Buchnevich, Blues having ‘really good’ discussions about contract extension; other pending UFAs to test the market
St. Louis Blues president of hockey operations and general manager Doug Armstrong spoke to the media Monday ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft. In his discussions, Armstrong announced the hiring of former Blues goalie Brian Elliot and provided some clarity on the organization’s approach to the draft.
Armstrong also spoke about Pavel Buchnevich, whose contract expires after next season, and his plans for a few pending free agents.
The general manager said that contract discussions are well underway between the Blues and Buchnevich.
“They’ve been really good,” Armstrong told reporters Monday. “We’re not talking economics now because we don’t need to.”
The 29-year-old forward had another excellent season for St. Louis, tallying 63 points (27 goals, 36 assists) in 80 games. In three seasons with the Blues, Buchnevich has been nearly a point-per-game player with 206 points (83 goals, 123 assists) in 216 games.
His contract is set to expire after 2024-25 and he will carry a $5.8 million cap hit next season.
The Blues have three notable pending unrestricted free agents this summer in Kasperi Kapanen, Sammy Blais and Marco Scandella.
For all of the players mentioned above, Armstrong laid out a simple plan.
“We’re going to let them test the market and we’ll see what’s there,” Armstrong told reporters Monday. “We haven’t closed the doors on anyone.”
Kapanen has played two seasons with the Blues. He finished 2023-24 with 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 73 games one season after being traded at the deadline by the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 27-year-old has 208 points (84 goals, 124 assists) in 460 career games.
Blais has been in St. Louis since day one of his NHL career, minus a quick stop over in New York City with the Rangers. After being drafted by the Blues in the sixth round (No. 176) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Blais made his debut in 2017-18. Despite being decently productive, Blais has struggled to stay in the lineup, holding a career-high of only 53 games in a season. That career best came in 2023-24 when the forward finished with seven points (one goal, six assists) in 53 games.
Scandella has played the past five seasons with the Blues, joining the club shortly after their Stanley Cup championship in 2019. The defenseman played 65 games last season, finishing with eight points (two goals, six assists) and a plus-2 rating, while averaging 12:28 of ice time per game.