It may not seem like it to fans outside of New York, but the Rangers truly have a diverse group of young forwards. Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, Jesper Fast, Oscar Lindberg, and newly acquired cener Mika Zibanejad all are very promising young forwards. Up front, the future actually looks pretty bright in New York, and Pavel Buchnevich could develop into the missing piece that will round out this cast of young forwards. Buchnevich is New York’s top prospect, and because he has repeatedly stated that he has no desire to play in the AHL, it is likely that we will see Buchnevich in a Rangers sweater next season.

So, what can Rangers fans expect from Buchnevich? Well, in terms of raw talent, Buchnevich has tons of it. He is an incredible skater with a good first step, and his top end speed is excellent. When Buchnevich is skating at top speed, he does a good job of staying on his feet, and using his edges to navigate through opposing defenders. In recent years, the Rangers have been successful when playing at a quick pace, and Buchnevich’s speed should give the Rangers that extra speed they’ve been missing since losing Carl Hagelin.

On top of being a good skater, Buchnevich also has a howitzer of a wrist shot. He can get his shot off quickly, and when he aims his shot well, most goalies don’t stand a chance. The issue is, he doesn’t shoot as much as he should, and he identifies more as a playmaker than he does as a goal scorer. Additionally, Buchnevich isn’t a consistent finisher. If Buchnevich is coached well, he could definitely score more goals, but for now, he will probably pile up more assists than goals. Though he isn’t a consistent goal scorer, Buchnevich has a knack for finding creative ways to get the puck to his teammates. He’s the kind of guy that can get on highlight reels for dishing out beautiful passes, which is definitely something to look forward to.

Defensively, Buchnevich struggles at times. Standing at 6’1, 176 lbs, he has decent height, but he definitely needs to put on some weight. Because of his size, Buchnevich tends to shy away from the physical aspects of the game, especially during battles along the boards. Sure, he can use his speed and passing to get the puck out of his own zone, but he struggles at helping his team gain possession of the puck in the defensive zone.

Overall, Rangers fans should be excited to have Buch on their team this season. He will bring loads of speed, talent, and creativity to the lineup, and he’s only going to improve as the season goes on. Buchnevich already has four years of experience playing professional hockey in the KHL, so transitioning to the NHL shouldn’t be too difficult for him. If he gets decent ice time, and some minutes on the powerplay, he could easily score upwards of 20-30 points next season.