After TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported last week that the Blackhawks were looking to trade Brendan Perlini, the team announced that they found a taker late today, acquiring prospect defenseman Alec Regula from the Detroit Red Wings.
TRADE ALERT: The #Blackhawks have acquired defenseman Alec Regula from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for forward Brendan Perlini.
Regula will remain with the London Knights of the OHL. pic.twitter.com/hctyz1M1QZ
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 28, 2019
The 23-year-old Perlini was acquired by the Blackhawks last November with Dylan Strome from the Arizona Coyotes for former first-round pick Nick Schmaltz. Perlini was a very hot-and-cold player with the Coyotes and then with the Blackhawks, scoring three of his 12 goals with Chicago on March 11, 2019, against his former team.
Despite his scoring prowess, he could never win head coach Jeremy Colliton‘s favor. In a strange twist, Perlini and the Blackhawks had a long, drawn-out contract negotiation which led to a one-year, $874,125 deal getting signed on Sept. 6. He only played in one game this regular season and did not register a point.
Regula is a 6-foot-4, 205-pound right-handed defenseman and native of West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. The 19-year-old was drafted by the Red Wings in the third round (67th overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Chicago Steel fans may remember Regula as a member of the team that captured the 2017 Clark Cup, registering five points (one goal, four assists) in 53 regular season games and one assist in five playoff games.
Regula will be remaining in the OHL with the London Knights, where he is a co-captain and has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 10 games this season. He was also teammates with Blackhawks 2018 first-round pick Adam Boqvist for the 2018–19 season in London.