Earlier today, I asked when Anthony Beauvillier was going to do something for the Vancouver Canucks.
Turns out, that time will never come because Beauvillier has been traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. According to multiple reports, the return from the Blackhawks is a fifth-round pick.
That makes my earlier article immediately irrelevant, much like Beauvillier was for the Canucks this season. The 26-year-old winger was largely invisible this season, tallying just two goals in 22 games — the ninth and tenth goals in the Canucks' 10-1 win over the San Jose Sharks.
Beauvillier, who was part of the Canucks' trade return from the New York Islanders for Bo Horvat, had a $4.15 million cap hit through the end of the 2023-24 season and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Trading Beauvillier solely for a late-round draft pick means the Canucks clear a decent amount of cap space, potentially setting up additional moves in the future.
While some might hope this bodes well for the return of Ethan Bear to the Canucks' roster, he is not expected to be healthy enough to return to the ice for another month.
The move comes just as Beauvillier was set to be bumped up into the top-six forward group after spending the bulk of the season in the bottom-six. He was briefly moved up to play with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser during the Canucks' recent road trip. Perhaps it could have been considered a showcase if there were rumblings of a trade beforehand. As it is, it's the most effective short-term showcase since the city of New Westminster was on the Price is Right.
For the Blackhawks, Beauvillier fits a hole in the lineup left by Corey Perry, who was placed on unconditional waivers for the purposes of terminating his contract after engaging in "unacceptable" conduct.
