Traded: A transaction has officially been completed and it's the second time this season for this forward
Former Detroit Red Wings 1st-round pick, Joe Veleno, will be wearing a new uniform to start the 2025-26 season, as GM Kyle Davidson traded him to the Seattle Kraken, his second trade of the year.
Smith wouldn't make much of an impact in Detroit as they'd hoped, but Mrazek would put up a solid .902 to end the season.
However,
Veleno wouldn't be able to help the Blackhawks push themselves out of an 8th spot finish in the Central Division, with only 7 points (3-4) in 18 games.
And as a result, the former 1st-round pick will be wearing a new crest to start 2025-26 as he was traded to the Kraken.
In return, the Blackhawks received veteran winger
Andre Burakovsky, a former Stanley Cup champion. Burakovsky could be seen as a cap dump as he has an AAV of $5.5 million and will help the Hawks reach the cap floor.
«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,» Kraken 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.»
Veleno was originally drafted 30th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1st-round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He was chosen using the Red Wings received in trade for
Tomas Tatar.
Since then, he's been unable to live up to his draft selection, living in the bottom-six of each franchise he's been a part of.
You have to think, this could be his last chance in the NHL if he can't make it work in Seattle, a team already turning over its roster so early into its life as a team (Expansion Draft: July 2021).
In 74 games played with the Red Wings and Blackhawks, Veleno scored a total of 17 points (8-9) and will play for his third NHL squad in two years in 2025-26.
Previously on Red Wings Insider
POLL |
JUIN 25 | 142 ANSWERS Traded: A transaction has officially been completed and it's the second time this season for this forward Do you think forward Joe Veleno has canonically underachieved his entire career in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings as a first-round pick? |
Yes | 127 | 89.4 % |
No | 15 | 10.6 % |
List of polls |