Trying to Solve the Jack Eichel Puzzle
June 18th, 2021
A player of Jack Eichel’s skillset is very rarely available and you would think every team would be chomping at the bits if it ever came to pass. The disgruntled star is on his way out of Buffalo but the general consensus seems to be that he’s overrated. That can be the case for a variety of reasons, mostly because he has found very little success in Buffalo and because of the asking price, however those are two things out of his control. Buffalo has drained him out over the years and is now asking for the moon and the star for his services.
Team success has alluded Eichel ever since he’s donned the Sabres uniform. He was drafted second overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft yet the Sabres haven’t made the playoffs since 2010–11. He has posted 355 points in 375 career games, nearly 3 seasons of points per game averages, and 3 NHL All-Star appearances. Yet in his 6 seasons, the Sabres have finished no higher than 6th in their division. Success has alluded the franchise way before Eichel’s debut, yet he has to deal with the brunt of the blame.
Understandably the star player always takes the biggest hit when his team is failing, especially if they’re the captain as well. He will always be compared to either Connor McDavid because he was selected before Eichel, or Auston Matthews because they’re debatably one of the top American forwards in the game. McDavid is in a league of his own but has found a partner in crime in Leon Draisaitl. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner (taken 2 picks after Eichel) have formed their own dynamic duo. Mikko Rantanen (taken 7 picks after) found Nathan Mackinnon, meanwhile Sebastian Aho and Matthew Barzal (both taken well after Eichel) have found themselves at the top of very competitive and succesful squads.
The Buffalo Sabres front office and ownership group have done Eichel no favours either. They have yet to form a formidable squad around him and a lot of their signings have been patchwork players due to the fact that they’re still rebuilding. Drafting has been hit or miss as well, especially considering how high they always pick, and contract extensions have gone south immediately (ala Jeff Skinner). The Sabres finally went all out during the off-season by signing Taylor Hall to a one year deal, however just like everything else, it failed miserably and he was later traded at the trade deadline while Eichel’s season was cut short due to an injury.
In his rookie year Eichel finished second in points behind Ryan O’Reilly, the next closest player was 14 points away. In 2016–17, Eichel only managed 61 games but still lead the team in points. O’Reilly was the only other Sabre to hit 50 that year. In 2017–18, once again cut short by injuries, Eichel and O’Reilly lead the team in points with Reinhart being the only other player to reach 50. In 2018–19, Eichel had a little more help as he paced the team with 82 points, while Reinhart and Skinner reached the 60 point plateau. Finally thinking they found Eichel a winger to play with, Skinner slumped to 14 goals and 23 points the following year after signing a mega 8 year deal worth 72 million. Yet again Eichel paced the team in scoring by a wide margin. The Sabres haven’t provided their superstar with the depth required in today’s NHL to make a run, let alone make the playoffs.
Being called overrated is pretty unfair but his injury concerns are acceptable. He hasn't officially played a full 82 game season yet, he was close in his rookie year with 81 and then played all the games last year prior to the season getting cancelled. He is about to undergo a very new and potentially risky surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck. Both parties want to part ways and assuming all goes well with his surgery, the return should be pretty high. This is where the overrated comments come into play. His asking price is astronomical right now and due to his lack of success, apparent attitude problem, and injury history, fans want their teams to inquire only if the price fits their needs.
Not many teams are in a position to acquire his services, whether it be because of lack of assets or salary cap issues. The Sabres want high end prospects, a good roster player, and several first round picks. Rebuilding teams like the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks would be perfect trade partner for the Sabres but acquiring Eichel wouldn’t make much sense for them. He’ll be going from one rebuilding team to another and even though he’s still young, he does carry a heavy contract. Even though both teams will have ample cap space, want to make a move to get back into the playoffs, and actually want his services, the asking price will surely start with their top prospects and high first rounders this year. A package surrounding Quinton Byfield and pick #8 or Trevor Zegras and pick #3 would have Sabres fans drooling, especially since the Sabres hold the top pick in the draft.
However, the team receiving Eichel won’t have diminishing results because of the player, but mostly because of the direction the team is heading in. The Kings have a mix of very young and very old. A very deep farm system but still have remnants of their cup winning teams, who are taking up far too much cap space. The Ducks are also a team with a deep farm system but old veterans taking up space. Eichel will still put up points per game averages but it’ll be the same team result as his tenure in Buffalo. If they can find ways to add more pieces this off-season alongside Eichel, then the trade will make a little more sense. They are just a few teams that have a sizeable amount of cap space heading into the off-season, so it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on.
The only team that truly makes sense for Eichel is the New York Rangers. They have the pieces necessary to facilitate the trade and have high end talent on the roster that could benefit Eichel. Jack Eichel with either Artemi Panarin or Mika Zibanejad would finally give him the dynamic duo he’s been desperately yearning for. The Rangers have the cap space, the trade pieces, the market, and the window to make this trade happen. Their front office is never shy about signing big free agents or making blockbuster trades and hiring Gerard Gallant as their new head coach, might sway the team to get the trade done.
What we know is that Buffalo and Jack Eichel are heading towards a split. They have both expressed their willingness to find a new team for his services and the trade should and will get done this off-season. As to where he lands is a mystery. There are many suitors and Buffalo should get a very nice haul in return. Diminishing Eichel, the player, has been an ongoing narrative on social media since the off-season began. He hasn’t had the success that a player of his ilk should possess but that’s more on the management, front office, and the team around him. He also hasn’t had the opportunity to be lead by a succesful coach. Nothing against Ralph Krueger or Phil Housley but they aren’t Todd McLellan or Gerard Gallant; two potential suitors for Jack Eichel next year.
He has only had a few good teammates (O’Reilly and Reinhart) during his 6 year tenure, whereas the rest were patchwork adds to either hit the cap floor or make it seem like the Sabres were trying. Marcus Johansson and Eric Staal were never going to help Eichel make the playoffs but they played top heavy minutes. His main concern is his health as he has yet to complete a full season but if all goes well with his off-season surgery and recovery, we’re going to be in for a treat; a healthy and motivated Jack Eichel will be playing on a new, competent, deeper, and better equipped team. One that has a chance at finally giving Eichel a chance at making the playoffs.
