The Chicago Blackhawks today announced that the team has acquired forward Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for forward Joe Veleno.
Burakovsky, 30, registered 37 points (10G, 27A) in 79 regular-season games with Seattle last season. The forward ranked fourth on the kraken with 27 assists during the 2024-25 campaign, while he finished tied for eighth in points (37) and 10th in goals (10).
The native of Klagenfurt, Austria has appeared in 696 career regular-season NHL games, earning 387 career points (153G, 234A) over 11 seasons with Washington, Colorado and Seattle. Buraskovsky is one of only 10 Austrian-born players to ever play in the NHL, while he currently ranks second among those players in games played, points and assists. The forward has also recorded 47 points (20G, 27A) in 93 career postseason games. He has made eight trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his career, winning the Stanley Cup twice with Washington (2018) and Colorado (2022).
On the international stage, Burakovsky has represented Sweden at the IIHF World Championship on two occasions, including winning the bronze medal in 2024. He also helped Sweden to silver medals at the 2012 World U18 Championship and the 2014 World Junior Championship.
The 6-foot-3, 203-pound forward was originally selected by Washington in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft.
Veleno, 25, posted 17 points (8G, 9A) in 74 regular-season games split between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago in 2024-25. The forward opened the season with Detroit, notching 10 points (5G, 5A) in 56 games before being acquired by Chicago on March 7 in exchange for goaltender Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith. Veleno added seven points (3G, 4A) in 18 games with the Blackhawks last season.
