With Mika Zibanejad signing an eight-year contract extension with the New York Rangers that all but puts the Rangers out of the Jack Eichel sweepstakes.
James O’Brien of NBC Sports reports a potential Eichel trade partner is more about what he could bring in the future, rather than this season. When you consider that, and that a no-movement clause begins in 2022-23, I continue to believe that Eichel will one day be a Boston Bruin.
Adam Gretz of NBC Sports states, a Eichel trade will end poorly for everybody. By the time Jack Eichel gets traded and gets to have the medical procedure he wants he will miss time this season, probably miss the Olympics, and the Sabres will have almost certainly traded their franchise player and core building block from this most recent failed rebuild for pennies on the dollar.
With the Rangers out as a potential suitor for Eichel, the Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, LA Kings and the Columbus Blue Jackets seem to be the probable destinations for an Eichel trade.
The Kings make sense because they could send five or six players for Eichel. Would the Kings give up let’s say Villardi, Ty Madden, Grundstrom, Trevor Moore, Wagner– I think they might come up with a combination that works for them and betters whatever Buffalo will be offered for an injured player. No one discusses it, but there is risk in this severe a neck injury.