The Seattle Kraken have announced they have acquired forward Joe Veleno from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Andre Burakovsky. This exchange of forwards brings a little more youth to the Kraken while giving the Blackhawks more scoring talent on the wing. It’s a trade that makes sense for both teams. New Kraken general manager Jason Botteril is starting to make his mark on the NHL’s newest expansion team. Meanwhile, the rebuild continues in Chicago.
Kraken and Blackhawks Agree to Trade
The #SeaKraken have acquired center Joe Veleno from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Andre Burakovsky.
Read more → https://t.co/ODZrZAxGaO pic.twitter.com/qZcVqQyk9b
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) June 21, 2025
Burakovsky’s Side
Seattle moves off one of their inaugural members. After being selected in the expansion draft, Burakovsky was in Seatle for three seasons. The Austrian-born forward played in 79 games this season, scoring 10 goals and 27 assists for 37 points. It was a down year for Burakovsky in the Pacific Northwest. It’s why his value was so diminished; he makes $5.5 million through 2026-27. He also had a 10-team no-trade clause, so the Kraken had fewer options than they might have to move him.
For Burakovsky, a change of scenery may change his fortune. He’s usually more productive than he was this season. In 177 games with the Kraken, he scored 30 goals and 62 assists for 92 points. That’s more than a 40-point pace. However, in three years, he only played 177 games. He’s had his issues staying on the ice when he’s been playing. If he can stay on the ice, he could be a great line mate for someone like Connor Bedard in the Windy City.
If he doesn’t work out and struggles with injury, retaining on his contract will make him a very tradeable asset for contending teams. He’s not an anchor, but teams may need financial help from Chicago to move this deal. Seeing as the term left isn’t ridiculous, Kyle Davidsson may be interested if it goes poorly. If it works, then he’ll have picked up a significant piece of the Blackhawks future for not a lot.
Veleno’s Side
Veleno’s career has not been what he wanted. He dropped like a stone on draft day in 2018, eventually falling to 30th overall when Detroit snapped him up. He’s 25, so he’s closer to being what he is than continuing to develop into what he was expected to be. However, he can still be a serviceable player for the Kraken. He’s predominantly a bottom-six center, but he’s also been locked into that role in Detroit. He got a little more ice time in Chicago, but still not a ton. With more ice time, the Kraken could extract more from him.
The Montreal, Quebec native has spent most of his 306-game career with Detroit before moving to Chicago. He’s collected 38 goals and 43 assists for 81 points across his career. In 18 games in Chicago, Veleno showed signs of life with eight three goals and four assists. It’s not quite that explosive talent we saw in juniors, but it’s promise. If he can find a way to produce more consistently, he could be a key part of the new-look Seattle Kraken. Centre has been where the Kraken have lacked during their existence, so he can support what’s coming through.
He has another year left on his contract, carrying a $2.275 cap hit, but the Kraken won’t care about that. They have money to burn, but it’s still a risk. The Kraken are reportedly planning to be aggressive as the summer goes on. It’s the time of year when general managers want to try and be assertive in their roster construction. There will be teams that want Veleno at the deadline if the Kraken isn’t competitive, so in a similar spot to the Blackhawks, it makes sense for all involved.
Main Photo: Matt Marton- Imagn Images
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