Canucks' Lukas Reichel headed to new team less than two months after trade from Blackhawks

The latest twist in Reichel's season feels abrupt because he already moved once, landing in Vancouver after Chicago moved him for a mid-round pick. His age and skill once hinted at upside, but the story keeps changing.

Reichel was traded to the Canucks on October 25, just under two months ago.

On Friday, Vancouver reshaped its entire direction when the Quinn Hughes blockbuster delivered Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, and Liam Öhgren. That haul forced immediate roster pressure, and Reichel sat in the squeeze.

Saturday brought the clearest signal yet; reporters noticed Reichel missing from the active roster while Buium and Öhgren appeared.

NHL insiders quickly connected the dots, pointing out that Reichel either hit waivers for assignment to the AHL or has been traded. The confusion came from the timing, which arrived only hours after the big trade. The first public alarm surfaced here:

Many fans see this as a quiet win for the Blackhawks because Reichel's value declined since his 2020 draft slot at seventeenth overall, while Chicago extracted a clean asset.

Jeff Paterson added context by confirming Reichel was not on the roster while Buium and Öhgren were, reinforcing that Vancouver prioritized new pieces from the Hughes trade.

That note appeared before fans and insiders even processed Friday's shock move.

The blockbuster remains the loudest headline as Marco Rossi is a serious, elite-level piece heading to Vancouver, and then they doubled down on youth by adding Buium, who projects as a top-four defender.

Those additions left Reichel with no pathway.
Chicago, meanwhile, watches this unfold with relief because Reichel never secured a consistent NHL role, scoring only five points last year despite steady minutes.

Vancouver's roster churn highlights why the original trade looks smarter each day.

The Blackhawks will take the win, even if it arrived quietly, because Reichel's future now rests far from Vancouver's long-term plans.