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Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov Out With Illness

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that star winger Nikita Kucherov will be held out of Friday night’s game by an illness. Kucherov has three points, one penalty, and a minus-eight through four games this season. He is one of seven Lightning players with three points so far.

There is simply no replacing Kucherov in the lineup, even if his early season has been quiet. He is a three-time Hart Trophy finalist, and took home the MVP title in 2019. He’s led Tampa Bay in scoring in each of the last two seasons, with an incredible 144 and 121 points respectively. At the age of 32, Kucherov has already amassed the second-most points in Lightning history (997), only behind longtime captain Steven Stamkos (1,137).

Tampa Bay will undoubtedly be handicapped without Kucherov, who has averaged 20:29 in ice time on the season. They’ll have to bump each of their right-wingers up a line, likely leading to Gage Goncalves on the top line and Conor Geekie in the top-six. That movement appears to be offering opportunity for Jack Finley, who has only played one, scoreless, game to start the season. Tampa Bay also recalled Scott Sabourin earlier today, though he is set to serve a four-game suspension in the NHL for roughing Florida Panthers’ defender Aaron Ekblad in the preseason. He’ll serve his first game of that suspension on Friday.

Lightning Place Maxwell Crozier On IR, Recall Scott Sabourin

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed rookie defenseman Maxwell Crozier on injured reserve per Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider. The move is retroactive to Tuesday, which will force Crozier out of the lineup for at least two days. Tampa Bay then used the vacant roster spot to recall Scott Sabourin from the minor leagues.

Crozier is bearing through an undisclosed injury after leaving the team’s Tuesday matchup against the Washington Capitals in the first period. He only played 4:27 in total ice time. The injury was a hit of bad luck after the top Bolts rookie scored three points in his last two games. He was the productive motor of Tampa Bay’s bottom pair, next to third-year-pro Emil Martinsen Lilleberg.

Crozier broke camp with the Lightning after posting 34 points and 75 penalty minutes in 52 AHL games last season. He entered this season with 18 games of NHL experience under his belt, though only two assists to go with it. That production set a low bar that Crozier has well cleared to start the season, making his injury timeline worth following closely.

Tampa Bay will use Crozier’s IR placement to award Sabourin for a strong start in the AHL. He scored a point in each of the Syracuse Crunch’s two games to start the season. It’s a quick start, after Sabourin posted 25 points and 111 penalty minutes with the San Jose Barracuda last season. He has played in 25 NHL games over the course of his career – stretched across stints with the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and San Jose Sharks. He’s scored 15 points in those appearances. Now, Sabourin could suit up for a fourth club, and offer Tamp a hotter stick than rookie Curtis Douglas, who is without a point through three games so far.

Flames Assign Matvei Gridin, Activate Jonathan Huberdeau

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The Calgary Flames have assigned winger Matvei Gridin to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers to make room to activate Jonathan Huberdeau off of injured reserve. Huberdeau has been sidelined since sustaining an undisclosed injury in a preseason matchup against the Vancouver Canucks on October 1st. He missed the first seven games of Calgary’s season.

Gridin played in the first four games of his NHL career to start the season, but found his way to the press box after posting one goal and a minus-three. He is among Calgary’s top prospects, and is set to become one of just six 19-year-olds in the AHL. A taste of NHL minutes, and continued pro challenge in the minors, could be exactly what Gridin needs to grow his game.

He looked fast and flashy in the QMJHL last year, posting 96 points in 72 games over the course of the Shawinigan Cataractes’ full season. That performance earned him the QMJHL’s ’Rookie of the Year’ award. The 2024 first-round pick spent two seasons in the USHL prior to his draft. He scored 99 points in 108 total games in the league. That includes a league-leading 83-point season in 2023-24, the second-highest scoring season in Muskegon Lumberjacks history.

While Gridin develops in the minors, Huberdeau will look to keep up his momentum from last season. He scored 16 points in 18 games to finish the 2024-25 season, pushing him to 28 goals and 62 points in 81 games on the year. It was Huberdeau’s highest-scoring season since he posted 115 points with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22. His dip in scoring with the Flames has shadowed his last three seasons, but he showed a click next to Morgan Frost and Matthew Coronato that could propel the Flames’ offense this season. Coronato currently leads Calgary in scoring, with three points in five games. Frost has two points.

Avalanche Recall Jack Ahcan

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The Colorado Avalanche have recalled defenseman Jack Ahcan from the Colorado Eagles. Ahcan is currently the AHL scoring leader after racking up one goal and four points in the Eagles’ first two games of the season. Colorado had an extra roster spot available after placing Samuel Girard on injured reserve, and now use it to reward Ahcan’s hot start.

Ahcan has taken a step forward in scoring in each of his six years in the AHL. His career began as an undrafted college free agent, following 103 points in 144 games at St. Cloud State. He signed with the Boston Bruins, and potted 10 points in his first 19 AHL games in the 2020-21 season. He grew to 23 points in 46 games in the next season, then 36 points in 68 games in 2022-23. A depth chart logjam pushed Ahcan out of the Bruins organization in the summer of 2023, but his momentum didn’t slow down in a move to the Eagles. He rose to 38 points in 70 games in the 2023-24, and 41 points in 69 games last season.

Ahcan is a sharp offensive-defenseman who creates dangerous chances on fastbreaks and shots from the point. He will be in direct competition with Ilya Solovyov for a role on the team’s bottom pair. Solovyov made his debut with the Avalanche on Saturday, and recorded a minus-one. He played 15 games, and scored for points, with the Calgary Flames over the last two seasons. He has also totaled 33 points in 110 AHL games since 2023.

Jets Recall Kale Clague, Assign Brad Lambert

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The Winninepg Jets recalled defenseman Kale Clague ahead of Sunday morning’s practice. He took the ice in the spot of Haydn Fleury, who did not skate due to a knee injury, per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press. Jets head coach Scott Arniel designated Fleury as out day-to-day with a lower-body injury after practice, per NHL.com’s Mitchell Clinton.

Fleury appeared to sustain his injury after blocking a shot off of his kneecap in the second period of Saturday’s win over the Los Angeles Kings. He took to the ice for a few laps before the start of the third period, but ended up back in the Jets’ locker room before the period got underway.

Fleury played in both of Winnipeg’s games to start the season. he managed no notable stat changes, aside from a minus-one. Even without a padded stat line, back-to-back appearances was a positive step forward for a career-long extra defenseman. The most Fleury has played in a single season currently sits at 45 games – a mark he reached with the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2019-20 season. He scored 14 points that year. His 39 games with Winnipeg last season rank second. He complimented those appearances with seven assists and a minus-12.

Winnipeg will turn to Clague as their first injury fill-in. The 27-year-old defender recorded 10 goals, 39 points, and a plus-three in 69 games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans last season. He signed a one-year, $775K contract with the Jets on July 1st, helping to build out a blue-line depth that Winnipeg has had to call on early. Clague will offer the left-hand shot needed to replace Fleruy, though he’ll still have to compete with right-shot extra defenseman Colin Miller for minutes should Winnipeg need a replacement.

To make room to recall Clague, Winnipeg has also assigned top prospect Brad Lambert to the minor-leagues. Lambert was serving as a press box forward for the Jets early in the season. He scored seven goals and 35 points in 61 games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose last season. He also appeared in five NHL games, and recorded one assist. Lambert was the 30th-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft but hasn’t yet proven his worth at the NHL level. He’ll return to the minors as a strong scoring presence, with 90 points in 125 AHL games on his career.

Penguins’ Kris Letang Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that defenseman Kris Letang will miss Sunday’s practice due to a lower-body injury. He has been designated as day-to-day, though the specifics of his injury haven’t been revealed. Letang only played a couple of shifts in the third period of Pittsburgh’s Saturday loss to the New York Rangers. Head coach Dan Muse told the media, including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that Letang is being evaluated further to find the extent of his injury.

Letang kicked off his 20th season in the NHL last week. He has yet to score through three games played, but has managed a plus-three and one penalty, while receiving over 21 minutes of average ice time once again. Letang is certainly far psat his prime years, but he’s stayed a productive piece of Pittsburgh’s blue-line well through his 30s. He scored nine goals and 30 points in 74 games last season, though that line was marred by a minus-15. His 2023-24 campaign was more well-rounded, with 51 points and a plus-13 in 82 games played.

Pittsburgh will face a tough question if Letang isn’t ready for their next game on Tuesday. He has operated directly behind fellow future-Hall-of-Famer Erik Karlsson, helping the Penguins hold down a blue-line that also features Parker Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea in the top-four. Top prospect Harrison Brunicke has played well behind Letang on the depth chart, and could be due a chance to shine should the veteran need to sit out.

Pittsburgh is also carrying Matt Dumba and Connor Clifton as healthy scratches through the early season. Dumba scored 10 points in 63 games with the Dallas Stars last season, while Clifton managed 16 points in 73 games with the Boston Bruins. Both players are right-shot defenders, putting them in the right spot to battle for bottom-pair minutes should Letang step out.

Rangers Recall Connor Mackey, Place Carson Soucy On IR

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The New York Rangers have placed defenseman Carson Soucy on injured reserve and recalled Connor Mackey in his place, per the NHL media site and Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Soucy had a scary collision with Pittsburgh Penguins winger Rickard Rakell in New York’s Saturday night win. The hit swept Soucy’s legs from under him as his head fell into the boards. He left the game immediately, ending his night with just over six minutes of ice time.

No details about Soucy’s injury have been revealed, though a move to IR will force him out for at least two weeks with an, assumed, upper-body injury. He played solid, second-pair minutes for the Rangers in two games prior to injury. He recorded one goal and a plus-two in those outings – both stats coming in New York’s Thursday win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Soucy is in the final year of a three-year, $9.75MM contract originally signed with the Vancouver Canucks in 2023. He spent the first two years of the deal primarily with the Canucks, racking up 16 points and a minus-three in 99 games played. Those poor totals led Vancouver to trade Soucy to New York at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick used to draft Kieren Dervin from St. Andrew’s College.

Soucy’s absence will leave a notable hole on the Rangers’ blue-line. Mackey will earn the first nod of the season, after playing in only two NHL games, and recording one fight, last season. The rest of his year was spent with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, where he racked up 24 points and 102 penalty minutes in 66 games played. Mackey has found his groove as a hard-hitting defenseman. He has racked up 267 penalty minutes in 163 AHL games over his last three seasons in the league. Those years weren’t consecutive, though, as Mackey spent the 2022-23 season in an extra defender role with the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes. He recorded seven points and 48 PIMs in 30 NHL games that year.

New York is likely to elevate Urho Vaakanainen into Soucy’s role on the second-pair. Behind him will be young defender Matthew Robertson, who hasn’t yet made his season debut. This injury could be an opportunity for Robertson to finally cement his role in the NHL, after earning a top-50 selection in the 2019 NHL Draft but not yet playing more than two games in the NHL. He managed 25 points and 55 penalty minutes in 60 AHL games last season. Should either Vaakanainen or Robertson falter, or New York need a spark, Mackey could make a spot start.

A tight salary cap situation puts New York in a spot where they can only afford to recall Mackey, who makes a league-minimum $775K salary, but could not afford to recall top prospect Scott Morrow, who makes a $917K salary.

Panthers Sign Jonah Gadjovich To Two-Year Extension

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The Florida Panthers have agreed to a two-year contract extension with left-winger Jonah Gadjovich. The deal will carry a $905K cap hit, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Florida announced the deal on Gadjovich’s 27th birthday

Few Panthers have a role as defined as Gadjovich’s. He is the team’s go-to enforcer, with a tremendous 164 penalty minutes in just 81 games between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. Only two players across the league – Austin Watson and Matt Rempe – averaged more penalty minutes per game played in that span, and Gadjovich still recorded more total PIMs than both. He scored just eight points in the same stretch, and added three points and 33 PIMs in 16 playoff appearances.

Interestingly, Gadjovich has found a way to avoid the penalty booth to start this season – instead boasting one assist and a plus-one in three games. He has not been one for hte positive side of the scoresheet at the NHL level. Through parts of six NHL seasons, Gadjovich has only managed 19 points in 163 career games. He’s racked up the penalties, though, earning 17 PIMs in his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks in 2020-21 and since raising that number to 312 PIMs on his career.

While he’s found a clear way to be productive in the NHL, Gadjovich wasn’t always the default hitter in his lineup. He has racked up 46 points and 81 PIMs in 103 AHL games, and stood out as a dangerous scorer in junior hockey, with 89 goals, 155 points, and 175 PIMs in 228 OHL games.

But those days seem to be in the past. Gadjovich has evolved into Florida’s go-to option when they need a big hit, or big fight, to help turn the tides. He fills important fourth-line minutes and will now stick in that spot for two more seasons. That role has already led Gadjovich to two Stanley Cup wins, and should continue to be profitable as the Panthers have yet to lose this season.

Summer Synopsis: Minnesota Wild

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With the regular season now upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective.  Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled.  Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason.  Next up is a look at Minnesota.

The Wild recovered nicely after missing the playoffs in 2023-24, making it back to the postseason in 2024-25 despite again being ravaged by injuries. The forward progress was met with a quick elimination by the Golden Knights in the first round, but increased cap space and the continued progression of their recent high-end draft picks mean more opportunities for growth in Minnesota in 2025-26.

Draft

2-52: D Theodor Hallquisth, Orebro U20 (Sweden U20)
4-102: F Adam Benak, Youngstown (USHL)
4-121: F Lirim Amidovski, North Bay (OHL)
4-123: F Carter Klippenstein, Brandon (WHL)
5-141: D Justin Kipkie, Victoria (WHL)

Minnesota made the most out of perhaps the lowest draft stock in the league this season. They were missing capital at the top and bottom of the class, but still landed a haul that should offer up unique upside. Second-round defender Hallquisth is an exciting leader of the bunch, offering up a mean and gritty style that makes him a fantastic shutdown option. But it will be hard not to get excited over 5-foot-7 playmaker Benak, who has long stood as the face of Czechia’s international youth teams. Benak is a cool, calm, and collected play-driver who slid in the draft because of his frame, but showed he can play well above it at training camp.

The trio behind Minnesota’s top picks will each offer solid depth. Amidovski was a fundamental piece in North Bay’s offense last season, offering quick reactions and minimal mistakes in all three zones. Klippenstein was a main play-driver for Brandon all year long, though his lanky frame and awkward skating didn’t result in as many goals as one may expect. Perhaps the most interesting of the bunch is defender Kipkie, whom the Arizona Coyotes previously drafted in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft. He didn’t sign with Arizona (or Utah) despite staying on a steady course of improvement with the Victoria Royals. Minnesota could prove a beneficiary of Kipkie’s decision to re-enter the draft. He was a core piece of the Royals’ last season and is set for a top-four role at Arizona State University this season.

Trade Acquisitions

F Vladimir Tarasenko (from Red Wings)

The Wild shifted around draft capital ahead of draft weekend, but otherwise stayed relatively quiet on the trade market. Their only splash was the acquisition of Russian scorer Tarasenko, with nothing more than future considerations headed back to the Detroit Red Wings. It could prove a lucrative swap for Minnesota right out of the gates. Tarasenko – once a routine 30-goal scorer – managed 11 goals and 33 points in 80 games with the Red Wings last season. He’s three seasons removed from his last 30-goal campaign, but has quickly clicked with Minnesota’s other top Russians, like Kirill Kaprizov and Danila Yurov. That bond has earned Tarasenko a top-six role throughout training camp. Whether he offers a surge back to scoring or merely Cup-winning precedent, reeling in a high-usage, veteran winger for no cost will be a nice plus on Minnesota’s summer.

UFA Signings

F Nico Sturm (two-years, $4MM)
G Cal Petersen (one-year, $775K)*
D Matt Kiersted (two-years, $1.6MM)*
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel (one-year, $775K)*
D Ben Gleason (one-year, $800K)*
F Tyler Pitlick (two-years, $1.5MM)*

* denotes two-way contract

Quieter than their presence on the trade market was Minnesota’s presence on the free agent market. Their early-summer transactions did very little to make a significant impact. Their only one-way contract was awarded to former Wild centerman Sturm, who won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers after a Trade Deadline move from the San Jose Sharks last season. His season was relatively quiet overall, though, marked by just 14 points in 70 games, including the postseason. It was Sturm’s second Cup win, after also supporting the Colorado Avalanche in their 2022 championship. Sturm has been a career bottom-six center. He has 92 points and 86 penalty minutes in 331 career games – and 36 points and 25 penalty minutes in 111 prior games with the Minnesota Wild.

RFA Re-Signings

F Michael Milne (one-year, $775K)*
F Marco Rossi (three-year, $15MM)
G Chase Wutzke (three-year, $2.9MM)*

Minnesota’s summer was headlined by its contract negotiations with top young center Marco Rossi. After what seemed like an endless stream of rumors – which included trade rumors and speculation around his playoff usage – the two sides compromised on a well-paying, bridge contract. The $5MM yearly price tag could quickly look like a bargain for Rossi, who had a career year with 24 goals and 60 points last season. He has played in every single Wild game dating back to the start of 2023-24, and looked well capable of supporting top-line minutes in the absence of Joel Eriksson Ek last season. Rossi is a young, former top-10 pick who appears on the cusp of a breakout. He’ll have three years to vindicate that standing, and could earn a major payday and lineup role on the other side.

Departures

F Devin Shore (signed with Sparta, Czechia)
F Frederick Gaudreau (traded to Seattle)
F Brendan Gaunce (traded to Columbus)
D Declan Chisholm (traded to Washington)
F Adam Raska (signed with Sparta, Czechia)
D Ryan O’Rourke (signed with Laval, AHL)
F Graeme Clarke (signed with Capitals)
F Luke Toporowski (signed with Hershey, AHL)
D Cameron Crotty (signed with Senators)
D Chase Priskie (signed with Sibir, KHL)
F Gustav Nyquist (signed with Jets)
D Jon Merrill (unsigned)
F Justin Brazeau (signed with Penguins)
G Marc-Andre Fleury (retired)
F Travis Boyd (signed with Maple Leafs)
G Troy Grosenick (unsigned)
F Tyler Madden (unsigned)

There’s no question the Wild lost some depth this summer. Still, despite the quantity, they didn’t lose much quality. Nyquist and Brazeau, who were acquired at the 2024-25 trade deadline, combined for three goals and nine points in 41 games down the stretch, providing little value.

Chisholm, who was traded to the Capitals before the start of free agency, is coming off a two-goal, 12-point campaign and proved to be a solid contributor, albeit in limited action. Despite the solid campaign, Minnesota boasts one of the best defensive cores in the league, supplemented by a full year of David Jiricek and Zeev Buium for the 2025-26 season. Furthermore, the team is expecting Jonas Brodin to return in the relatively near future.

Lastly, the most notable departure this past offseason was Gaudreau. Finishing fifth on the team in scoring with 19 goals and 37 points in 82 games, Gaudreau was a key middle-six center for the Wild last year. Regardless, like their other departures, the Wild have the internal depth to sustain such a loss, and a few up-and-coming prospects that could fill in.

Key Extensions

F Kirill Kaprizov (eight-year, $136MM)
G Filip Gustavsson (five-year, $34MM)

The Wild tidied up two important pieces of business on the eve of the 2025-26 season. They started with a record-breaking extension for superstar winger Kaprizov. The deal will carry a $17MM cap hit each season – an incredible burden, but a seemingly fitting one for a player as do-it-all as Kaprizov is. He’s the true motor of Minnesota’s offense when he’s at full health. He pops up in seemingly every play and creates waves of top-tier scoring chances all on his own. Kaprizov has only crossed the 100-point mark once – but he managed three-straight 40-goal seasons from 2021 to 2024, and was on pace for 50 goals and 112 points before injury cut last season in half. He’ll have one more year to prove he can be a top-tier superstar before he embarks on a long-term contract that seems sure to end with Kaprizov enshrined by the Wild.

Backstopping Kaprizov’s flashy offense for the last three seasons has been steady play from Gustavsson. He has been impressive since arriving in Minnesota, kicking off his tenure with the team with a .931 save percentage in 39 games of the 2022-23 season, good for second-best in the league. That momentum helped him win over the starter’s crease in 2023-24, and after a shaky first year, he made good on the role with a .914 Sv% in 58 games last season. Both his games played and save percentage ranked sixth in the league. Minnesota acknowledges those performances with a nicely-paying extension, though the five-year term brings up tough questions about how the team plans to deploy top goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt.

Salary Cap Outlook

According to PuckPedia, the Wild open the 2025-26 campaign with approximately $3.545MM in cap space. This provides ample space for them to strengthen their fourth line during the trade deadline season, for a roster that has minimal gaps when healthy. Furthermore, General Manager Bill Guerin has done an excellent job locking in Minnesota’s core, with Tarasenko and Zuccarello being the only two pending unrestricted free agents of significance. Impressively, assuming no new contracts are signed, and the upper ceiling of the salary cap hits $104MM, the Wild will enter next offseason with approximately $17.156 in salary cap space even after factoring in Kaprizov’s mammoth extension.

Key Questions

How Far Will This Team Get In The Postseason? Since the 2012-13 season, Minnesota has only missed the postseason twice. Still, despite being a consistent playoff team, they haven’t reached a Western Conference Final since the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs and have yet to see a Stanley Cup Final in their 26-year history. Their top player, Kaprizov, typically does his part in the postseason when healthy, though a few bad performances from other key contributors usually prove costly. As mentioned, Guerin has done a stellar job locking in the team’s core. Regardless, that will only mean something if the Wild can be more competitive when the hockey matters most.

Is It Time To Trade For A Top-Line Center? Outside of Kaprizov’s extension, Rossi’s contract situation played a large role in Minnesota’s offseason. He performed well last season, scoring 24 goals and 60 points in 80 games, though his disappearance in the postseason had many clamoring for his ouster. The Wild signed Rossi to a three-year, $15MM contract, walking him into his last year of restricted free agency after the 2027-28 season. If Rossi falters again, the team has an in-house candidate to take over as the center of the first line in Eriksson Ek, although his playstyle is better suited for the second forward unit. Given their projected cap space for next season, the Wild may be better served using Rossi and one of their first-round selections from the three upcoming NHL Drafts to pursue a notable center addition on the trade market to put next to Kaprizov and Matt Boldy.

Photo courtesy of Brett Holmes-Imagn Images.

Golden Knights To Sign Jack Eichel To Eight-Year Extension

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The Vegas Golden Knights are expected to sign star center Jack Eichel to an eight-year, $108MM contract extension, per the Vegas Review Journal’s Danny Webster. The move was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger. Weber adds that the deal is believed to carry a $13.5MM cap hit.

On a day where the Winnipeg Jets extended star winger Kyle Connor, the Golden Knights have still found a way to steal the show. Eichel’s extension was long anticipated, both for his impact on the Golden Knights’ roster and the intricacies of how Vegas would fit the deal in alongside the $12MM cap hit of Mitch Marner. That question has now been answered, with Vegas locking up the tandem through the next eight seasons for $25.5MM each season.

Landing a max-term extension with Eichel before he has a chance to play alongside 100-point scorer Marner could prove lucrative for the Golden Knights. Eichel had a career-year last season, setting career-highs with 94 points and a plus-32 in 77 games. It was a major leap over the 31 goals and 68 points that Eichel managed in 63 games of the 2023-24 season – and the 66 points he scored in 67 games of the 2022-23 campaign. It seems the top center simply needed to ease into his starring role in Vegas after going through a true saga with the Buffalo Sabres.

Buffalo drafted Eichel second-overall in 2015, properly dubbing him second-fiddle to Connor McDavid’s historic draft season. Despite that seat, Eichel boasted plenty of reason for excitement in his own right, and seemed to single-handedly will Boston University to a National Championship loss in his draft year. He brought that team-leading drive straight into the NHL, marked by 24 goals and 56 points in 81 games of the 2015-16 season. That remains the most a Sabres rookie has scored since the 1980s. Even better, Eichel matched it in fewer games of his sophomore season, with 24 goals and 57 points in 61 games.

But – that quickly became Eichel’s M.O. He was oft-injured, but proved to be the undeniable star of Buffalo’s lineup when healthy. He reached at least 25 goals in each of his next three seasons in Buffalo, and even showed his strength with 82 points in 77 games of the 2018-19 season, when the Sabres collectively only won 33 games. The tension between a struggling club and their productive star reached a peak as the 2020s rolled around – and a breaking point when the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement on how Eichel should handle an unprecedented shoulder surgery in 2021.

After multiple bouts back-and-forth, and a seemingly endless run of trade rumors, Buffalo decided to trade Eichel to Vegas in November, 2021. In return, the Sabres received Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, the draft pick used on Noah Ostlund (2022: 1-16) and a second-round pick traded to Minnesota. All three players remain with Buffalo.

Meanwhile, Eichel quickly received the surgery he had preferred upon arriving in Vegas. His 2021-22 campaign was limited to 34 games as he recovered from injury, but he was back to health in time for the 2022-23 season. Routine injury still marred his year, but he stayed healthy long enough to lead Vegas on a run to the Stanley Cup in 2023. He led the Golden Knights, and the postseason, in scoring with a dazzling 26 points in 22 games – though the Conn Smythe trophy would go to his goal-scoring teammate Jonathan Marchessault.

Regardless, Eichel’s push towards a Cup win showed the Golden Knights, and the hockey world, that he had the grit to be the star center on an NHL champion. He has reaffirmed that thought with 17 points in 18 playoff games since Vegas lifted the Cup.

With this move, Vegas will place a strong bet on Eichel’s ability to hang onto that role through his 30s. More importantly, they’ll give him a big bode of confidence as he heads into his age-29 season. Eichel has never played alongside a 100-point scorer, nor broken that ceiling himself, but he’ll get his first chance this season. Like Eichel, Marner struggled to crack the century mark for multiple seasons, recording at least 85 points three times between 2021 and 2024. He even reached 99 points in 2022-23. But it wasn’t until last season, when he scored 27 goals and 102 points in 81 games, that Marner was finally able to achieve the feat.

In a rare shift, he has now changed teams following the career-year, and will look to keep the good times rolling on a recent Cup winner. The top of Vegas’ offense is truly a stacked group, featuring Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl, William Karlsson, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Ivan Barbashev to support Eichel and Marner. The heights of the lineup seem hard to place, and should all go well, Vegas has ensured they can keep the band together with a pair of max-term extensions for their two stars.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports.

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