The regular season is quickly creeping up on us which means that NHL teams are going to be thinning their rosters ahead of the October start, and things have already been extremely active at least in terms of the waiver wire.
But according to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli, we could see a trade involving a former first-round pick. Speaking on behalf of Bleacher Report on Tuesday, Seravalli explained that the Chicago Blackhawks are working on a deal that would send Lukas Reichel elsewhere before the regular season begins:
“They are working on a deal to have him land somewhere likely before next week when rosters are completed; this is not gonna be a big return, we’re talking probably a mid to late round pick.”
That’s a rough finish to a promising career for Reichel, the nephew of former NHL star Robert Reichel.
After a solid career in Germany, Reichel was drafted 17th overall by the Blackhawks in 2020 but never really found his footing. In 169 games he’s only registered 54 points (20 goals, 34 assists) and an unsightly minus-61 rating.
He shined for the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL however, recording 116 points in 121 games (42 goals, 74 assists) so there is clearly some potential still there, however just not at the NHL level yet.
There are no indications of who Reichel might be dealt to, but there are certainly some teams like the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and even rebuilding teams like San Jose or Anaheim could use him as well.
He’s a very solid defensive forward who has a relentless engine, but needs to pick it up offensively in order to keep a spot in the lineup much like his uncle who has 630 points in 830 games.
GM Kyle Davidson clearly has a vision in mind that doesn’t involve Reichel, and while he isn’t expected to receive anything more than perhaps a third or fourth round pick for the forward, it does mean that at least Chicago has a plan in mind, and for a rebuilding team that’s step number one to having a successful turnaround.
