Nope, season isn't over for him yet, as the KHL runs a "loser's playoff", where the winner receives an additional draft pick, I believe after the 1st draft round (at least they did last year). So we're gonna see a little more of Buchnevich this season.
For those who don't know, he went 7-11-18 in this season in 39 games. In comparison, Marko Dano, a first round pick by the Jackets currently playing for Slovan Bratislava went 2-2-4 over 37 games in the same league. No matter how Buchnevich pans out, I'm gonna mark it as a good pick. He's the kind of player you gamble for.
He's really been beasting for Cherepovets those last 2 games however. I think everybody on here knows about the goal and the assists, but there was so much more to his game lately, it was a pleasant surprise. Not only did he rack up some points, but when he was on the ice, it appeared as he was taking over the game. He played a very in-your-face game, pissing off opponent veterans, protecting the puck well, running guys over on occasion, going to the net, was very solid along the boards and decent on the backcheck.
Things he needs to improve on imo are his awareness when his team is stuck in it's own zone. He's running around a bit too much, at times looks like he doesn't know where to be positionally. Also, his consistency was an issue all season long. While games like the last two would have you thinking the guy's an PPG player at this level, he had stints of being completely unnoticeable for weeks. He stepped up the last few games when it mattered most though, but he seems to choose when to put in full effort and when to just float around a little. That had me annoyed a few times.
It's why I want him to completely destroy the opposition in the "loser's cup" - the defenses of those teams are at a level, where after the last games by Buch, you should think he has a field day with them. If he brings it there, I will mark that a very big plus.
One other thing I'd like to note in a positive way is the way he protects the puck. Think of him as being a weirdo Frankenstein Monsterish clone of a light version of Dubinsky, crossbred with a light version of Nash. He can protect the puck with his body as well as with the quickness and the surprise elements in his puck handling. Him being able to do that at age 18 against grizzled Russian veterans is a very good sign.
I'm looking forward to catching more Cherepovets games next season (have watched about 20 so far this season, so take everything I said here with a grain of salt) and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a lot of hype next season.
