Doug Armstrong and the Blues didn鈥檛 want this to drag on another year.
In negotiating a new contract extension with forward Pavel Buchnevich, there was an expectation from both sides that 鈥渢his wasn鈥檛 something that we were going to try and tackle next June,鈥 Armstrong said when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday morning. The two sides wanted to find a solution this offseason, a year before Buchnevich鈥檚 current contract would expire.
That decision came down Tuesday, when Buchnevich signed a six-year extension worth $8 million annually that will keep him in 狐狸视频 through the 2030-31 season. The extension begins in the 2025-26 season, as Buchnevich will play this upcoming season on his current contract with a $5.8 million cap hit.
Armstrong, special assistant to the GM Alexander Steen and Buchnevich鈥檚 agent Todd Diamond met before the draft at the combine in Buffalo. Then they met again in Las Vegas at the draft.
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鈥淣either side was going to budge,鈥 Armstrong said. 鈥淎nd then we talked again on the first, did the deal on the second. I鈥檒l be honest with you, I budged.鈥
What did Armstrong budge on?
It became about the term for the Blues, who preferred a five-year term on the deal that will start when Buchnevich turns 30 years old. Buchnevich preferred longer, and the two settled at six years. The contract has a full no-trade clause in the first four years, and it becomes a 20-team no-trade list in 2029-30 and a 15-team no-trade list in 2030-31.
鈥淚t became over the term,鈥 Armstrong said. 鈥淥ur goal is to have the players maximize their prime. I think Buch can do this, but the actuary tables say not everyone does it. So you鈥檙e looking out moving forward, and I think that鈥檚 just the cost of doing business in today鈥檚 NHL.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e back to where we were pre-pandemic that everyone believes that the cap will continue to grow, so any look of a slight overpayment won鈥檛 be an overpayment by the end of the deal. If the cap goes up $5 million a year, Buch is signed for seven, at the end, you鈥檙e looking at a $120 million cap, $115 million cap.鈥
The Blues were never at a four-year term, and Buchnevich 鈥渢hought the sweet spot for him would have been eight, or seven,鈥 Armstrong said.
In signing Buchnevich to a $8 million cap hit, the Blues did so at a number below what Jake Guentzel (seven years, $9 million average annual value) and Sam Reinhart (eight years, $8.625 million AAV) recently received. They also arrived at a number that keeps Buchnevich lower than both Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou鈥檚 $8.125 million cap hit.
鈥淭odd Diamond is one of the representatives I work with that it鈥檚 a phone call or two, it鈥檚 not 15 or 20,鈥 Armstrong said. 鈥淭he goalposts start really close together. They don鈥檛 start a mile apart. I enjoy working with Todd because we get deals done or we don鈥檛 and we know very quickly.鈥
Buchnevich remains perhaps the most versatile player on the Blues roster, able to play both offensive and defensive roles, in addition to spending time both on the wing and at center.
鈥淲e asked him about (playing) left wing, center and his response was what you want to hear as someone that works in the hockey department is 鈥業 don鈥檛 really care. I just want to win,鈥欌 Armstrong said. 鈥淚f we find different centermen, he can go back to the wing. He can start at center, we can find wingers.鈥
With the deal now signed, it鈥檚 now a question of whether Buchnevich can justify the six-year term that the two sides agreed to.
In the three seasons since the Blues acquired him from the Rangers, Buchnevich has been nearly a point-per-game player with 206 points in 216 games. Last season, he had 27 goals and 36 assists in 80 games.
What is it about Buchnevich鈥檚 game that Armstrong thinks will age gracefully?
鈥淗e鈥檚 a skater,鈥 Armstrong said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 got very good hockey sense. He knows his way around the ice. He doesn鈥檛 put himself (in bad spots). He plays in the hard areas without putting himself in bad positions. That鈥檚 an art form to be able to go and retrieve pucks and strip pucks and be the first in the corner without being on your butt in the corner after the event. I just think it鈥檚 his hockey sense and his commitment to being a pro makes you feel very comfortable that this will age as well as any of these contracts.鈥
When Buchnevich鈥檚 contract kicks in for the 2025-26 season, the Blues will have six players 30 or older that will be making at least $6 million: Buchnevich, Brayden Schenn, Colton Parayko, Torey Krug, Justin Faulk and Jordan Binnington.
Buchnevich鈥檚 deal will also bridge the transition for the Blues into a new, younger, crop of players. That, of course, means suffering through the last two postseason-less seasons, and the potential for a lean year or two ahead directly in his prime.
Before the Blues announced publicly that Steen would take over as GM in 2026, they told Diamond privately, and it was up to Armstrong and Steen to sell Buchnevich on their vision moving forward.
鈥淲e told him what we were going to try and do, that we had to stay committed to the process,鈥 Armstrong said. 鈥淔rom a management perspective, you have to take the arrows through that process. It鈥檚 not all (good). I understand that at 6 o鈥檆lock on July 1st, it wasn鈥檛 all peaches and cream. But that鈥檚 what we committed to do.
鈥淗e understands that when we鈥檙e at that right point, we鈥檙e going to have the cap space and we鈥檙e going to have the assets to improve our team any way we want. That could be tomorrow, too. We鈥檙e not done trying to improve our team. But we weren鈥檛 going to do something that hindered him being part of a good team for the next seven years.鈥