Jack Eichel

Buffalo Sabres star Jack Eichel could be on the move this offseason, and TSN's Darren Dreger has identified three teams that are "in the mix" to land the 24-year-old.

In an appearance Friday on WGR 550, Dreger said the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings are among potential landing spots for the forward. The Sabres captain said last month that "there's been a bit of a disconnect" between him and the organization that drafted him at No. 2 overall in 2015. 

Eichel appeared in 21 games in 2021, scoring two goals and logging 16 assists before a herniated disk in his neck ended his season prematurely. 

According to Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post, Eichel wanted to have surgery to repair his neck injury—which he suffered on the ice on March 7—but the Sabres did not support that decision. 

"I have a lot of thinking to do in this offseason," he said in May. "I think that there’s a lot that I have to consider. But for now, obviously, I’m here." 

The center has five years and $50 million remaining on his current contract, with a no-trade clause in effect in 2022. 

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported Monday that the Sabres were having conversations with other teams and those negotiations were "getting more intense and serious."

In addition to Los Angeles, Anaheim and Columbus, LeBrun tabbed the Minnesota Wild, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers as possible destinations, noting that he thinks general manager Kevyn Adams is hoping to land a first-round pick in this year's draft in exchange for Eichel. 

With the draft coming up on July 23, that puts any interested team on the clock, something that was reflected when WGR 550's Jeremy White said Thursday that he expected a move to be made within "days."

Trade talk surrounding Buffalo Sabres superstar center Jack Eichel is reportedly starting to heat up.

According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, negotiations between the Sabres and teams interested in acquiring Eichel are getting "more intense and serious."

LeBrun theorized that if the Sabres are going to move Eichel this offseason, general manager Kevyn Adams would like to get a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL draft as part of the package, meaning a deal would have to be struck by July 23, the first night of the draft.

After putting up the best numbers of his career in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, hopes were high for Eichel entering the 2020-21 campaign, especially after Buffalo signed winger Taylor Hall in free agency.

The signing didn't work out, as Hall (19 points in 37 games) was traded to the Boston Bruins before the deadline, and Eichel was limited to only 21 games because of injuries.

The 24-year-old didn't look like himself even when he did play, though, finishing with only two goals and 16 assists for 18 points, while posting a disappointing minus-nine rating after being a plus-five the previous year.

The team captain was on the shelf with a herniated disk in his neck, and he recently admitted to the media that he wasn't a fan of the way the Sabres handled his treatment.

Last month, Eichel told reporters the following regarding his injury status, and he seemed to suggest he was open to a trade as well: "There's been a bit of a disconnect from the organization a bit and myself. It's been tough at times. Right now, I think for me the most important thing is just trying to get healthy and figure out a way to be available to play hockey next year wherever that might be."

Frustration had seemingly been mounting even before the injury situation, as the Sabres have not reached the playoffs during Eichel's six-year NHL career. Their last postseason berth was in 2011.

The Sabres finished with the worst record in the NHL this season, which helped them land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft. They also fired head coach Ralph Krueger during the season.

Those factors give the Sabres a chance to have a fresh start, and trading Eichel could contribute to it, even though it would mean Buffalo losing its best player.

Eichel, who signed an eight-year, $80 million contract extension prior to the 2018-19 season, should be highly desirable on the trade market since he is a young, productive player under contract for five more seasons.

Taking the injury-riddled 2020-21 season out of the equation, Eichel was a player on the rise with 28 goals and 54 assists for a career-high 82 points over 77 games in 2018-19. He followed up with a career-high 36 goals to go along with 42 assists for 78 points in 68 games the next season.

Eichel, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft after the Edmonton Oilers took Connor McDavid first overall, has all the tools needed to be one of the top players in the NHL and a perennial Hart Trophy candidate.

Because of that, the Sabres should be able to secure a massive package of picks, prospects and players should they make the difficult decision to part with him.

LeBrun reported that the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers are perhaps the best fits for Eichel.

The Ducks (third), Blue Jackets (fifth) and Kings (eighth) are picking high in the draft, which could make them the most desirable trade partners for the Sabres.

Should Buffalo take defenseman Owen Power with the No. 1 overall pick and then use one of the aforementioned picks from an Eichel trade on one of the top forwards in the draft, the Sabres will have a lot of talented pieces in place for a proper rebuild, which may be the only way to get the floundering franchise back on track.

The Buffalo Sabres are getting calls from teams looking to trade for their captain, Jack Eichel, according to Darren Dreger of TSN.

Eichel is one of several Sabres players drawing interest from around the league, and conversations are expected to increase heading toward the draft, which gets underway July 23.

The centerman missed most of the 2020-21 season after suffering a herniated disk in his neck, finishing the year with just two goals and 16 assists in 21 games. Buffalo suffered without him and ended the season with the fewest points in the NHL (37).

After 10 years without a postseason appearance, the Sabres could be looking at another rebuild, especially after landing the No. 1 pick of this year's draft. Moving Eichel could help the process, as trading him should bring back a nice haul of assets.

The 24-year-old has proved to be a quality talent when healthy, contributing 139 goals and 216 assists since being drafted No. 2 overall in 2015. He had 82 points in 77 games in 2018-19 and 78 points in 68 games during the shortened 2019-20 campaign.

Eichel finished eighth in voting for the Hart Trophy last season despite playing for a team with a losing record.

A trade could give him a chance to shine for a contender and take the next step toward superstardom.

He already gave indication in May that he is ready for a move based on how his injury was handled this season, per Greg Wyshynski of ESPN:

I've been a bit upset about the ways things have been handled since I've been hurt. I'd be lying to say that things have moved smoothly since my injury. There's been a bit of a disconnect between myself and the organization. It's been tough at times. Right now, for me, the most important thing is just trying to get healthy, figure out a way to be available to play hockey next year, wherever that might be.

Eichel apparently wanted to get surgery to fix his neck injury, but the team decided against it. Though he is signed through the 2025-26 season, a split could be coming this offseason.

The Buffalo Sabres were an absolute dumpster fire this season. They have a chance to put out that fire with the first overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft.

The Sabres were awarded the top pick in the upcoming draft Wednesday night when the lottery set the draft order. Buffalo, the worst team in the league in 2021 with a 15-34-7 record, had the best chance to receive the first overall pick at 16.6 percent.

But as for their chances to keep star center Jack Eichel? Those still seem slim. This top pick could force the Sabres into rebuild mode, and the club might be better off trading him and bringing in some significant assets that could help get the moribund franchise back on track.

This year's draft could produce another star in the same mold as Eichel, but it's unlikely. This is a strange draft; it's not that it's lacking talent, but there is no consensus No. 1 pick. There probably isn't a game-changing player who could make an immediate impact for a team like Buffalo.

Whether it's defenseman Owen Power, his Michigan teammate Matty Beniers or Swedish winger William Eklund, most of the players in the 2021 draft class are going to need more time to develop before they're ready to play in the NHL.

"We will not rush players," general manager Kevyn Adams said on a Zoom call with the media following the lottery announcement. "If we think a player is absolutely ready to step in [to the NHL] and help our team, then we will use him. If not, then we have no problem—whether it's the No. 1 pick or someone later in the draft—we have no problem saying, 'OK, let's just slow it down and do what's right.'"

Beyond just the assets the Sabres would receive for the 24-year-old center, trading Eichel would allow the organization to start over with a blank slate and a blank check if they can get all—or at least some—of the $50 million left on Eichel's contract off the books.

There is too much bad blood between Eichel and the Sabres to continue this relationship. Last season, the two parties were arguing whether Eichel should get surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck.

The feud became public when Adams told reporters Eichel and his camp wanted a surgery that has never been performed on an NHL player and the team's doctors were not comfortable with that. Eichel said there was a "disconnect" between him and the club.

The club asked him to rest and rehab for 12 weeks, and he's about in that 12-week range. Adams expects to have more information soon, but the next steps forward are still unclear.

Eichel and the Sabres appear to still be at odds with one another, with Adams saying in his Zoom call with reporters that they still do not want Eichel to have the procedure.

Center Sam Reinhart also wants out of Buffalo, saying he didn't want to go through another rebuild in his age-26 season.

To be fair, it's not another rebuild. It's still the same rebuild that featured Reinhart and Eichel as part of the very foundation of the franchise. Reinhart was drafted second overall in 2014, and Eichel was the second pick in the 2015 draft. They were the result of tanking, and they were supposed to keep the Sabres out of the lottery and get them to the playoffs.

Instead, Buffalo won the lottery again in 2018. They chose defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who made great strides in his development this season, finally showing some signs of progress.

But there has been nearly no other progress made in this rebuild over the past five years, so it's time to let go of Eichel and Reinhart—a pending restricted free agent—and start over again.

Start stockpiling picks for 2022 and 2023, when the draft classes are expected to be deeper and more impactful. Hang on to Dahlin and team him with Power. Or maybe draft Beniers, a center, to replace Reinhart.

The best player available is Power. His size, skating and defensive acumen separate him from the rest. Adams said he's inclined to take the best player available, but above all he wants a passionate group on the ice that can grow together.

"To me, this is about putting together a group of together that really care about each other, that really, truly love this organization, that love that jersey, that love this city," Adams said. "I know I've said this now for a year is that there has to be a connectivity to this organization, between our team that goes on the ice and our fanbase."

Yet the "disconnect" remains.

As painful as it is to part with a player of Eichel's caliber and to get rid of someone who once represented hope for the future of the franchise, the Sabres will be better off in the future without Eichel. And Eichel will be better off elsewhere.

Despite being unhappy with how the organization has handled his neck injury, Jack Eichel reportedly isn't yet looking to leave the Buffalo Sabres. 

Per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Eichel's camp hasn't asked the Sabres for a trade, though the two sides haven't spoken "for a few weeks."

Eichel did hint during a press conference Monday that he could play somewhere else next season. 

"I've been a bit upset about the ways things have been handled since I've been hurt," Eichel told reporters. "There's been a bit of a disconnect between myself and the organization. The most important thing now is to get healthy and be ready to play hockey next year, wherever that might be."

The Sabres announced April 15 that Eichel would miss the remainder of the season because of a herniated disk in his neck. 

Head coach Don Granato said at the time that the decision about surgery was up to Buffalo's medical staff. 

During his press conference Monday, Eichel made it sound like he wanted surgery, but the team prevented it. 

"It doesn't work like that. I wish. ... I'm under contract with this team, and they definitely hold a lot of cards on what I can and can't do," he said. 

The Sabres signed Eichel to an eight-year, $80 million contract extension in October 2017. The deal runs through the 2025-26 season. 

Buffalo selected Eichel with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft. He debuted for the team that same season at the age of 18, scoring 56 points in 81 contests. 

Eichel's final game of the 2020-21 campaign was March 7 against the New York Islanders. The 24-year-old had 18 points in 21 games. 

The Sabres finished their season with 37 points, the fewest in the NHL, and a 15-34-7 record.     

Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel has been out since March with a herniated disk in his neck that prematurely ended his season, and he doesn't like how the team has treated him following his injury. 

"I've been a bit upset about the ways things have been handled since I've been hurt," Eichel said Monday. "There's been a bit of a disconnect between myself and the organization. The most important thing now is to get healthy and be ready to play hockey next year, wherever that might be."

Eichel explained that the organization wouldn't let him get surgery, per John Vogl of The Athletic.

"It doesn't work like that. I wish. ... I'm under contract with this team and they definitely hold a lot of cards on what I can and can't do."

The 24-year-old is under contract through 2026 after signing an eight-year, $80 million contract extension, but his future with the team is suddenly uncertain.

"I have a lot of thinking to do in this offseason," Eichel said. "I think that there's a lot that I have to consider. But for now, obviously, I'm here."

When the team announced in April that Eichel would miss the rest of the season with the injury, general manager Kevyn Adams indicated the initial plan was to avoid surgery.

"The course of treatment was to rehab it and give it some time to see if the disk had moved back to where the doctors were comfortable, and then the hope was that he could jump back in and play," Adams said.

Adams did not reveal if there was a plan to have surgery going forward in order to prepare him for the future.

"We all want him back on the ice, [one] hundred percent healthy, and we all feel that will happen at the start of training camp next year," he added.

If Eichel does want to play somewhere else next season, there will likely be plenty of interest based on what the young player has showed while healthy. The 2015 No. 2 overall draft pick had at least 50 points in each of his first five years, peaking with 82 in 2018-19.

The center was at his best in 2019-20 with 36 goals and 42 assists in 68 games, earning votes for the Hart Trophy despite playing for a team that missed the playoffs. The Sabres will miss the playoffs for the 10th straight season this year and currently have the worst record in the NHL.

It could be time for the two sides to part ways, helping the player get a fresh start while helping Buffalo rebuild.

According to Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic, the Rangers made a "hard push" for Eichel last offseason but couldn't complete a deal.

Limited attendance notwithstanding, the Rangers-Devils' four-game set over the past week felt like a postseason series.

While the Devils were supposed to be in a growing year, their counterparts across the Hudson came into the season with optimistic expectations. Artemi Panarin is one of the NHL's most dynamic forwards. Rangers youngsters such as Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko and Ryan Lindgren gained postseason experience in last year's bubble. To top it all off, they drafted Alexis Lafreniere No. 1 overall in October. 

Yet the Rangers have endured a frustrating roller coaster of a season. A slow start put them on the outside looking in of the four playoff spots of the MassMutual East Division, but they've come alive in recent games. They're riding a four-game winning streak after a sweep of their lowly division rivals and sit four points out of a playoff spot, but they have to contend with four legitimate Stanley Cup hopefuls ahead of them. It's an uphill climb and a steep one.

The Blueshirts are in a strange sort of limbo. They probably aren't good enough to reach the postseason, but they're not bad enough to tank and try to get another high draft pick.

The Rangers have four key young players in the lineup in Lafreniere, 2019 first-rounder Kakko, 2018 first-round pick K'Andre Miller and goalie Igor Shesterkin (drafted No. 118 in 2014). They have one of the best forwards in the game in Panarin and a Norris Trophy hopeful in Fox.

Pavel Buchnevich celebrated his 26th birthday with his first career hat trick Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. Vitali Kravtsov, another 2018 pick, debuted earlier this month after a standout KHL career. 

The club also boasts one of the NHL's top prospect pools, so it's impossible to not be excited about the future of the Rangers. But if they weren't able to do any damage in the East Division this year, then what will it take to compete in the Metropolitan Division moving forward?

Divisional alignment will play a role. The previous divisional format will likely return next season, so the Rangers won't be forced to play 32 games against the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders. Seeing all 32 teams will level the playing field.

The trade deadline came and went without the Rangers making any major deals. Being good but not good enough is a tough spot for a general manager. Typically, it's frowned upon to not do anything at the deadline. It is a way to gain assets for the future, be it short-term or long-term. Be a buyer or be a seller, but don't do nothing.

But this was a unique situation where doing nothing was the best thing. General manager Jeff Gorton opted to not give up a key piece in the rebuild for a pricey rental who may be able to help the Rangers get to the playoffs but not much further. 

The team should be aggressive in the trade market this summer. The Rangers have nine draft picks this year and seven next year, including both first-round picks. At some point, they'll have to upgrade Panarin's center, and Buffalo's Jack Eichel should be the obvious target. The Rangers have to decide if Eichel, along with the five years and $50 million left on his contract, is worth it or if they can stand pat with Ryan Strome as Panarin's linemate.

But elite, playmaking centers of Eichel's caliber don't come along often. Scoring wingers of Panarin's caliber don't come along often either, and elite tandems like that usually lead to championships. Just ask Ryan Getzlaf about having Corey Perry on his wing with the Anaheim Ducks or Jonathan Toews about having Patrick Kane by his side in Chicago.

Eichel leads the Rangers brass to what might be the biggest question of the offseason: Do they keep coach David Quinn or go in another direction for the next step in this rebuild? 

Quinn, the former Boston University coach hired in 2018, has been scrutinized for the slow development of Kakko and Lafreniere. The criticism hit a fever pitch when Quinn and his assistants were forced to quarantine because of COVID-19 protocols in March. Kris Knoblauch, the head coach of the team's AHL affiliate, took over behind the bench. In Knoblauch's first game filling in for Quinn, the Rangers walloped the Flyers 9-0, and the team went on a 4-2 run with him in charge.

Established coaches like Claude Julien are out there, and others will become available after the season ends. But Eichel might want to play for Quinn, his former college coach, and the younger players might be better served with some coaching continuity.

The kids on the team will get a crash course in elevated play over the final month of the season. Forget all of the analytics and underlying numbers. Kravtsov, Miller, Kakko and Lafreniere will get bigger roles, play bigger minutes and face difficult matchups.

Maybe they'll steal a few more wins than anticipated and get themselves into a postseason position. If not, this kind of late-season experience may be more beneficial than playing in lopsided postseason losses anyway.

The next step in this rebuild should be the one that gets the Rangers back into contention, not just for playoff spots but for Stanley Cups too. Their core is too good and their farm system is too deep for anything else. The Rangers are almost ready to contend again, but the club has to answer some big questions before it can take that next step.