With the Chicago Blackhawks making a deal with the Vancouver Canucks to snag Anthony Beauvillier, what type of player can Blackhawks fans expect to see?
CHN reached out to a couple writers and analysts familiar with his game who could shed some insights on exactly what they got with the 26-year-old forward.
Anthony Beauvillier a ‘Nifty Winger’
Andrew Fantucchio, beat reporter for NYI Hockey Now which covers the Islanders, knows Beauvillier well. Describing him as a “nifty winger,” Fantucchio also indicated that while has some scoring touch, his size and speed may hinder him from being the top-end scoring threat Vancouver thought they were getting when they snagged him in the Bo Horvat trade.
“Some thought a change of scenery would do him good when he was traded to Vancouver,” Fantucchio said.
The Canucks shipping to the Blackhawks gives him another change, but Beauvillier did notch career highs last season in points with 40 (18-22). Could being on Connor Bedard’s line potentially help?
Off the Post Radio Podcast co-host Anthony Mingioni saw a lot of Beauvillier from the other side of the ice and saw a speedy winger who while having that scoring touch, was inconsistent.
“Chicago might be the right spot for him,” Mingioni said. “If he can get it going, he could be pretty good.”
Which brings up the point again that lining him up with Bedard could be a way to get him rolling. It’s been Lukas Reichel and Nick Foligno gliding on Bedard’s left the last few games. Could Beauvillier get a shot at it?
Best Case Scenario?
When Patrick Sharp was traded to the Blackhawks all the way back in 2005, he was seen as a high ceiling player. He only had 23 points in 50 games that season, a brutal rebuilding project for the Blackhawks that included rookies Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.
Kinda, sorta familiar?
Now it’s not to say that they’re the same player, but Sharp was 24 at the time and not having the same amount of NHL seasons under his belt.
Beauvillier is now in a situation where he can grow in the rebuild process and potentially, as Mingioni said, get it going with a team that is figuring things out through a rebuild.
Both the Blackhawks and Beavuillier seem like a good match for now. Can it bloom into something more down the road?
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