The Chicago Blackhawks made a savvy move this offseason to bolster their top-six forward group. The club went out and traded the much-maligned Joe Veleno to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Andre Burakovsky.
The move looked even better after the Kraken immediately bought Veleno out. As such, the Blackhawks dumped Veleno’s $2.275 million cap hit for a former 20-goal scorer.
Unfortunately, Burakovsky has had three subpar seasons in Seattle since signing as a free agent following the Colorado Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup run.
Burakovsky is now in the fourth year of a five-year deal, carrying a cap hit of $5.5 million. That may seem steep for a player who scored 10 goals in 79 games last season. But a fresh start in Chicago could be enough to spur Burakovsky’s career.
The 30-year-old is slated to play in the Blackhawks’ top line with Connor Bedard and Ryan Donato. That situation could open the door for a resurgent season. If that’s the case, Burakovsky could be on the move come trade deadline time.
The reason would not be due to poor play. Rather, a contending club looking for forward depth could see value in a rejuvenated Burakovsky.
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks could recoup even more assets to support their rebuild. Chicago has gotten to a point where it can afford to move draft picks and prospects to attract high-end talent to support rising stars like Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Alex Vlasic, among others.
Blackhawks Could Just Keep Burakovsky Instead
There is a case for the Blackhawks keeping Burakovsky. Assuming he gets off to a great start, the club could hold on to him in hopes of giving Bedard another highly talented player to hang with.
Burakovsky and Donato on Bedard’s wings would allow the team to have a legitimate top line this season. While the goal isn’t to make the playoffs necessarily, fans would like to see the team make an effort to improve on the dismal record over the last couple of seasons.
So, keeping Burakovsky in the mix could be a good idea, at least for the next couple of years. The former first-round pick from the 2013 NHL Draft will be a free agent in 2027. As such, Chicago doesn’t really lose much by holding on to him.
After all, the team has plenty of cap space to play with over the next few seasons.
Chicago Could Just Sell High When It Can
A typical move by rebuilding clubs is to flip valuable veterans to contending clubs in need. That’s what the Burakovsky acquisition could turn out to be for the Blackhawks. The team has plenty of young, up-and-coming players in the pipeline.
Thus, it makes sense for the team to treat veterans like Burakovsky as short-term fixes, leading to more assets down the road.
For Burakovsky, it’s an opportunity to prove he can return to the 20-goal form that made him a valuable member of the Colorado Avalanche back in 2022. As such, bringing Burakovsky to Chicago could be a win-win for all sides.
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