Buchelnikov’s NHL rights were traded to the St. Louis Blues at the 2026 NHL Trade deadline. The St Louis blues made out like bandits on the Justin Faulk trade, getting a 2026 first and third round pick along with the intriguing Buchelnikov for a serviceable veteran blueliner. The Blues have clearly announced their rebuilding phase has begun, and this is a great move to get it started. While Buchelnikov is by no means a lock to sprint to North America and deliver fantasy relevant performance.

Buchelnikov led all U22 players in the KHL with 54 points in 65 games, justifying the faith that Detroit had in him when they selected him 52nd overall in 2022. Still a little on the small side, he is adept at avoiding hits with his agility and finding the open man quickly. He is signed with his KHL club for next season – but his KHL club, Vityaz, is pulling an “Arizona Coyotes” and could lose their KHL status, freeing him up to cross the pond. If he does come over, he will still need a year in the AHL to get acclimated. But if he transitions quickly, we’ll see him in the NHL soon. –

Buchelnikov looks to be on a star trajectory after going nearly a point per game over the first 30 games of his second KHL campaign. That represents a significant increase over his first year in Russia’s top league at age 20. He has another year on his contract overseas, so barring a Michkov-like buyout, he will likely make his North American debut in 2026-2027 as a 22-year-old. At that point, he would have a good shot at making the Wings, where he should provide a dynamic playmaking presence with similar upside to Vegas’ Pavel Dorofeyev and Detroit teammate Jonatan Berggren. Take advantage if his owner in your keeper league gets restless with the wait time.

The Wings swung for the fences in 2022 by selecting the high-octane Buchelnikov after he destroyed the Russian junior league to the tune of 75 points in 56 games. That is 1.34 points per game, only slightly behind Nikita Kucherov’s exceptional mark of 1.41 at the same age. He then performed admirably in the country’s second-tier pro league before graduating to the KHL this year, where he was again among his team’s leading scorers. He recently signed a two-year contract to remain in Russia with high-powered SKA-St. Petersburg, a move that would give him regular exposure to elite prospects Matvei Michkov (PHI), Ivan Demidov (2024), and Alexander Nikishin (CAR). It looks like a big 2024-25 is coming for Buchelnikov, which would mean a much higher profile (and price) in fantasy.

The 19-year old prospect appeared in 10 games with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL this season, registering a goal and an assist. He earned the honor as top forward playing for them in the preseason KHL Sochi tournament. Metaratings is reporting that the SKA prospect will go to Lada for the upcoming 2023-24 KHL season –

Buchelnikov has excellent speed and stick handling. He was clearly a step ahead of MHL competition scoring 75 points in 56 games. He helped his team win the MHL championship with 14 points in nine games. Because of the Russian conflict with Ukraine, no Russians were allowed at the U18 world junior championships or world championships, so we didn’t get to see how Buchelnikov would have done if invited. Buchelnikov needs to show his scoring prowess against professional competition, which should happen at either the VHL or KHL level next season. If he can translate his game to the higher level, he could end up looking like a steal at 52nd overall. He wouldn’t be the first Red Wings draft pick with this moniker.

Last season, Buchelnikov put up 54 points in 65 KHL games as a 21 year old, and has stalled a little while sitting at 23 points in 40 games. Buchelnikov could end up a solid dynamic second-line winger, and if the Blues can get him signed and to North America, his value in fantasy circles will pop. He was already worth a speculative stash, but his intrigue increases with the acquisition, and should be stashed and watched if available in your league.