At long, long last, the Jack Eichel saga in Buffalo is reportedly over.
Per TSN, Eichel is off to the Las Vegas Golden Knights, ending a feud between the Sabres and the star they drafted second overall in 2015 that started last year and has continued until Thursday.
The issues they had came to a head earlier this year when the injured Eichel wanted cervical disc replacement surgery and the Sabres wanted him to go with disc fusion. They couldn’t agree and then Eichel was placed on injured reserved and had his “C” for captain stripped.
Now? He’ll join a Stanley Cup contender, although we’ll see when he actually plays.
In the meantime, let’s grade the reported deal:
First, the reported deal
Again, per TSN:
The Golden Knights receive: Jack Eichel and a 2023 third-round pick.
The Buffalo Sabres receive: Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-rounder and a 2023 third-round pick.
Buffalo Sabres: B
Let me start off by saying that the return isn’t quite the central part of the grade here. It’s not bad, but it’s not what you’d expect for a superstar of Eichel’s caliber.
The thing is: Given the saga and the pending surgery that will keep Eichel out, there was no way the Sabres could get the kind of return they should get. Any franchise dealing for Eichel would be taking a risk, plus the Sabres didn’t have much leverage.
So, like I said, it’s not bad. Tuch could return later this year after shoulder surgery back in July, and he’s a solid depth forward who had 52 points back in 2018-19.
Peyton Krebs was the 17th overall pick in the 2019 draft and has a ton of upside even though he has one career assist and no points this season with the Golden Knights. But the praise from GM Kelly McCrimmon indicates he’s got a promising future (via the Review-Journal):
“If there’s players that have that ‘it’ factor, he seems to be one of those players that really just finds a way to be a really effective, productive player,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. ..
“It becomes more and more clear when you watch him play that his instincts and passion for the game really separate him,” McCrimmon said. “He’s a coach’s dream in terms of understanding the game and doing things the way you want them to be done and providing energy.”
A first-rounder is always nice, too, although …
To be clear. The 1st round pick is top 10 protected. No salary retained by Buffalo.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) November 4, 2021
Is it a blockbuster? No. But that wasn’t going to happen. And that deserves a B.
Las Vegas Golden Knights: A-minus
When you’re a Cup contender AND you can make a deal like this? It’s the rich getting richer.
Imagine this: Eichel ends up getting surgery and possibly gets back for the postseason. Yep, scary.
The expectation is Eichel will have disc replacement surgery very soon. Recovery time varies. Everyone hopeful he will be back on the ice in 4 months. https://t.co/PzLx7H0jpC
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) November 4, 2021
Giving away the top prospect in the organization is a tough one, especially since we don’t know what Eichel will play like post-surgery. But when you’re a team close to a championship — even with the slow start the Knights have had — you do it.
