Two days ago, we touched on a New York Post report claiming the Rangers were close to bringing prized prospect Pavel Buchnevich over to North America.
Today, the Blueshirts made it official.
Buchnevich has agreed to a three-year, entry-level deal, the club announced on Friday. It’s a move met with great excitement from Rangers fans, as Buchnevich is arguably the organization’s most exciting young talent.
The Russian forward, who only turned 21 last month, is coming off a quality KHL campaign split between Cherepovets Severstal and SKA St. Petersburg, scoring 16 goals and 37 points in 58 games.
The Post notes Buchnevich, the 85th overall pick in 2013, has drawn comparisons to Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Where the youngster plays next year remains to be seen. Given his pedigree and skill set, it’s likely he’ll get a crack at making the Rangers’ roster out of camp -- and, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Buchnevich is expected to stick with the big club.