Jack Eichel

The 2021 NHL offseason continues to unfold, though the early flood of activity has ended. It's now been three weeks since the start of free agency, and most of the big names are off of the free-agent and trade markets.

This doesn't mean that some deals aren't on the horizon, though. The Buffalo Sabres are still looking to move center Jack Eichel, and New York Rangers fans are eager to see their team acquire him.

Blueshirts Breakaway, a notable Rangers podcast, recently purchased a billboard urging the Sabres to move Eichel:

The "pain in the neck" portion of the advert is a riff on Eichel's neck injury, which kept him sidelined for much of the past season and has his future a bit uncertain. The issue was also the impetus behind his trade request.

"A further point of concern is that our camp was initially under the impression that the Sabres specialist was in agreement with the Artificial Disc Replacement surgery until that was no longer the case," Eichel's agents, Peter Fish and Peter Donatelli, said in a statement, per Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News.

There hasn't been much of anything recently when it comes to Buffalo's willingness to move Eichel. Vince Z. Mercogliano of Sports Illustrated reported in late July that "it appears [the Sabres are] working to squeeze other teams."

Mercogliano also noted that he doesn't believe Rangers general manager Chris Drury will blink in a potential game of trade chicken.

However, another franchise could be in on Eichel. According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the Ottawa Senators are looking to acquire either a top-six winger or a center, and Eichel could be a possible target.

"The Senators kicked the tires on Buffalo Sabres centre Jack Eichel but the asking price is high and the contract would make it restrictive to make other moves," Garrioch wrote.

Given the uncertainty surrounding Eichel's health and the fact that Buffalo isn't going to accept a bargain-basement offer, it feels unlikely that Ottawa would hamstring itself with an Eichel trade. However, trading for a less expensive veteran could well be on the table.

Arizona Coyotes center Christian Dvorak probably isn't going to be one of those cheaper options, though he is "generating some interest" on the trade market, according to The Athletic's Hailey Salvian.

As Salvian noted, though, he isn't likely to come cheap:

"The Coyotes aren't necessarily shopping Dvorak, but rather listening to pitches. The asking price is expected to be high. Think in the range of the Darcy Kuemper return from Colorado: a prospect and a first-round pick, or two prospects. And if [GM Bill] Armstrong can't get what he wants, why would he trade a 25-year-old under a good contract? (Hint: he won’t.)"

Dvorak could still be on the move, of course, but the Coyotes aren't going to move him for peanuts. He appeared in five games this past season and scored 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists). He won't turn 26 until February and is under contract through the 2024-25 season.

Unless Arizona gets blown away by a trade offer, Dvorak is probably staying up for the foreseeable future.

Representatives for Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel released a statement blaming the team for failing to trade the center ahead of free agency.

After Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters "we're in control of this process", Eichel's agents, Peter Fish and Peter Donatelli, wrote that "the process is not working" and Eichel is awaiting medical clearance to have the surgery he needs to be ready for the start of next season.

“What’s critically important to make sure is clear is that we’re in control of this process,” Adams said Thursday. “We have a player under contract. We don’t feel any pressure. If there’s a deal out there that we feel is the right thing for the Buffalo Sabres, that’s going to help us improve—whether that’s improve right away or improve down the road, those are all the things weigh—we’d be open to it. But we’re not in a position where we feel we’re just going to do something to do it. That doesn’t make any sense.”

Eichel is under contract in Buffalo through 2025-26. 

Fish and Donatelli noted both the Sabres medical staff and Eichel's independent doctors required surgery, however, the agents claim Buffalo now disagrees with the procedure the center prefers.

Adams said the front office continues to have conversations with multiple teams about a deal for Eichel. However, he'll remain patient when it comes to moving the Sabres captain. 

“I take the emotion out of it," Adams said. "We look at what is best for us moving forward, and if there’s something that makes sense, we’ll do it. But what I can’t say is, ‘It has to be this time or that time or any sort of pressure point.’ If it’s the right time and the right deal we'll do it. I feel very strongly about that.”

Eichel is still just 24 years old and should have a long career as a No. 1 center ahead of him once he gets healthy enough to return to the ice. Yet he played just 21 games in 2020-21 after finishing with fewer than 70 games played in three of his previous four seasons. 

A $10 million average annual salary isn't easy to move in the best of circumstances, but the lack of medical treatment—to say nothing of a lack of urgency by the front office—only seems to delay the inevitable. 

Eichel wants out of Buffalo, and he needs to be healthy to continue his career. His agents believe the Sabres are the reason neither issue has been resolved.