of its ultimate goal this season, and yeah, I get it. The Rangers have limited cap space this offseason, and that will likely be the case next season once they sign Igor Shesterkin to a well-deserved contract extension. 

There would be a lot of Blueshirts fans welcoming Buchnevich back if general manager Chris Drury decided to call up Doug Armstrong and work out a deal. While the Blues have struggled over the past two seasons, Buchnevich has remained a force, with 206 points, 83 goals, and 123 assists through 216 games. And if the Blues were a better scoring team, he would probably have averaged even more than the number of points shown. 

NY Rangers could easily land someone like Pavel Buchnevich

Sure, the Rangers have a decent prospects pool, and it’s something they can keep along with their first-round pick in 2024 and continually restructure their lineup as needed. But it’s time to get back to the Stanley Cup Final, and the best way to do that is to take one of those prospects and a first-round pick and trade them to the Blues to bring Buchnevich back to New York. 

He’s enjoyed his most productive seasons in Gateway City, and it’s clear Buchnevich was an outstanding fit for the Blues. But with the organization going through its own restructuring at the moment, moving a high-impact player with just a year to go on his deal would be a smart move by both parties. 

The Rangers wouldn’t be committed to keeping Buchnevich long-term if they couldn’t afford him the following season. But they would also get a “one-year rental” from a familiar face who would probably see his best productivity yet with a red-hot team like the Rangers. 

There’s also a strong possibility the Blues extend Buchnevich and he sticks around St. Louis for another five-plus seasons. But unless he comes to terms with the Blues, there’s no reason Chris Drury shouldn’t explore the possibility of bringing back Buchnevich. 

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