Blackhawks teammates issue statement following trade of forward

PUBLICATION

Janessa Ladouceur
March 8, 2024 (11:17)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Nashville Predators are acquiring forward Anthony Beauvillier from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. A source confirmed this trade to NBC Sports Chicago. Beauvillier was previously acquired by Chicago from the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 28, due to injury issues on the team. The Blackhawks obtained him for a conditional fifth-round selection in 2024, so this trade effectively replenishes their draft pick.

"It's tough," Nick Foligno said. "For a guy that came in on a short time, he really made his impact on the group. He's a great guy, great player, and I think he was just trying to find his game obviously. He's going to have an awesome opportunity in Nashville, so we're going to miss him because he's really impacted our room and he became a good friend to a lot of guys pretty quickly, which I think speaks volumes and is probably a reason why he's coveted at this time of year, so we wish him well and thank him for his time here obviously."

Beauvillier played in 23 games for the Blackhawks and managed to score six points, including two goals and four assists, during that period. Unfortunately, he suffered a wrist injury on January 2nd and had to miss more than six weeks of play. However, he has been back in action for almost a month now.

"He came in and he was a good guy, and I knew him from the Islanders, fit in really well and thought his last game might've been one of his best," Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson. "He was really skating and getting to find his legs again after his injury. So that's good for him to go and have an opportunity to play in the playoffs hopefully for them. Sorry to see him go, he's a good guy and fit in well."

The Chicago Blackhawks are not expected to make big moves before the NHL trade deadline on Friday at 2 p.m. CT due to a lack of trade assets compared to last season.