Pavel Buchnevich is walking into training camp with his spot under a microscope.
Jim Montgomery opened camp by putting the St. Louis winger on the second line with Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael, a clear sign Buchnevich will get the kind of top-six minutes that matter.
But the ice time alone won’t settle anything. For Buchnevich, this season is about proving he can still produce at a level that justifies that role.
His scoring has been trending the wrong way for three straight seasons. Buchnevich posted a career-best 1.06 points per game before sliding to 0.59 last season, and that drop is why the Blues can’t just assume the old version of him is coming back.
A full return to point-per-game territory isn’t the standard here. What St.
Louis needs is something far more basic: better production, game after game, if he wants to stay in the top six.
That challenge gets tougher with the Blues pushing internal competition across the roster. The organization has young players pressing for NHL minutes, and they are not short on options.
Otto Stenberg brings the kind of speed and two-way bite Montgomery likes, while Justin Carbonneau is still developing as a sniper but moving closer to a shot at the league. Buchnevich can’t afford to coast while those kinds of players are waiting.
If he wants to hold off that wave, he has to do more than blend in. He needs to drive play, rediscover his scoring touch, and show he can still outpace the club’s rising talent for prime top-six or even middle-six usage.
The pressure isn’t just about performance, either. Buchnevich’s contract makes this a big season financially as well. The Blues signed him to an extension that pays $8 million annually through 2031, and the deal carries a full no-trade clause for three more seasons before shifting to a 20-team modified no-trade clause in 2029-30 and a 15-team modified no-trade clause in 2030-31.
That leaves St. Louis with very little flexibility if his game doesn’t rebound. The club can’t simply move the contract if younger players start climbing past him, which means Buchnevich has to play like a star to match the investment.
If last season’s scoring pace sticks, the $8 million hit becomes a serious problem for a team trying to work its way back to the postseason. A veteran taking up that kind of money and ice time has to deliver.
So for Buchnevich, camp is about more than getting ready for opening night. He needs to shoot more, build chemistry with his new linemates, and make the case that he still belongs as one of the core pieces in St. Louis.
In Other News...
Blues Camp Is Already Hinting At One Tough Opening Night Call
The second day of Blues training camp brought a familiar look to the top group, and that is usually a sign the coaching staff already has a pretty clear idea of where things stand. Jim Montgomery has kept the same Group A alignment in place, with Mason McTavish lining up as the second-line center and Theo Lindstein still working toward what would be a regular role on the blue line alongside Colton Parayko.
For now, the bigger question is whether anyone from Group B can force a harder conversation before opening night. So far, that hasnt happened, and the separation between the NHL-ready group and the rest of camp is starting to feel pretty firm. If the picture stays this way, players such as Proskurin and Adam Jiricek may be staring at the toughest cuts of the early camp decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Otto Stenberg Faces A Tough Blues Fight With Time Running Out
The Blues have split camp into two groups, and Otto Stenberg finds himself in the one that usually tells the clearest story about where things stand. Group A is for the players who look locked into the NHL roster, while Group B is where the real competition lives, with camp bodies and bubble players trying to force their way into the conversation before the preseason games start to run out.
For Stenberg, the path is simple in theory and difficult in practice. He has to outperform established veterans in a fight for two open forward spots, and there is not much time for a slow build or a late surge. With the roster decisions coming soon and the preseason slate limited, every practice rep and every game shift matters if he is going to make the Blues' opening night picture. [Read more 🡒]
Logan Mailloux Enters Blues Camp With Little Room For Error
Logan Mailloux heads into Blues training camp with a different kind of pressure than he had a year ago. After a slow start and a brief stop in the AHL, he carved out a regular place on St. Louis blue line late last season, enough to get a real foothold heading into this camp. The Blues have seen enough to believe the tools are there, but they also know the job is still wide open and the next step will come only if he proves he can hold it.
The competition around him is real, and it is not limited to one familiar name. Theo Lindstein, Tyler Tucker and Adam Jiricek are all in the mix for the same NHL minutes, which makes every practice rep matter even more for Mailloux. His right-handed shot could help him stand out in a group that skews the other way, but St. Louis is expected to evaluate him closely before deciding what his role looks like when the season begins. [Read more 🡒]