Lukas Reichel was once the Chicago Blackhawks' top prospect after being drafted 17th overall in 2020. He has had some bumps along the way to say the least and some more hope was placed in him when the team signed the 22-year-old to a two-year, $1.2 million AAV deal.

Reichel should be considered an everyday player for the Blackhawks, but nothing is set in stone. He struggled last season and it forced Chicago to send him to the minors for a month where he could figure out his game. For a thin, rebuilding team to do that, there were some issues.

Reichel looked very good in the AHL after the Blackhawks' season had ended and carried that over to the World Championship where he did very well too. His AHL playoff performance earned him his latest contract and more expectation to show exactly what he has for the Blackhawks next season.

With all of the additions at forward this offseason, Reichel will have a very hard time finding playing time near the top of the lineup like he was gifted at the start of 2023-24. Kyle Davidson wasn't waiting around and hoping the young players could live up to the roles that were set aside for them right away last season. Instead, he expects the young players to earn their spots, Reichel included, although he wasn't specifically named.

That being said, the expectation going into the 2024-25 season for Reichel is the third or fourth line on the wing. He was tried at center on the second line last season. His place in the bottom-6 depends heavily on his training camp and preseason as well as how Nick Foligno fares. The veteran will likely be in close competition for a spot on left wing on the third line.

For Reichel, I can see him being a healthy scratch more often than the Blackhawks would consider Foligno, despite being 36 years old. As of now Tyler Bertuzzi, Taylor Hall, Teuvo Teravainen, Philipp Kurashev, and Ilya Mikheyev are all above Reichel on the depth chart when considering only wingers. And Foligno will be close.

Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson talks about contract extension for forward Lukas Reichel, despite his disappointing 2023-24 season.

Reichel has 12 goals and 32 points in 99 career games in the NHL. He recorded five goals and 16 points in 65 games last season after an impressive showing in 2022-23 where he scored seven goals and recorded 15 points in 23 games. The potential is there and the Blackhawks see it, but Reichel won't get the opportunity to put up numbers offensively like he can if he is playing anywhere lower than the third line.

Even with potential linemates in Mikheyev and Andreas Athanasiou on the third line, Reichel isn't going to produce 40-45+ points and break out. He will have to either beat out Jason Dickinson or even Athanasiou to play between two much better wingers on the second line or go another year stuck behind a lot of other players.

Some of the Blackhawks' top players aren't under contract for a long time, so this coming year and the following one will be massive for Reichel while on his current contract. I don't expect a breakout in 2024-25, but I do expect improvement in all regards.

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