Canucks acquire forward Lukas Reichel from Chicago for fourth-round pick

“Lukas is an exciting young player and someone we feel can help improve our forward group,” Allvin said in a statement posted by the time. “He is a talented playmaker who can create scoring opportunities with his offensive ability. We like the way he moves on the ice and his overall work ethic and feel our coaching staff can help him become a better and more consistent hockey player.”

Reichel, a 23-year-old native of Nuremberg, Germany, has been looking for a new home since before the season began. He was originally linked to the Canucks back in early October, which caused us to write a piece titled “Should the Canucks trade for Lukas Reichel?” The short answer from that article was: yes, for the right price, they absolutely should. And it’s hard to argue that a fourth-round pick isn’t the right price when it means adding a young and dynamic offensive weapon to a depleted Canucks forward group.

While Reichel has mostly served as a winger instead of a centre in Chicago, it will be interesting to see how the Canucks deploy him, with their centre depth specifically taking a big hit with the absence of Filip Chytil. Sure, Reichel is a bit undersized, but his point totals in the AHL, draft pedigree — 17th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft — and solid start to his 2025-26 season are hard to ignore.

Reichel was once again linked to the Canucks on Friday morning. Speaking on Sportsnet 650’s Halford and Brough in the morning, Rick Dhaliwal gave the following update on Reichel:

“I checked in with the agent of Lukas Reichel yesterday,” said Dhaliwal. “The Blackhawks are trying to trade him. The agent is hopeful a trade can happen soon. Yes, the Canucks are in the mix for Reichel. He’s a winger, but he’s got a history of playing centre. He’s a winger slash centre type guy.”

Reichel has gotten off to a fine start this season, potting two goals and adding two assists through his first five games of the season. The 23-year-old winger showed plenty of promise in his age 20 season back in 2022-23, as he scored 20 goals and tallied a total of 51 points through 55 AHL games.