Trade completed: 'Smartest move yet' may end up biting the Blackhawks back
Photo credit: NHL.com
Per the analysts at The Hockey Writers, Lukas Reichel's trade to the Canucks could give him the breathing room he needed to come closer to realizing his potential, and the Blackhawks could miss out.
The Lukas Reichel era with the Chicago Blackhawks is over, as he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks over the weekend.
Reichel never truly realized his potential with the Blackhawks, and there are more than a few reasons why, including seeing less playing time. Now he has a chance at a fresh start with the Canucks.
Per The Hockey Writers, Reichel needed more breathing room than he got with the Blackhawks and could end up paying off for the Canucks.
What might help Reichel most is a bit of breathing room. In Chicago, he was seen as part of the rebuild - expected to produce, lead, and justify his draft position. That's heavy pressure for a young player trying to find his identity in the NHL.
In Vancouver, he won't have to carry that weight. The Canucks' core - Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, Thatcher Demko - already sets the tone. Reichel can focus on the simple things: compete, use his legs, make plays. Sometimes that's exactly what a player needs to rediscover his rhythm.
In Vancouver, he won't have to carry that weight. The Canucks' core - Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, Thatcher Demko - already sets the tone. Reichel can focus on the simple things: compete, use his legs, make plays. Sometimes that's exactly what a player needs to rediscover his rhythm.
Reichel made his Canucks debut last night against the Canadiens and had a single SOG.
The Canucks like Reichel's speed
Canucks GM Patrik Allvin spoke about the speed and competitiveness that Reichel played with that could help them.
I was fortunate to see him play in Berlin in his draft year [and I] appreciated his competitiveness, his skill set, and his ability to skate. Over time, 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. It's been like for most of the young players, a little bit of an up and down, until you establish yourselves. But you can see the skill set; you can see the speed in his game.
So far this year between the Blackhawks and Canucks, Reichel has 4 points (2G, 2A).
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