The St. Louis Blues 2025-26 season is just a few weeks from getting underway, with the start of training camp and the eventual puck drop on the preseason and regular season. With that said, it is probably a good idea to go over what each player's expectation should be, and if they can get there or not.
Winger Pavel Buchnevich is going to have to be flawless in 2025-26, as the Blues are now stacked in that position group. If his numbers and impact on the game continue to slip even further, he might be pushed out as the odd winger out.
2025-26 expectation
Since coming over to the Blues via the Sammy Blais trade, Buchnevich has been a curious case. He is one of the top scorers on this roster, showing consistency in the mid-60 to low-70 points range. But, since 2021-22, that point production has slid from a career-high 76 points, down to just 57 points in 2024-25.
The Russian-born winger has a very simple but easier said than done expectation next season, and that is to grab as many points as he can. Buchnevich needs to have an offensive onslaught and put pressure on Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou for the top point-getter on this roster. No matter how he does it, he cannot slip even further down the rabbit hole, or else his tenure here will be looked at harshly.
Can he succeed in 2025-26?
Undoubtedly, Buchnevich should not be a worrisome case for next season. Even though his point production has fallen off, he is still a very consistent player. He can change the game in an instant with the puck on his stick, and he is still worth every penny of his new $8 million AAV contract.
With that said, alongside Robert Thomas and the young phenom in Jimmy Snuggerud on the first line, Buchnevich will get a chance to grab a lot of points. This might end up being one of the better top lines in the NHL, if it transitions from the line-up card to the ice.