Five years after drafting forward Lukas Reichel 17th overall, the Chicago Blackhawks traded him to the Vancouver Canucks. The Haws have received a 2027 fourth-round pick in return, which can become their asset for future trades.
Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill shared his thoughts on the trade.
“We had tough conversations, and I thought he handled it like a complete pro,” Blashill said, via reporter Ben Pope on X. “I certainly wish him the best of luck.
“Sometimes you can thrive in different opportunities, and honestly, I hope for him that’s the case. He wasn’t going to get that same opportunity here. We had made decisions, obviously, where we had other guys ahead.”
Lukas Reichel had four points in five games this season, which included a two-goal and three-point game against the St. Louis Blues earlier this month. Vancouver hopes he can develop and take the next step in his career. Canucks GM Patrik Allvin praised his speed, saying,
“You can see that speed in his game,” Allvin said. “We definitely believe that he has the ability to [play center] here, and we’ll definitely give it a try here.”
Allvin first saw Reichel in Berlin back in 2020, when he was drafted. Speaking about this, he praised his competitiveness, skill set, and ability to skate, saying,
“You’ve been waiting to see if this guy would be able to take it to the next level and establish himself as an NHL player,”
The trade also helps Vancouver fill gaps from injured forwards. Their offense is struggling with injuries to center Teddy Blueger and Filip Chytil. Additionally, forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Nils Hoglander are also injured. So, Lukas Reichel, whose ice time was limited to below 10 minutes in Chicago, can get time there.
Lukas Reichel’s last game in the Blackhawks jersey
In his last game for the Chicago Blackhawks, Lukas Reichel had an assist in their 3-2 win over Tampa Bay. He played about 11 minutes and finished with a -1 rating. Reichel assisted on Ryan Donato’s second-period goal at 10:41, giving the Hawks a 2-1 lead. Later, Donato scored his second goal twice, with 54 seconds left on the clock, to secure two points for his team.
Coach Jeff Blashill praised his team, saying:
“I thought we worked extremely hard, I thought we competed extremely hard,”
Tampa Bay’s Ryan McDonagh and Jake Guentzel scored to keep the game close. But the Blackhawks kept blocking shots to stay in the game.
alt=”Ankit Kumar” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Ankit Kumar
