Former first round pick placed on waivers, Saturday.

The Vancouver Canucks have made a big move, one that makes it clear that the team's attempt at an experiment is coming to a rather ugly end.

In an official announcement, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin has made the decision to place former first round pick Lukas Reichel on waivers. The move is a clear indication that the Lukas Reichel experiment in Vancouver has been a failure, with the Canucks making this move only a few short months after acquiring Reichel in a trade.

The Canucks acquired Reichel from the Chicago Blackhawks late in the month of October earlier this year, giving up a fourth round draft pick at the 2027 NHL Entry Draft in order to acquire the forward.

The Blackhawks, who drafted Reichel 17th overall at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, had clearly given up on the player and the fact that they were willing to move him for a fourth rounder was an indication of that. It would seem that the Blackhawks may have been right in their assessment with the Canucks seemingly coming to the same conclusion after just 14 National Hockey League games.

Reichel appear in 14 games but recorded just 1 assist for the Canucks over that stretch, recording 4 penalty minutes and a plus minus rating of -5.

Reichel is currently in the final year of a 2 year deal that carries an average annual value of just $1.2 million per season which does make him a relatively affordable player. That being said it seems unlikely that a team will take a chance on him after 2 NHL teams have already made it clear they don't feel the player can play for them at the NHL level.