With the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft mere days away, the Chicago Blackhawks announced this morning they have acquired forward Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for forward Joe Veleno.
The 30-year old, 6-foot-3, 203-pound Burkovsky was originally selected by Washington in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft and will make $5.5 million for the next two seasons. He had 37 points (10 goals, 27 assists) in 79 games with Seattle in 2024–25.
The native of Klagenfurt, Austria, has appeared in 696 career regular season NHL games, over 11 seasons with the Capitals, Colorado Avalanche and Kraken. Over his career, he has won the Stanley Cup twice with Washington (2018) and Colorado (2022) in eight trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In international play, Burakovsky has helped lead Sweden to silver medals at the 2012 World U18 Championship and the 2014 World Junior Championship.
The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken for Joseph Veleno