Lukas Reichel has reportedly been put on the trading block by the Vancouver Canucks.
Lukas Reichel's tenure with the Vancouver Canucks may be coming to a close. According to Rick Dhaliwal of "Donnie and Dhali", the Canucks are reportedly open to trading the 23-year-old. The timing of this new trade rumour is a little surprising, as Reichel has been with the club for less than a month after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
After a decent start with Vancouver, Reichel has struggled since the beginning of November. He has just one assist in 13 games and has only had two shots on goal in his last 10 games. Reichel has also been scratched during his brief time with the Canucks, as MacKenzie MacEachern took his spot on the fourth line Thursday against the Dallas Stars.
While moving a player after a month may seem hasty, it is important to note that Vancouver has given Reichel opportunities to show he can be a difference-maker. He started as the team's second-line center and played 6:49 on the power play. Fast forward to Sunday, and Reichel was not only on the fourth line but also saw his ice time drop to 9:34.
The main issue with moving Reichel is that the Canucks will most likely not get the same value back from another team. It is hard to imagine others in the NHL seeing how Reichel has performed over the past few weeks and moving a fourth-round pick or even higher for his services. This means that if Vancouver does plan to trade him, they may need to accept a lower return than what they gave up to acquire him.
If no trade surfaces, the Canucks may be forced to put Reichel on waivers in order to send him down to the AHL. With Teddy Blueger and Nils Höglander set to return in the next few weeks, Vancouver will need open roster spots to activate them from IR. While it could mean losing him for nothing, the Canucks may be forced to try to send him to the Abbotsford Canucks if his overall game does not improve.
While the Reichel experiment may be coming to a halt sooner rather than later, overall, it was not a bad gamble by Vancouver. Yes, it cost them a draft pick, but in the end, it was a low-risk, high-reward move based on Reichel's speed and playmaking ability. The question now is, will Reichel's next NHL game come with the Canucks or another team in the league?
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