The 2024 NHL trade deadline is nearing, and for the St. Louis Blues, that means they have to make a decision soon on whether to move or keep Russian forward Pavel Buchnevich. A point-generating machine, Buchnevich is a chief St. Louis trade asset that the team will only let go for the price of their asking, as speculated by Chris Johnston of The Athletic.

“St. Louis has the ability to hold the line with its ask since Buchnevich’s contract runs through the end of next season. The Blues are going to need a haul to move him now — think a package that exceeds the return Calgary got from Vancouver for Elias Lindholm: a first-round pick, two prospects and winger Andrei Kuzmenko.”

As previously reported on The Athletic, the Blues don't feel a sense of urgency to move Buchnevich, but that isn't going to be enough to stop interested parties to try and convince St. Louis to cough up the veteran via a swap.

Pavel Buchnevich is playing in the penultimate season of the four-year contract worth $23.2 million he signed with the Blues back in 2021. At the time of this writing, the 28-year-old Buchnevich has scored 24 goals and recorded 24 assists through 58 games in the 2023-24 season with the Blues. Any team that successfully trades for Buchnevich will be assured of a talented offensive force who can expertly manufacture his own goals as much as he can create ones for his teammates.

Buchnevich debuted in the NHL in the 2016-17 season with the New York Rangers, who traded him to the Blues in 2021 for r Samuel Blais and a 2022 second-rounder.