Rangers' Buchnevich may be playing himself out of New York

Pavel Buchnevich has finally started performing to his potential for the New York Rangers. In his 5th season with the team, he currently has 26 points in 28 games, but he might be playing too good for his own good.

The young Russian showcased his ability to score in the KHL, and now in the NHL is replicating his skills that Rangers' fans waited to see for so long. So, why is Buchnevic playing this good a bad thing? Well, it comes down to cap space for the Blueshirts. The flat cap of the NHL's COVID-19 era is making it tough on many teams, and the Rangers are not excluded.

Luckily, Buchnevic is a restricted free agent after this season, which could mean signing him to a 1-year deal and dealing with him after that season is up. If the Rangers do not sign him long term this summer, they would be caused to buy into years of free agency which will drive the cost up heavily.

Currently, the 25-year-old is earning $3.25 million and could seek anywhere from $6 to $8 million depending on the length of his next contract. The team is more than likely looking for a deal under $6 million, but this is a little difficult considering the fact Buchnevic is the 8th highest scoring RW and is in the top 40 among forwards in the league.

The problem with signing Buchnevic comes with whether or not the Rangers can land Jack Eichel in the near future. There is lots of rumbling around the league that it is destined to happen. Eichel carries a $10 million cap hit, and with Panarin's $11.5 million salary, there is not going to be a ton of space to sign 18 other players. This doesn't even figure into Mika Zibanejad needing a new contract also, which could be close to $10 million.

Buchnevic has shined so far, and time will tell if the Russian winger will continue to play for New York, or if the Rangers will go a different direction.

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