Selected 17th overall in 2020 by the Chicago Blackhawks, Lukas Reichel held promise of a high ceiling.
Reichel was projected to become a top-six forward in the NHL. With a family history of NHL players and draftees (father Martin Reichel, drafted by the Edmonton Oilers and nephew of Robert Reichel), it seemed the Blackhawks had their ducks in a row.
Related: Lukas Reichel Might Be the Canucks’ Smartest Low-Risk Move Yet
But his development didn’t turn out as well as the team had hoped.
He jumped between the American Hockey League (AHL) and NHL during the 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 seasons. The assignments were to help Reichel find his confidence after failing to perform as expected as a rookie with the Blackhawks.
However, that all came to pass after general manager (GM) Kyle Davidson traded Reichel to the Vancouver Canucks in Oct. 2025.
Reichel’s time with the Canucks would be short, and unfortunately, more of the same as he’s earned the title of “reclamation project”. This is what allowed the now rebuilding Canucks to acquire him for a fourth-round pick in 2027.
In 23 games with the Abbotsford Canucks, he scored six goals and 13 points. He’d plateau in Vancouver, playing only 14 games with the NHL team, recording one point.
Will the Boston Bruins suffer the same fate as the Blackhawks and Canucks? Spending assets on a player who won’t be able to contribute to team success down the road? Fortunately, the Bruins were thrifty in acquiring Reichel from the Canucks (a sixth-round draft pick), and worst comes to worst, he could be a long-term project who continues to develop in the AHL.
Before the trade deadline, he was on a six-game point streak in Abbotsford, and increased his value with his performance in the 2026 Olympics with Germany, recording three points in five games.
But for a first-round pick, playing on the fourth line in Chicago with Pat Maroon seems like an issue for someone who had insiders singing his praises before the NHL Draft in 2020:
“Another high-profile scorer from Germany who earned his keep in the Deutschen Eishockey Liga, Reichel is a 200-foot winger with a nasty wrist shot and release whose 18.5 shooting percentage was 10th in the league among players with 65 or more shots. “
Does Reichel Fit Into the Bruins’ system?
The Bruins could use some help in the top six, as the team is in the midst of a retool. Younger players will be counted on to help contribute where gaps show, and where David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, and Viktor Arvidsson fall short.
Fortunately, Fraser Minten has put together a decent season in Boston, but this team is still a work in progress. Marat Khusnutdinov is another player who has shown up on the scoresheet at times when the Bruins needed it. But there have to be other players who step up, and Reichel could be it.
This would require him to put all the tools he has available to be a successful player in the NHL together before making the final jump for good after playing a total of 188 games with the Blackhawks and Canucks.
Don Sweeeney’s interview with NESN gave us a look into his thought process behind acquiring the first-round pick:
“He’s spent a lot of time in the league, he’s had some success,” Sweeney said on Friday. “Obviously, a high-profile draft. Great speed, two-position player. Got moved to Vancouver for a different opportunity, didn’t necessarily work the way he wanted it to.
“Familiarity with our coach. We look at it and say it’s an area where we can improve our hockey club, playing with a little more speed.”
Marco Sturm appears to be the key piece in this whole transaction, with the chemistry between player and coach leading to Reichel breaking through into the NHL in the future. The Bruins could monitor his growth in Providence and address his shortcomings, hoping he grows into someone who earns callups to the NHL before a full-time role opens with the team.
If Sweeney fails, this could be construed as another mishap, as the team has given up another asset for the forward. But this time it’ll be another late-round pick, which stings considerably less for someone who could be a career AHL player if this trade doesn’t work out.
