Seattle Kraken trade André Burakovsky to Blackhawks for Joe Veleno
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 12: Andre Burakovsky #95 of the Seattle Kraken skates with the puck against Colton Parayko #55 of the St Louis Blues at Climate Pledge Arena on April 12, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Liv Lyons / NHLI / Getty Images)
The Seattle Kraken dealt winger André Burakovsky to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday morning for depth center Joe Veleno in a deal that allowed the team to shed salary commitments.
According to multiple reports, the Blackhawks are taking on the entirety of Burakovsky's contract, which is set to count $5.5 million against the salary cap for the next two seasons.
"Andre was a valuable player for our organization during the three years he was here, and we wish him and his family the best of luck in Chicago," general manager Jason Botterill said in a statement. "In return, we've acquired a young player with experience while also increasing our salary cap flexibility moving forward."
Burakovsky, 30, was the biggest free agent addition the Kraken made ahead of their second season in 2022-23. The two-time Stanley Cup champion got off to a terrific start in his Seattle tenure with 39 points in 49 games with 13 goals and 26 assists before a torn groin muscle ended his season. A second injury-plagued season followed and Burakovsky's top production never returned.
In 128 games over the last two seasons, Burakovsky has just 53 points on 17 goals and 36 assists.
Following Seattle's addition of Mason Marchment from the Dallas Stars on Thursday, the Kraken had a surplus of left wingers on their roster as Burakovsky became the odd-man out. Getting a team to take the entirety of Burakovsky's two-year salary is a massive victory for Botterill and the Kraken.
Per PuckPedia.com, the Kraken now have over $18 million in cap space after the trade of Burakovsky. A sizable chunk of that will likely be spent on re-signing restricted free agent winger Kaapo Kakko and defenseman Ryker Evans, but Seattle should still have around $10 million in space left as they approach the start of free agency on July 1.
Veleno, 25, had 17 points in 74 games last season split between the Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. His contract is worth $2.275 million for this season, and he's set to be a restricted free agent next summer.
Seattle could even elect to buyout Veleno's contract, which would save nearly $1.5 million against the cap this season and cost just shy of $300,000 against the cap next year.
Veleno has recorded 81 points on 38 goals and 43 assists in 306 career games with Detroit and Chicago.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Seattle Kraken and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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