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Acquired: Chicago Blackhawks acquire a Stanley Cup Champion and it's time for fans to get to know him
Photo credit: Seattle Time
Get to know the newest member of the Chicago Blackhawks, Andre Burakovsky, acquired on the trade market earlier this summer in a deal with the Seattle Kraken.
The Blackhawks officially announced on June 21 that they'd brought in the 30-year-old left winger Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken for Joseph Veleno who had joined the team only a few months prior, at the trade deadline.
Here are some details about the Hawks' acquisition.
Burakovsky's contract carries a $5.5 million cap hit for the next two seasons, a number that helps the Hawks get to the cap floor while giving the Kraken valuable flexibility by shedding his salary.
Burakovsky brings plenty to the table that should help the Blackhawks in their push to become more competitive. His combination of speed, creativity and playoff experience will be a welcome addition to a team that's trying to build an identity and surround Connor Bedard with skilled, veterans and leaders.
Andre Burakovsky himself laid out what Chicago fans can expect:
"I think I can bring a lot of speed. I'm a player that likes to challenge guys one-on-one, make plays, create opportunities for my teammates. When I'm playing at my best, I'm playing with a lot of confidence. I'm not afraid to make mistakes out there. I want to challenge guys one-on-one. I want to take the puck to the net."
Even more importantly, he knows what it takes to go all the way:
" [The Stanley Cup] is the hardest trophy to win in the worldto be able to win you gotta, you gotta perform every single day, every single game, every practice.
There's no rest days in practice. You gotta go all out. If you have a good practice, there's a bigger chance that you're going to play the game good.
So that's something I'm going to bring to the young guys to just let them know what it takes to win and just trying to help the team be better."
There's no rest days in practice. You gotta go all out. If you have a good practice, there's a bigger chance that you're going to play the game good.
So that's something I'm going to bring to the young guys to just let them know what it takes to win and just trying to help the team be better."
Newly re-signed Blackhawk Ryan Donato, who played with Burakovsky in Seattle, knows exactly how valuable he can be:
"[Andre has] some special tools that you don't see often. He's a big body that can shoot the puck, can score, can create space, can create scoring opportunities. He's a guy that can help the team win in a lot of different ways."
It'll be interesting to see what kind of impact Burakovsky will have on the team. With two 20-goal NHL seasons under his belt, he could end up providing more depth than many might have expected.
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 11 | 490 ANSWERS Acquired: Chicago Blackhawks acquire a Stanley Cup Champion and it's time for fans to get to know him How many goals will score Andre Burakovsky next season? | ||
| 10 or less | 57 | 11.6 % |
| 11-20 | 231 | 47.1 % |
| 21-30 | 167 | 34.1 % |
| More than 30 | 35 | 7.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
