The Lukas Reichel saga is finally over. The now former Chicago Blackhawks forward has finally found a new home, and it is with the Vancouver Canucks. It was announced on Friday that Reichel was being traded to the Canucks from the Blackhawks for a 2027 4th round draft pick.
Reichel had seemed to be on the way out from the Blackhawks for quite some time now. He had been in and out of the Blackhawks lineup for quite a bit and also did not seem to be producing much on the scoreboard.
He for the most part early here in the 2025 season, was getting some decent run and actually playing in the Blackhawks lineup. But he has finally found a new home and his new home is not in Pittsburgh with the Penguins and it is actually a good thing.
Kyle Dubas not making a move for Reichel is good for the Penguins youth movement
For a while, if the Penguins farm system was not the way that it currently is, it would have seemed that making a move for Reichel was a logical thing. But with the prospects the Penguins have like Ville Koivunen, Avery Hayes, Tristan Broz, there was really no need for Reichel.
Throw in the Penguins trade acquisition of Philip Tomasino in the middle of last season, there is another reason Dubas did not trade for Reichel. There would have been a serious logjam at forward if Reichel had been acquired and the Penguins young prospects would have had their roster spots blocked.
Sure, a trade for Reichel would have been nice in terms of how Muse does well with young players, but he was not needed on this Penguins roster. He could have done well and turned his career around in Pittsburgh playing in the top six, but he goes to Vancouver instead.
The Canucks have been thin at forward without Brock Boeser and Teddy Blueger among others, so they had a greater need for Reichel than the Penguins did. At the end of the day, the Canucks got Reichel and have a chance to help him with a change of scenery, and the Penguins get to continue their youth movement plan. It was a win-win across the board.