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Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Star Forward From Seattle Kraken In Surprise Trade

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 10:38 AM ET

Andre Burakovsky never quite worked out for the Seattle Kraken, and now, the veteran winger is headed to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Seattle Kraken pushed all their chips in a few years ago when they entered the NHL, and in their first few seasons in the league, they were quite aggressive in acquiring talent.

Unfortunately, it hasn't quite worked out thus far, and after acquiring Mason Marchment from the Dallas Stars, the team needed to make another move heading into the draft and free agency.

On Saturday morning they made that trade, officially sending Andre Burakovsky to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for 25-year old winger Joe Veleno, another former first-round pick in his own right.

While there's two solid names in this deal, it's not going to be the big deal it would have been a few years ago, but instead, it gives two solid but underperforming names a chance to find their footing in a new environment.

This past season, Burakovsky was healthy for the first time in three seasons with Seattle, playing in 79 games while tallying 10 goals and 37 points, truly underwhelming following his production in Colorado, and as for Veleno, he had a combined 17 points between Chicago and Detroit, with the former No. 30 overall pick still struggling to find his footing in the NHL.

At 25-years of age, Veleno may have the most potential out of anyone in this deal, but in Burakovsky, the Blackhawks get a former Stanley Cup winner with the Colorado Avalanche, and given the need to surround Connor Bedard with talent, this is a trade worthy of the risk for them.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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