The transfer market has opened in the NHL, and the off-season continues in the KHL. On July 2, clubs from both sides of the ocean closed several important deals. Let’s take a closer look at the major transfers of Ak Bars and Salavat Yulaev, as well as Pavel Buchnevich’s new contract with St. Louis.
Was Buchnevich overpaid? Not everything is so clear
So, Pavel Buchnevich signed a new contract with St. Louis. The Russian will play next season with the Bluesmen under his old contract with a salary cap of $5.8 million, but starting with the 2025/2026 season, the financial situation of the forward, who will turn 30 next April, will improve significantly.
St. Louis signed a six-year deal with Buchnevich with a salary cap of $8 million. At the same time, Pavel’s actual salary will vary: he will receive $5 million in the 2030/2031 season (this is the last year of the contract), and $11 million in the championship -2028/2029.
Full breakdown of Buchnevich’s new contract:
Details of Buchnevich’s new six-year contract with St. Louis have emerged.
It is clear that this contract, the most important in Buchnevich’s career, officially secures Pavel the status of one of the club’s top stars. Starting from the 2025/2026 season, the Russian will become the third highest-paid hockey player of the Blues, only slightly behind Jordan Cayre and Robert Thomas.
Did St. Louis overpay? Now there is a feeling that yes. Buchnevich’s statistics with Les Bleus for three seasons are not bad, but they are declining; Pavel never became the top scorer of a team that is far from stellar at the end of the season, and in the last two regular seasons Buchnevich did not drag Les Bleus to the playoffs. Of course, he is a very high-quality forward, who already has a lot of experience at the NHL level, but he does not look like a leader, a leader, as Vladimir Tarasenko was in St. Louis at one time.
Pavel Buchnevich
Photo: Jeff Roberson/AP/TASS
However, let’s not forget about the realities of the modern market and the fact that there is no queue of proven stars in St. Louis. If we look at it from this point of view, why not give a generous advance to a hard-working and efficient forward who is ready to link his career with the Club for a long time? $8 million in salary cap sounds respectable, but even now, according to this indicator, Buchnevich is not in the top 60 in the NHL, and the ceiling in the league will only increase.
Therefore, there is no point in jumping to conclusions about the value for money of Buchnevich’s new contract. Pavel still has to make progress in the NHL, and the responsibility after closing this deal can only have a positive impact on the development of the Cherepovets hockey graduate.
A Canadian capable of becoming one of the best centre-backs in the KHL arrives at Ak Bars
Moving on to Russian affairs, we note that two more foreign players with the potential to become stars of the major leagues will appear in the KHL next season. Thus, the “Championate” learned that “Ak Bars” has agreed to a one-year contract with Canadian centre forward Nic Petan.
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Canadian Nick Petan’s salary at Ak Bars is known
Petan’s story is not new. At 29, the forward had not managed to establish himself in the NHL (Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver, Minnesota), and the AHL has long been an obstacle for him. In such a situation, Americans usually look for options on the Russian market and Petan goes to Tatarstan.
Nick Petan
Photo by: Hartford Wolf Pack HC
Nick is a smart, big, but very technical forward who can play both in the centre and on the wing. “One of those guys who could make a difference on every shift,” Madison Bowie, who played against him in the junior team, recalled about Petan. His modest size obviously prevented him from playing in the NHL, but in the KHL this disadvantage can be compensated by his quickness of feet, hands and decision-making. One could have expected Petan at Avtomobilist, where his old friend Brendan Laipsik signed, but in the end the Canadian ended up at Ak Bars. In Kazan, they just need new leaders after the departure of the old guard, and Petan will probably play enough among the Leopards’ three leaders, no matter what his final form is.
And Salavat signed a fourth legionary, forming a lethal attack.
Salavat Yulaev has already officially announced the signing of Canadian Sheldon Rempala. He is similar to Petan both in size and professional status: he is destroying the AHL, but cannot establish himself in the NHL, so at the end of his third decade he is leaving for Russia.
Sheldon Rempal (right)
Photo: Peter K. Afriyie/AP/TASS
But Rempal is a strong winger with a right-handed grip. However, Ufa does not need foreign centers, because Salavat has Alexander Khmelevsky and newcomer Nathan Todd. Now Yulaev’s team has also added foreign wingers to the lineup: Rempal has joined Joshua Livo. Thus, “Salavat” has formed two amazing foreign players, and if Khmelevski and Livo keep the bar, and Todd and Rempal meet expectations, then Ufa’s attack could become one of the most lethal in the KHL.
