This past season, then-Kraken forward Andre Burakovsky’s wife, Johanna, told him she wanted to visit Chicago someday.
As it turns out, she won’t just get to visit the city, she’ll get to live in it. After Burakovsky’s trade Saturday to the Blackhawks, he said Wednesday he’s excited for a new chapter in his career.
‘‘I’m going to bring the feeling that I had when I was playing [well],’’ Burakovsky, 30, said. ‘‘I’m feeling healthy; I have no issues at all. So that’s a positive, for sure. I’ve been working really hard this summer to be at my best again coming into next season.’’
With two years left on his contract — carrying a sizable $5.5 million salary-cap hit — the Kraken were (respectfully) eager to dump him. Around NHL circles, people found it surprising they were able to do so rather easily, with the Hawks taking on his full salary with no retention or sweetener attached.
Burakovsky said only positive things about the Kraken organization, but he recognized his tenure there didn’t go smoothly. He missed 33 games in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons because of injuries and averaged .52 points per game when in the lineup in his three seasons with the team, down from .79 during his previous three with the Avalanche.
Although he finished strong, with 13 points in his last 14 games this spring, a fresh start was probably best for all parties. And with the Hawks, plenty of opportunities for revival await him.
If general manager Kyle Davidson isn’t able to swing a larger trade for an upper-end forward in a low-supply market this summer (or even if he does), there will be a wide-open competition during training camp for the spots on center Connor Bedard’s wings.
New Blackhawks forward Andre Burakovsky says he grew up a Hawks fan. And his wife actually told him last year she wanted to visit Chicago to see the city, so he's excited about this.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) June 25, 2025
"I've been working really hard this summer to be at my best again coming into next season." pic.twitter.com/rlOVaeOleA
The Hawks are hoping, even if the odds are against it, that Burakovsky can rediscover his Avalanche form. He had 44 or more points in each of his three seasons with them, topping out at 61 in 2021-22. He was a clutch playoff performer, too.
His skating and shot are his strongest attributes, along with his 6-3 frame. With the Avalanche, he consistently got into dangerous scoring areas and converted those opportunities. His 17.2% shooting percentage was the fourth-highest in the league in that time frame.
‘‘When I’m playing at my best, I’m playing with a lot of confidence,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m not afraid to make mistakes out there. I want to challenge guys one-on-one. I want to take the puck to the net. I want to make all those plays.’’
Defense isn’t known as his strong suit, but he thinks improvement in that area was one positive thing to come out of his time with the Kraken. His analytics generally have been solid: He has posted a goals ratio of 50% or better in 10 of 11 seasons and a scoring-chance ratio of 50% or better in eight of 11.
He and Johanna have a baby and are expecting another. He also mentioned several times how highly he values practice, something new Hawks coach Jeff Blashill will love hearing.
‘‘There’s no rest days in practice,’’ Burakovsky said. ‘‘You’ve got to go all-out. If you have a good practice, there’s a bigger chance that you’re going to play the game good. That’s something I’m going to bring to the young guys to just let them know what it takes to win.’’
Donato’s view
Hawks forward Ryan Donato played with Burakovsky with the Kraken in 2022-23, when Burakovsky led them in points into February before suffering a groin injury. Donato came away impressed and was therefore excited to hear about the trade.
‘‘[Andre has] some special tools that you don’t see often,’’ Donato said Tuesday. ‘‘He’s a big body that can shoot the puck, can score, can create space, can create scoring opportunities. He’s a guy that can help the team win in a lot of different ways.’’
The Hawks’ other big piece of recent news, of course, is Donato’s new four-year contract. He decided to sign it instead of testing free agency next week.
‘‘I never really ever wanted to go anywhere else,’’ he said. ‘‘I think [the Hawks] knew that. It was just a matter of finding the right deal. It took a little time to get to that point, but we did.
‘‘Obviously, there was temptation, but I’ve always said that I wanted to be a Blackhawk. I loved my time so much here in Chicago that I didn’t really want to change that unless I was forced to. Luckily, it didn’t work out that way.’’
