ST LOUIS — Trader Doug Armstrong is at it again. Just a few hours before the NHL draft, the Blues announced they had traded forward Sammy Blais and a second-round draft pick in 2022 for New York Rangers winger Pavel Buchnevich.
And once the draft started, Armstrong stood pat. He kept the pick, making the forward Zachary Bolduc the 16th player taken overall. (Technically he goes into the books at No. 17 since Arizona forfeited his pick at No. 11.)
Bolduc, 18, is 6-1, 175 pounds. In 27 games last season for Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, he scored 10 goals with 19 assists. He was rated as the 17th-best player in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters.
COVID-19 issues limited the number of games in the Quebec League, and Bolduc also missed several contests late in the season with a lower body injury.
Nonetheless, he won the Mike Bossy Trophy as the QMJHL's top professional prospect for the 2020-21 season. The previous year, playing a full season in the Quebec League, he led all league rookies in goals (30) and was second in points (52). He earned the Michel Bergeron Trophy as the league's top offesnive rookie.
Bolduc is considered a slick skater with great hands and an accurate shot.
Buchnevich, 26, scored 20 goals with 28 assists in 54 games for the Rangers this past season. To put that in perspective, only Ryan O'Reilly had more goals last season for the Blues; and only David Perron and O'Reilly had more points.
Buchnevich averaged 18 minutes 44 seconds of ice time and was plus-12. In 4 1/2 NHL seasons, he has scored 79 career goals, including a career-best 21 during the 2018-19 season.
"He's got good size at 6-3. He's a left shot, can play the right side," said Armstrong, the Blues' general manager. "He's scored in the league recently.
"He's the right age group for us, what we're trying to accomplish. A very good penalty killer, too. Very underrated penalty killer. So he's gonna touch all aspects of our game. As we continue to retool this roster, I think he's a good piece for us."
Buchnevich is a top-six winger, a sturdy player who won't shy away from scrums, with good hands. He scores most of his goals from close in.
He had a $3.25 million salary cap figure this past season, and currently is a restricted free agent (arbitration eligible).
"We agreed with Doug (that) we will have some talks after the draft weekend," Buchnevich's co-agent, Todd Diamond, told the Post-Dispatch.
"For Pavel, it's difficult. All he knows is the New York Rangers and has many close friends in that locker room. The Blues have a solid veteran core and I am sure will make him feel welcome when he gets into town."
Diamond added: "Trade talks have been going on for a few weeks but the reality of the draft and free agency/arbitration filings sped up the process. Doug is good at his job. He saw a rare opportunity and got it done."
Armstrong said he hopes to get a multi-year contract done with the newest Blue.
"I've worked with Todd Diamond on a number of contracts in the past," Armstrong said. "I've enjoyed working with Todd in the past. He's a straight shooter.
"That's the goal going in, is to see if we can get something done now or in the future on a long-term deal. At 26 years old, he's a player that's at a very good age."
A native of Cherepovets, Russia, Buchnevich was originally selected by the Rangers in the third round of the 2013 draft.
Blais, 25, had a career-high eight goals and 15 points for the Blues last season. In parts of four seasons with St. Louis, the former sixth-round draft pick had 17 goals in 119 games. The hard-hitting winger showed promise in both the 2019-20 season and this past season, but was slowed by injuries both seasons.
"At different times when he was just getting going, he was hit with the injury bug," Armstrong said. "It's unfortunate. We've had other players it's happened to in the past.
"I think Sammy's gonna be a really good player. I think there's more there. ... Sammy brought an edge to our team. He played with passion. He was an aggressive player that sought out contact in a league that doesn't have a lot of that any more."
Blais is scheduled to make $1.5 million this season, and then becomes an arbitration eligible restricted free agent after the 2021-22 season.
So with Buchnevich’s contract for this coming season unknown, the Blues currently are $18.8 million under the cap per PuckPedia.
