Jack Eichel

Former Sabres star Jack Eichel returned to Buffalo on Thursday for the first time since being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, and he was booed relentlessly by fans of the home team every time he touched the puck. 

While speaking with reporters after the game, a 3-1 loss for the Golden Knights, Eichel didn't hold back in sharing his thoughts about the crowd booing him. 

"That's the loudest I've heard this place, ever," Eichel said. "It only took 7 years and me leaving for them to get into it. ... They must just be booing me because they wish I was still here, I don't know. It is what it is. I mean, I'm not the first player to deal with it."

Before Thursday's game, Eichel admitted to reporters his departure from the Sabres wasn't pretty. However, he hoped fans would appreciate the effort he made both on and off the ice for the six seasons he was in Buffalo:

“I think about my time in Buffalo, it obviously ended a little messy. But I hope (fans) can look past some of the things that happened maybe in the last year and think about the previous five-and-a-half, six years that I was there, and everything that I tried to do for the community, everything that I feel like I put forth on the ice as a hockey player, and know I just tried to do as much as I could for the city.”

Fans definitely showed a lack of appreciation for their former captain Thursday night. But as Eichel noted, he's not the first player to receive boos in a return to his former home. Take Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons, for example. He was also booed heavily in his return to Philadelphia on Thursday night even though he didn't take the court. 

The Sabres traded Eichel to the Golden Knights in November amid a dispute on how to handle the herniated disk in his neck. Buffalo wanted him to have neck fusion surgery to repair the issue, while his doctor recommended artificial disk replacement surgery. 

Before Eichel underwent the procedure, an artificial disk replacement surgery had never been performed on an NHL player. 

The Sabres drafted Eichel second overall in 2015 with the hopes that he would one day help them contend for a Stanley Cup. That plan didn't work out, as the franchise never made the postseason during his tenure. 

Despite the lack of success, Eichel was one of the most dominant offensive players in the NHL during his time in Buffalo, tallying 139 goals and 216 assists (355 points) in 375 games. He's just now beginning to reassert his dominance in Las Vegas. 

In 11 games with the Golden Knights, Eichel has three goals and four assists for seven points. As he continues to get more comfortable in the desert, his numbers should only improve moving forward. 

The Golden Knights are third in the Pacific Division with a 32-23-4 record. They have made the playoffs in each of their first four NHL seasons and hope to do so again this year with Eichel on board. 

The already star-studded Vegas Golden Knights will get a boost Wednesday when one of the NHL's most exciting players makes his highly anticipated return to the ice.

Jack Eichel will debut for his new team Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche at T-Mobile Arena, general manager Kelly McCrimmon announced Monday, via ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

"I always had the date circled for a while; I just had to go through all the protocols," Eichel said. "I just feel like I'm back at that point where I'm ready to play. I just want to get back in there and get the confidence back in playing a game."

Eichel has not played since March 7, when he was a member of the Buffalo Sabres. He was traded in November and underwent artificial disk replacement surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck.

The 25-year-old had been at odds with the Sabres, who wanted him to have neck fusion surgery instead.

The Sabres drafted Eichel second overall in 2015, and he quickly made a name for himself after a collegiate career at Boston University. The Massachusetts native tallied 139 goals and 216 assists in 375 games across six seasons.

According to Kaplan, Eichel practiced Monday on Vegas' first line with Max Pacioretty.

Eichel could help the Golden Knights (59 points in 48 games) separate themselves from the Calgary Flames (58 in 45), Los Angeles Kings (55 in 47) and Anaheim Ducks (55 in 49) in the Pacific Division. 

Vegas is 28-17-3 after a 6-0 loss at the Flames on Wednesday. Jonathan Marchessault leads the team with 20 goals, and Chandler Stephenson has 38 points. 

Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel underwent disk replacement surgery on Friday and is expected to make a full recovery, the team announced.

The Golden Knights said the surgery was successful and they will provide additional details on Eichel's timetable to return "when appropriate."

ESPN's Greg Wyshynski reported Thursday that Eichel was expected to have surgery at the Rocky Mountain Spine Clinic and would remain in Denver for three weeks for observation before doing most of his rehab in Vegas.

Wyshynski adds that Eichel's expected recovery timeline is three months, which would mean he could return as soon as mid-February. 

Eichel, who was traded to Vegas from the Buffalo Sabres last week, thanked the Golden Knights on Monday for allowing him to undergo the procedure that caused a rift between himself and his former team. The Sabres wanted Eichel to undergo neck fusion surgery, while the star forward wanted the disk replacement procedure. 

The 25-year-old added that he hopes the NHL and NHLPA will reconsider their regulations on allowing teams to have full control over a player's medical treatment, per Sportsnet.

"I think my situation shined light on maybe some things that could be changed, and I hope that they are in the future," Eichel said. "I don't necessarily agree with the team having the full say in what to do with medical treatment. I think it should be a collaboration."

Eichel was introduced as a Golden Knight for the first time before Tuesday's game against the Seattle Kraken at T-Mobile Arena. He is expected to serve as the team's top center when he returns from injury. 

The Boston University product spent six seasons with the Sabres after being drafted second overall in 2015. However, he has not played since March 7 because of his neck injury. 

Eichel signed an eight-year, $80 million contract extension with Buffalo before the 2017-18 season. He won't become a free agent until after the 2025-26 campaign.  

After getting traded to the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this week, Jack Eichel tweeted a video Saturday in which he thanked the Buffalo Sabres and their fans.

The video featured Eichel's first NHL goal in 2015 and many of his top highlights during his time with the Sabres:

He concluded by saying: "I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the fans and everyone that supported me in this incredible city."

After Eichel had a disagreement with the Sabres organization regarding what type of neck surgery to receive and requested a trade, Buffalo finally parted ways with him Thursday.

The Sabres sent Eichel and a 2023 third-round pick to the Golden Knights for forwards Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch, a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2022 and a second-round pick in 2023.

Eichel, 25, was the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft behind Connor McDavid. He spent most of his six seasons with the Sabres as the captain and enjoyed some highly productive campaigns.

The Massachusetts native finished his time in Buffalo with 139 goals and 216 assists for 355 points in 375 regular-season games, and he was a three-time All-Star selection.

After undergoing surgery and recovering, Eichel will attempt to reach the playoffs for the first time in his NHL career as a member of the Golden Knights.

Our long, international nightmare is finally over. The Jack Eichel trade saga, which many anticipated would conclude by the start of free agency in July—including the player's agents—instead bled a month into the regular season.

Mercifully, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams traded him to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. No more trade proposals. No more exasperated insiders going on television to say nothing has changed. No more drama.

Vegas acquired Eichel and a 2023 third-round pick, and the Buffalo Sabres received forward Alex Tuch, prospects Peyton Krebs, a top-10-protected 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick in return. Let's analyze the trade hauls and what they mean for both teams going forward.

Vegas Golden Knights

Jack Eichel

As big of a success story as the Vegas Golden Knights have been since coming into the NHL in 2017, at some point, the novelty of making the playoffs but coming up short will wear off. The team has been built impressively over the years, but the one Achilles heel has always been the lack of a true No. 1 center. 

Jack Eichel changes that, to say the least. Eichel is not only a first-line center but one of the best in the game. The way he shoots in motion without barely moving a muscle fools goaltenders frequently. He has the dexterity to maneuver around defenders and create his own shooting opportunities. He's a high-end passer who can quarterback play from the left-faceoff circle, particularly on the power play.

There are simply few players in the NHL who have his combination of hands and vision in the offensive zone. His record of 178 points in 166 games over the past three seasons is impressive enough on its own, but it's incredible when considered in the context of how toothless the Buffalo Sabres were. His hands are elite.

He'll have all the help he needs in Las Vegas, with at least one of Mark Stone, one of the best all-around wingers in the NHL, and Max Pacioretty, one of the best goal-scoring wingers in the NHL, on his line. The expectation should be that Eichel is, at minimum, an 82-point center.

As we've explained previously, there's more to Eichel's game than just scoring. Particularly as part of a well-coached Vegas team, Eichel will do his part in the defensive end as well as in winning puck battles. For the first time in franchise history, Vegas has a true first-line center, and it's hard to think of many who are better suited for the role than Jack Eichel.

Vegas Grade: A+

A good rule of thumb in the NHL is that in a multi-player trade such as this one, quality wins over quantity. There are few prices that wouldn't be worth paying for a top-five NHL center who only just turned 25 and is under contract for five seasons. Vegas gave up some good assets, but assuming Eichel's neck holds up, it won't matter. This is a team built to win now.

One of the tricky aspects of figuring out an Eichel trade midseason was that his injury meant he wouldn't be able to have an on-ice impact for a while. The Golden Knights cleverly skirt this issue by moving Tuch, also injured, as well as future pieces. They keep their NHL roster intact short term and, with Eichel, should be a contender for years to come.

Buffalo Sabres

Alex Tuch

Tuch is a true modern NHL power forward. At 6'4" and 217 pounds, he's one of the biggest players in the league, but he has the skill needed to make an impact.

He skates well for his size, mostly maintaining a north-south trajectory, and is a major rush presence in the neural zone. He has the speed to beat defenders wide but also the size to hold them off if he pushes through the middle of the ice. Despite that rugged profile, he has soft hands and can stick-handle around defenders and carefully place wrist shots past goaltenders.

Tuch mostly scores his goals on rush chances or by shooting from the slot from low-to-high passing plays. Last season, he scored 18 goals in 55 games, and that 25-goal pace over 82 games seems like a fair expectation for him going forward.

Beyond that, though, Tuch is a major needle-mover in terms of the flow of the game. Because of his size and comfort carrying the puck, he's a zone-entry machine. If it's a dump-and-chase game, he gets his share of recoveries while also forcing an impressive number of turnovers using his reach and also leveraging his size.

Perhaps because he played on the West Coast and was behind a number of great wingers on the Vegas depth chart, it's possible that Tuch is one of the more underrated players in the league. He's a good point-producer who is phenomenal at driving play for his team. Per Evolving-Hockey, Tuch ranks 45th among all NHL forwards in Goals Above Replacement over the previous three seasons.

He's not going to be the face of the franchise, but Tuch is a first-line winger who, at 25 and under contract for five seasons, can be a long-term difference-maker for the Sabres.

Peyton Krebs

A young center with upside was the bare minimum expectation in a return package for Eichel, and Peyton Krebs comfortably fits that profile.

Drafted 17th overall in 2019, Krebs was a prospect some had pegged as a top-10 player in that draft class before he suffered an Achilles injury. The setback hasn't proved to be particularly problematic. He was dominant in the WHL, putting up 13 goals and 30 assists in 24 games last season. He also has a goal and nine assists in seven career AHL games and made his NHL debut last season.

Krebs is a versatile center who influences the game in a number of ways. He's primarily a playmaker in the offensive zone, as the numbers indicate. He's adept at finding passing lanes for the medium- and high-percentage types of shots, in particular the cross-slot feed. He's an extremely honest player who gets involved every shift, and despite his 6'0", 185-pound frame, he will battle physically with anyone. He's a worker bee in the defensive zone.

His lack of goal-scoring ability prevents him from having first-line upside, but Krebs is a first-rate prospect who isn't far off being NHL-ready. Skill aside, he has the makeup of a player Buffalo could use right now. He played valiantly in a leadership role for some brutal WHL teams and had to overcome a serious injury at a young age. Krebs has proved his resiliency and ability to remain upbeat during dire circumstances.

It's as delicate of a situation as ever in Buffalo, but Krebs will go in with the right attitude. He'll be a middle-six center in Buffalo, with the scale tipping more toward the second line than third.

2022 1st-Round Pick

Particularly with the COVID-19 pandemic limiting much of the 2020-21 hockey season, it's too early to know how good the 2022 NHL draft class will be. The early indication is that it's a reasonably good crop of players with difference-makers leaking outside of the top 10.

It's also too soon to know where this pick will land on the draft board. In theory, Vegas should be a contender, and this pick should be in the mid-20s at best. However, they have started the season with a 5-5-0 record, are managing injuries and won't have Eichel available anytime soon. Is it possible things could go haywire in Vegas?

The draft pick is top-10-protected, meaning Vegas will keep it and instead trade Buffalo their 2023 first-round pick if their season busts and they are on the clock any sooner than 11th overall. A realistic best-case scenario for Buffalo might be Vegas regaining some form but still struggling overall, with the pick landing somewhere in the late teens.

Grade: C+

There are so many layers to this deal that make grading it practically impossible. There's virtually no scenario in which trading a 25-year-old franchise center under a long-term contract is a good idea, but Buffalo's hand was forced. Even more so by a severe neck injury that made getting full value for him more difficult. It's also difficult to see how this return is substantially better than anything they would have received in the summer during a more competitive trade market. Was this long wait really worth it?

But in the circumstances—of their own doing, of course—Buffalo probably got about as good of a return as could have been anticipated. The Sabres got a solid young center and some future lottery tickets in the draft picks, though probably one less than they had hoped for.

The moral victory for Buffalo is the acquisition of Tuch. There were a number of potential versions of an Eichel trade where the NHLer acquired was someone with an expiring contract (Ryan Strome from the New York Rangers, Rickard Rakell from the Anaheim Ducks) who would be most likely swapped for more picks and prospects at the trade deadline.

To get a player of Tuch's caliber under contract for five years gives them a legitimate building block for the present and future. He's a serious player, and Adams can present him to the Buffalo faithful as not yet another teenager the team hopes figures it out five years from now, but as a meaningful piece of the puzzle who is a sure bet to contribute as soon as he returns to the ice.

Giving Buffalo a good grade here would seem inappropriate. Devoid of context, they lose this trade massively on value. Within context, it's possibly the lowest point in franchise history, one that encapsulates a decade of abject failure. Once one moves past all of that, though, the Sabres did get some worthwhile pieces that can hopefully become part of a more constructive rebuild.

Now that his tenure with the Buffalo Sabres has come to an end, Jack Eichel has opened up about what went wrong when he was with the organization. 

Speaking to Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada, Eichel said the front office changes after the 2019-20 season and the team's struggles last season were major contributing factors to his wanting out:

The Sabres announced on Thursday that they sent Eichel and a 2023 third-round draft pick to the Vegas Golden Knights for Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, a 2022 protected first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick. 

The Sabres fired general manager Jason Botterill on June 16, 2020. They had zero playoff appearances during his three seasons running the front office. 

Kevyn Adams, who took over for Botterill, told WGR 550 in Buffalo (h/t NHL.com) in September 2020 that he wasn't going to trade Eichel. 

"I think it is something that I want to make very clear, we have no intentions and we're not shopping Jack or talking to teams looking to do anything with Jack," Adams said. "People call and ask questions and you have conversations."

That came after TSN's Bob McKenzie reported the Sabres did take some calls from other teams about Eichel's availability, but the 25-year-old wasn't interested in moving on at that time.

Things seemed to take a turn last season, as the Sabres posted the league's worst record (15-34-7). They fired head coach Ralph Krueger on March 17 after 12 consecutive losses. The losing streak reached 18 games before a 6-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on March 31. 

Eichel played in only 21 games last season because of a spinal disc herniation that required surgery. He and the Sabres had differing opinions on the type of procedure that would best treat the issue. 

His personal doctor, Chad J. Prusmack, said on the 31 Thoughts podcast (h/t Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News) in July that Eichel wanted an artificial disc replacement. The Sabres preferred the more common anterior cervical discectomy with fusion operation.

Harrington noted the artificial disc replacement procedure has never been done on an NHL player, despite being around since 2000. 

Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon told reporters Thursday that Eichel will be permitted to have the surgery he wants. 

Eichel was expected to be the face of the franchise and lead the Sabres back to prominence after they selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL draft. He led the team in points in four straight seasons from 2016-19. 

However, the Sabres never finished higher than sixth in their division in any of Eichel's six seasons with the organization.