St. Louis Blues place LW Pavel Buchnevich in COVID protocol

The St. Louis Blues have lost another key player, as Pavel Buchnevich is now in the league’s COVID protocol. Buchnevich played more than 21 minutes Thursday night against the Seattle Kraken. The team has recalled Dakota Joshua under emergency conditions to fill the roster spot, while Alexei Toropchenko and Calle Rosen have been assigned to the taxi squad.

Buchnevich, 26, actually scored the winner Thursday night against the Kraken, his 14th goal of the season in just 34 games. A trade from the New York Rangers in the offseason has given him an even bigger offensive opportunity, and the third-round pick has run with it, scoring 35 points already. That’s just 13 shy of his career-high, a number he set last season in just 54 games.

While he’ll miss Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Monday’s match against the Nashville Predators, Buchnevich could potentially exit the protocol before the Blues head out on the road next week. In the meantime, the team will need to find a different option on the top line and someone to replace Buchnevich on the power play and penalty kill.