The Chicago Blackhawks had a quiet 2025 NHL off-season, but they did make a few moves. Among them was acquiring forward Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Joe Veleno.
Yet, in the end, the Kraken’s main purpose for this trade was to rid of Burakovsky’s $5.5 million cap hit until the end of the 2026-27 season. This is because the Kraken immediately bought out Veleno, and the former Blackhawk ended up signing with the Montreal Canadiens.
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Now, as we are approaching holiday break, it is abundantly clear that the Blackhawks are benefiting very nicely from bringing in Burakovsky from the Kraken.
Burakovsky is having a strong season for the Blackhawks so far, as he has recorded eight goals, 13 assists, 21 points, and a plus-3 rating in 26 games. This is certainly solid offensive production from the veteran forward, but especially when noting that the Blackhawks did not need to give up much to land him in the first place.
Burakovsky is continuing to make an impact as the season rolls on for the Blackhaws, too. In his last two games, the 6-foot-3 forward has recorded three points. This included him posting a goal and an assist in the Blackhawks’ most recent game against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 12.
