The Buffalo Sabres have announced the trade of Jack Eichel and a 2023 3rd round pick to the Vegas Golden Knights. In return, Buffalo gets Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a 1st round pick in 2022 and 3rd round pick in 2023.
Pending trade call, The @BuffaloSabres trade Jack Eichel and a 2023 3rd round pick, to the @GoldenKnights for Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, a 1st in 2022 and a 3rd in 2023.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) November 4, 2021
Jack Eichel Trade Has Finally Happened
Eichel has been centring the trade rumours since before the regular season was even over. A few weeks ago, Friedman reported Buffalo was looking forward to moving him and now it’s done. This doesn’t – and shouldn’t – come as a surprise to anybody. However, what are the Sabres trading away? Despite being their captain for three seasons, Eichel was a huge asset for the past six years.
To start with, Buffalo drafted Eichel second overall in 2015, that alone comes with a lot of responsibilities and milestones he was supposed to reach. After winning the Hobey Baker Award in 2015 as the top men’s player in NCAA ice hockey, the expectations went through the roof. Everyone thought he was going to help save the Sabres and start a new era. To be fair, he tried to.
Throughout his six years with Buffalo, Eichel played in 375 games, scoring 139 goals and 355 points in total. He has 127 power-play points and was nearly everything Buffalo could’ve wanted him to be. But Buffalo wasn’t able to make the playoffs once during his tenure as a Sabre.
A lot of mistakes were made during the past six years – and adding the weight of the “C” on his chest along with the superstar title on his back was one of them. Management wasn’t able to bring assets to build around him. Some very questionable contracts were handed and too many rushed decisions were made. There’s a long list of things that lead to this trade. What matters now is that both sides got what they wanted and Eichel is ready to start fresh with his new team.
What Comes Next
Eichel is a very dynamic forward that can produce very well when healthy. During the 2019-20 regular season, he had a career-high of 36 goals and the year before, he had a career-high of 54 assists and 82 points. These simple stats show that the 24-year-old can produce even on a team like the Sabres. After a very disappointing season for the former Sabres captain, this trade will give him a breath of fresh air and hopefully a better home.
Now with the trade to Vegas done, the hope is that Eichel can have his disc replacement surgery as soon as possible and be on the ice within four months.
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