The Canucks add a 23-year-old left winger while dealing with injury issues.
The Vancouver Canucks acquired left winger Lukas Reichel from the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
Chicago receives a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL draft in return for Reichel, a 23-year-old whose minutes dwindled.
Reichel has two goals and two assists for four points in five games this season. Three of his points came against the St. Louis Blues, and he added an assist on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He averaged 9:52 of ice time with the Blackhawks this month, down from last year's average of 11:55 and six-and-a-half minutes lower than his career-high 16:22 of average ice time he recorded in 2022-23.
Last season, Reichel recorded a career-high eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points in 70 games.
Canucks Make Trade For Forward Lukas Reichel From The Chicago Blackhawks
The addition of Reichel will likely shake up Vancouver’s top-six moving forward. While the newly-acquired forward has played at wing for most of his NHL career, he is also capable of playing at center — a position that Vancouver desperately needs at the moment.
Now, he heads to Vancouver in the second season of his two-year contract worth $1.2 million annually. He's a pending RFA with arbitration rights.
The Canucks currently face some injury issues with Nils Hoglander, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Filip Chytil. Hoglander is on long-term injured reserve, meaning the Canucks can exceed the salary cap by up to his cap hit of $3 million.
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