Any hope for Russian reinforcement for the New York Rangers is unlikely . The Blueshirts need help, but will have to look elsewhere for now.
By Jay Travers
If you have been following the New York Rangers at all you have probably heard the name Pavel Buchnevich.
If you have not, he is a Russian hockey player and a third round pick of the Blueshirts from 2013.
The 20 year old is playing in the Russian KHL right now and is expected to help the Rangers big time when he eventually lands in New York City.
This season Buchnevich started out with Severstal, another KHL team. In 53 games played between both Severstal and SKA St. Perersburg, he has 14 goals and 21 assists.
There is some sad news though; Buchnevich’s KHL team has clinched a playoff spot. This can be a blessing or a curse for the Rangers at this point.
The up side of this is that Buchnevich will see more time playing with the Russians.
The amount of talent in these European leagues is unbelievable and they are producing great hockey players. Any exposure for the 20 year old will greatly improve his game.
On the other hand, the Rangers need some help. The 6-3 win over Buffalo on Monday night was the last game before the All-Star break. It was a good way to go out, but may not be enough to carry them into the playoff push.
The team has not been consistent at all.
They demonstrated this when they didn’t show up for last Sunday’s game against Ottawa, and were shutout by a score of 3-0.
That game was ugly, but the Rangers redeemed themselves against Buffalo.
The inconsistency is killing the team right now because they have a Stanley Cup capable roster.
The NHL trade deadline is also approaching very fast with the deadline on February 29th.
Expect some moves to be made at the deadline, maybe some before hand. The one to keep an eye on has to be Keith Yandle and his situation in New York.
But for now the Rangers should enjoy this break during the All Star festivities. They will be right back into action on Monday night against the New Jersey Devils.
Monday night’s game will begin a wild ride for the rest of the season. The whole Buchnevich situation will be played out eventually, and his arrival in New York would make a lot of Rangers fans very happy.
