The Vancouver Canucks have acquired defenceman Madison Bowey and a fifth-round pick in the 2021 Draft from the Chicago Blackhawks. In exchange, Chicago will receive a fourth-round pick. Bob McKenzie announced the details Monday afternoon.
VAN sends a 4th round pick to CHI and gets CHI 5th rder coming back plus Bowey. https://t.co/ltA7yCZ7wX
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) April 12, 2021
Canucks Acquire Madison Bowey
It’s hard to see what value Bowey brings at this point in his career. He has played in just two games this year with one assist, four hits and a single block. He was more productive in 2019-20 with the Detroit Red Wings, but even that translated to just three goals and 17 points in 53 games. He’s never been particularly capable of driving offence either with a 44.5 percent Corsi For and -2.9 relative Corsi. Perhaps he will find a new level of play after several years with subpar teams.
The Washington Capitals originally drafted Bowey in the second round of the 2013 Draft, but he didn’t debut until 2017-18. He did contribute one goal and 18 points in 84 games with the Caps before a trade sent him to Detroit in exchange for a draft pick in 2019 and Nick Jensen. Overall, Bowey has just 156 games in parts of four seasons with five goals, 40 points, 177 hits and 164 blocks.
What This Means For The Future
Vancouver simply needs bodies right now. They are scheduled to return to the ice soon and finish their season in its entirely, but the effects of COVID mean that some players may need frequent rest. Bowey will be an acceptable, if unexciting bottom-pairing option. The good thing is that if he works out in Vancouver, he is not scheduled to reach free agency until after 2021-22. That gives the Canucks more time to evaluate his role within the system. The fifth-round pick will also help improve system depth.
This trade looks good for Chicago. They flipped a player that they weren’t using and didn’t need for a pick that could boost their future potential. Fourth-round selections don’t often result in stars, but every asset helps during a rebuilding cycle.
