Canucks acquire German wing from Blackhawks

The Vancouver Canucks have enhanced their forward depth by acquiring 23-year-old German winger Lukas Reichel from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round draft pick on Friday. Vancouver General Manager Patrik Allvin officially confirmed the move.

The pick originally belonged to Chicago and was previously acquired by the Canucks in June 2024 as part of the Ilya Mikheyev trade. The move comes amid injuries to the Vancouver forward corps, including the recent placement of center Teddy Blueger on injured reserve.

Reichel, a 6-foot, 170-pound forward, was originally selected 17th overall by the Blackhawks in the 2020 NHL Draft. He has stacked up 58 points (22 goals, 36 assists) and 32 penalty minutes across 174 NHL games, all with Chicago. This season, Reichel has recorded four points (two goals, two assists) in five games, ranking tied for sixth in team scoring.

He also holds a strong AHL track record, with 116 points (42 goals, 74 assists) in 121 games for the Rockford IceHogs, earning a selection to the 2023 AHL All-Star Game. Internationally, Reichel has represented Germany in multiple competitions, including the 2020 World Junior Championships and the 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025 World Championships.

Seen as a gravitational center in the Blackhawks’ rebuild plans alongside Connor Bedard, Reichel’s tenure in Chicago failed to meet initial expectations. After a promising start in 2022-23, when he scored seven goals and eight assists in 23 games, Reichel struggled to maintain offensive production. In the past two seasons, he totaled just 13 goals while being used largely in a bottom-six role.

The Blackhawks experimented with Reichel at both wing and center, but he failed to secure a consistent top-six role, finishing last season with an 8-14–22 line and a faceoff win rate under 40%. These factors ultimately led Chicago to make him available for trade. The move also frees up roster space for the Blackhawks, giving younger prospects like Ryan Greene a better opportunity to secure NHL playing time.

For the Canucks, Reichel presents a flexible offensive option who can play all three forward positions. With the absence of Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger, Vancouver is likely to utilize him in a top-six or second-line role, potentially centering between veterans Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser. Reichel is in the back half of a two-year, $2.4 million contract, carrying a $1.2 million cap hit, giving the Canucks low-risk flexibility.

While Reichel’s previous experience includes challenges in consistency and defensive play, his speed, skating ability, and offensive creativity offer Vancouver a chance to address its immediate forward depth issues.