After months of speculation, the Buffalo Sabres have finally agreed to terms on a deal to trade former captain Jack Eichel. Buffalo will send Eichel and a future 3rd round pick to Vegas in exchange for forwards Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, a future 1st and a future 2nd round pick.
If the Golden Knight’s 1st-round pick in 2022 falls outside the top 10, the Sabres will get a 2022 1st-rounder and a 2023 2nd-round pick, with Vegas receiving a 2023 3rd-round selection from Buffalo. If Vegas’ first-round pick in 2022 is a top-10 selection, Buffalo gets a 2023 1st-round pick and a 2024 2nd-round pick, with Vegas receiving a 2024 3rd-round pick from the Sabres. Buffalo will not be retaining any salary in the trade.
As part of the deal, Vegas is reportedly open to allowing Eichel to undergo the surgery of his choice which was a massive point of contention between the Eichel camp and the Sabres. There is no firm timetable for Eichel’s return post surgery, however early indications are that Vegas wants Eichel to do a brief meet and greet with the front office and his future teammates before scheduling the procedure as soon as possible.
Similar procedures in the past have had a 3-4month recovery period which means that Eichel would likely be out past the All-Star Break (Feb 4-5th, hosted by Vegas) and the Olympics as well (Feb 4-22nd). The move is essentially the equivalent of a trade deadline deal for the Golden Knights as the March 21st deadline is a realistic early estimation of when fans could see Eichel suit up for his new team.
Eichel will then have a month and change to get up to speed with his teammates before the playoffs kick off on May 2nd. The deal adds a bonafide number 1 centre to the Golden Knights roster, something the team has been lacking over the past few seasons. Vegas has cycled through a variety of players between Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty, but management seems confident that Eichel can add some stability to their top line moving forward.
Once healthy, the move will also allow current Golden Knights players to return to their natural positions on the team’s 2nd line. Some combination of Stephenson, Marchessault, Dadonov, and Smith is likely to form a strong 2nd line behind the high flying trio of Stone/Pacioretty/Eichel. With a solid top 6 now in place, Vegas could be well positioned to go on another deep playoff run this spring. Fans have to be pleased that the team didn’t have to part ways with any of their young defenders in Theodore, Whitecloud or McNabb who were all linked to Eichel trade talks at various points this year.
   Vegas currently sits in 8th place in the Pacific division with a 4-5 record through the first 9 games of the season. The Golden Knights visit the Ottawa Senators tonight at 7pm ET.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner