What acquiring Anthony Beauvillier means for the Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks sent a conditional fifth-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks for forward Anthony Beauvillier after releasing veteran Corey Perry.

Perry was placed on waivers to have his contract terminated after a team investigation found he violated the terms of his contract and the team’s internal policies.

With the team already missing Taylor Hall for the season and now that Perry is gone, the Hawks needed to add another veteran winger.

Although general manager Kyle Davidson hinted last week it was unlikely he would be adding outside help.

Beauvillier is set to be a free agent after the season and carries a cap hit of just over $4 million. That is one reason the Canucks were motivated to move him.

He is a former first-round pick of the New York Islanders who crossed paths with Hawks head coach Luke Richardson.

Beauvillier has two goals and six assists on the season. He has scored double-digit goals in every season he has played except his rookie year.

So, what does this trade mean for the rest of the Chicago Blackhawks roster?

It gives Richardson some much-needed depth at left wing as the roster officially only has Lukas Reichel and Nick Foligno available.

Beauvillier is a more talented option for the third and fourth lines than Cole Guttman, Joey Anderson, MacKenzie Entwistle, and Boris Katchouk.

However, it creates a problem of who might be the healthy scratch or who needs to go back to Rockford.

Katchouk has played well since getting time on the ice. He has two goals in his past two games.

Joey Anderson had two assists in the victory against the Seattle Kraken and Entwistle scored a goal.

The bottom six has produced well since Corey Perry was asked to stay away from the team last Wednesday.

This also means the Chicago Blackhawks get the rest of the season to see if Beauvillier can help the team in the long run. He is still 26 and giving up a fifth-round pick is worth seeing if he can still reach his potential.

If he does not show he is a future piece, oh well, the team gave up a pick that usually does not become a star in the NHL.