Andre Burakovsky is ready to bring a strong game to the Chicago Blackhawks.
"I think I can bring a lot of speed," Burakovsky said Wednesday, four days after the 30-year-old forward was traded to the Blackhawks by the Seattle Kraken for forward Joe Veleno.
"I'm a player that likes to challenge guys 1-on-1, make plays, create opportunities for my teammates, play a lot offensively. Bring that aspect to the game, but most of all it's speed up the wings and just make plays."
That should be beneficial to the Blackhawks' group of young centers, which includes Connor Bedard, who turns 20 on July 17; Frank Nazar, 21; and Oliver Moore, 20.
Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, won the 2023 Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year after he led the Blackhawks with 61 points (22 goals, 39 assists) in 68 games last season. He had a team-high 67 points (23 goals, 44 assists) in 82 games this season.
"I think I'm going to fit in right where I can help them to be better and to create more opportunities for them, set up some plays," Burakovsky said. "Just doing my thing to try and help them out and become better and help the team be better. There's a lot of talent, a lot of really good players on the team that are young who can really take the next step, and we can become a contender here."
Burakovsky has two seasons remaining on a five-year, $27.5 million contract ($5.5 million average annual value) he signed with Seattle on July 13, 2022. He won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018 and the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, and has 387 points (153 goals, 234 assists) in 696 games for Washington, Colorado and Seattle.
Injuries hampered Burakovsky's game through two of the three seasons he played for the Kraken. He missed the rest of 2022-23 after he sustained a lower-body injury against the New York Islanders on Feb. 7, 2023. He had surgery for an upper-body injury sustained against the New York Rangers on Oct. 21, 2023, and returned on Dec. 7 of that year.
Healthy last season, Burakovsky had 37 points (10 goals, 27 assists) in 79 games.
"I think it started off really good in my first season (in Seattle) and then I got injured," he said. "Then the next year was followed up [with] more injuries. Then last year was a bit of a struggle coming back from those injuries, but I think I finished the season, after the (NHL) Trade Deadline, very well. That's something I want to bring into the next season coming up here.
"I'm going to bring that feeling I had when I played [late last season]. I'm feeling healthy, no issues at all, so that's a positive for sure. I've been working hard this summer to be at my best again coming into this season, so I'm super pumped about it."
Burakovsky also brings the experience of a Stanley Cup champion with the Blackhawks still striving to get back to their glory seasons, when they won the Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. They've failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five straight seasons and have made the postseason once in the past eight (2019-20).
"I mean, it's the hardest trophy to win in the world in my opinion and I know a lot of other people say that, too," Burakovsky said. "To win, you have to perform every single day, every single game, every practice. There are no rest days in practice. You have to go all out. If you have a good practice, there's a bigger chance you'll play the game good. That's something I'll bring to the young guys, let them know what it takes to win and just try to help the team be better."
