Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs emerge as prime trading partners for young underrated forward

A new report suggests that former first-round pick Lukas Reichel could soon be on the move.

According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Chicago Blackhawks are exploring their options to trade the German forward.

Drafted 17th overall by Chicago in 2020, Reichel, who's now 23, is coming off a 22-point season with the Hawks and will enter his fourth career season over the coming weeks.

Across 169 career NHL games, he has tallied 20 goals, 34 assists, and 54 points.

Reichel was once seen as a top-six forward for the Hawks, but not anymore. The player will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season and it appears his time in Chicago is running out.

After signing Frank Nazar to a long-term extension, drafting Anton Frondell, and likely going all in on Connor Bedard, Reichel is expendable in Chicago.

Friedman believes the Hawks could trade him to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs added a lot of offensive depth to their lineup over the offseason, but adding a player like Reichel could tempt general manager Brad Treliving.

On 32 Thoughts, Friedman stated that Toronto could ship Max Domi to Chicago in return for Reichel:

Domi played with the Hawks during the 2022-23 season, where he scored 49 points, including 18 goals, in 60 games.

The Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has already hinted that Domi was seen as a candidate to skate on the top line alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.

I'm not certain Reichel could fill in that role, although he will be among the players to follow as candidates for a breakout season.