Canucks forward Lukas Reichel could get traded for second time this season

It has been an eventful year for Vancouver Canucks forward Lukas Reichel.  Despite a solid start in limited action in Chicago, the Blackhawks had already decided that he was not going to be part of their long-term plans and moved him to Vancouver last month for a 2027 fourth-round pick.  With the Canucks dealing with several injuries, he was a low-cost NHL-level replacement.

Lukas Reichel hasn't landed on his feet with Canucks

Unfortunately for him and the team, that hasn’t gone quite as planned.  Reichel has been limited to just one assist in 13 games since the move and hasn’t even recorded a shot on goal in six straight contests.  As a result, he found himself a healthy scratch in Thursday’s loss to Dallas.

With some players trending toward being closer to returning, it appears that Reichel might not be in Vancouver’s plans for much longer.  In an appearance on Sportsnet 650, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reported that the team has now made Reichel available and is OK with trying to move him.

While he spent a lot of his time with Chicago on the wing, Vancouver’s injury situation down the middle resulted in them trying Reichel at center, an experiment that clearly hasn’t worked out well given his struggles.  On the other hand, he’s still just 23 and with a $1.2M cap charge, he’s someone that a lot of teams looking for forward depth could realistically afford on their books.

How should Canucks replace Lukas Reichel?

Of course, with Reichel not performing well, it would seem like GM Patrik Allvin would be hard-pressed to acquire a replacement 2027 fourth-round pick for his services.  But if it’s trending toward a situation where he’s on the outside looking in at a roster spot, the potential to get something over running the risk of losing him for nothing on waivers down the road might be worth looking into.

At the moment, Teddy Blueger (despite a recent setback) and Nils Hoglander are the forwards on IR who are closest to coming back.  Meanwhile, Jonathan Lekkerimaki is currently with AHL Abbotsford on what feels like a conditioning stint and it’s likely he’ll be back up sooner than later.  With 14 forwards on a full 23-player roster, each of those players will require another forward going down to make room.

At the moment, the only waiver-exempt forwards with the Canucks are Mackenzie MacEachern (who hasn’t played in ten games or been on the roster for 30 days since clearing waivers) and Max Sasson, who has played in all but three games this season.  It’s a good problem to have but a roster crunch is on the horizon for Vancouver and it looks like Reichel could soon be one of the casualties.