The St. Louis Blues are in the thick of the race for the last wild card spot in the Western Conference, but that may not stop them from making moves at March's trade deadline with the future in mind.

The calculus in situations like these is always a big challenge for front offices, who have to balance keeping the locker room and the fans content while making decisions with the best interest for the team's future in mind.

For the Blues, it's fairly clear that the core as currently constructed is not in contention to win the Stanley Cup and that some level of a retool is needed to get back to that status.

Young players like Robert Thomas, Jake Neighbours, and Jordan Kyrou look like perfect building blocks for the Blues, but the team has an aging defense that isn't among the league's best, so moves to get young difference makers on the back end are essential.

The question then becomes about whether or not the market out there is going to yield you the assets you need for such a retool at a fair or excess level.

This year looks to be a seller's market at the trade deadline, especially at the winger position. If the Blues put Pavel Buchnevich on the market, he's the clear top winger available (given the injury to Jake Guentzel) and comes with an extra year of club control.

If a team is willing to cough up a first-round pick along with a prospect close to making a tangible impact at the NHL level, the Blues will have to at least consider it.

NHL Trade Deadline: Pavel Buchnevich

Contract Situation: Signed through 2025 at $5.8 million cap hit
Season Stats: 22 goals, 24 assists for 46 points in 54 games
Possible Destinations: New York Rangers, Carolina, Colorado, Boston, Florida, Detroit, Edmonton

    Buchnevich is a big, physical winger who can keep up with faster linemates and possesses quality stick skills and a strong shot, and a recent hat trick against the New York Islanders caught the league's attention.

    He has the exact skill set that can cast a player as a major X-factor in a playoff series, and in his one playoff appearance as a Blue he put up 11 points in 12 games in 2021-2022.

    This is a unique situation as Buchnevich is just 28 years old and still has another year left on his deal, opening up possible interest from teams that don't typically pay high prices for rentals. The Carolina Hurricanes come to mind there, and they have several players hitting unrestricted free agency this summer, which gives them some financial flexibility.

    The other team that makes a ton of sense is the one that drafted and developed Buchnevich in the New York Rangers, who dealt him to the Blues in 2022 for Sammy Blais and a second round pick. That trade proved costly for New York, who flipped the second along with a first round pick for rental Andrew Copp in a year they lost in the conference final.

    Buchnevich has flourished in St. Louis, but the Rangers could very conceivably right a wrong and grab the big Russian back for this year's and next year's runs.