The Vancouver Canucks made notable moves in the trade market on Friday, securing late-round draft picks by trading forward David Kampf to the Washington Capitals and forward Lukas Reichel to the Boston Bruins. In this exchange, the Canucks received a sixth-round pick for each player, enhancing their draft capital for the upcoming selections.
Kampf, who recently turned 31, started the season with the Toronto Maple Leafs but found himself on unconditional waivers in November. Subsequently, he signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Canucks on November 15. Throughout his time with Vancouver, Kampf tallied two goals and six points across 38 games. Having launched his career as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017, he has accumulated a total of 50 goals and 149 points in 574 NHL games. Notably, the Chomutov, Czechia native represented his country in the recent Winter Olympics, earning one goal and three points, and previously secured gold at the World Hockey Championships in 2024.
Reichel, a 23-year-old winger, was brought to the Canucks from the Blackhawks on October 24 for a draft pick. He played 19 games with both the Blackhawks and Canucks this season, contributing two goals and five points, alongside six goals and 13 points in 23 games with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. Reichel, who was drafted 17th overall by the Blackhawks in 2020, is on the final season of a two-year contract valued at $2.4 million and is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the current season.
Interestingly, the Canucks opted not to trade pending unrestricted free agents Evander Kane and Teddy Blueger, despite earlier indications that they might consider moving players in that category before the deadline. Vancouver had already seen Kiefer Sherwood depart in January, who later re-signed with the San Jose Sharks on a five-year deal.
These transactions reflect the Canucks’ ongoing strategy to build their team for the future while also making strategic decisions concerning their roster. As the deadline approaches, the team’s focus remains on optimizing their lineup while preparing for the next chapter in their journey.