With today’s news that one of the league’s biggest superstars has elected to sign a record-shattering eight-year contract extension with the Minnesota Wild, leaguewide focus has shifted to other stars currently without a contract for next season, including Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel. Eichel’s camp, which is led by Pat Brisson of CAA, is currently “engaged in ongoing contract discussions and negotiations” according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Pagnotta did note, though, that talks between the two parties are “currently going slow” and “a deal is not yet in the offing.”
Eichel, 28, is in line for a lucrative contract extension of his own. He has already proven himself to be a star first-line center in the NHL, one capable of leading a team to a Stanley Cup championship. Set to turn 29 in October, he’s positioned to sign what will be the largest contract of his career, and earlier this month it was reported that both Eichel and the Golden Knights agree that Eichel’s next deal should carry the maximum possible term. Pierre LeBrun said today on TSN’s Insider Trading that he isn’t sure whether Vegas will have the appetite to go too far above the $12MM AAV they pledged to Mitch Marner this past summer, while Eichel and his camp are likely to expect a number closer to the $14MM AAV owed to Leon Draisaitl on his contract extension.
Other notes from the Pacific Division:
- A player in a similar, albeit not identical, boat to Eichel is Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe, who is also without a contract for next season. It was reported earlier this month by Pagnotta that Kempe’s camp was seeking an eight-year, $10MM AAV contract extension, while the Kings were hoping to sign a deal more in the range of $9MM AAV. With that disagreement in mind, both Kempe’s representatives (led by CAA’s J.P. Barry) and the Kings elected to postpone contract talks – likely until each side could see the value of Kaprizov’s contract. Now with that matter settled, both sides are set to resume contract negotiations, according to The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein. While Kempe, 29, is not considered the same level of player as Kaprizov, he nonetheless has easily cleared the 70-point plateau in each of the last two seasons and has thrice scored at least 35 goals in a season. It would be fair to speculate that if the disagreement between Kempe’s camp and the Kings remains on whether he’s worth closer to $9MM and $10MM AAV on his next deal, the fact that Kaprizov will make $17MM will almost certainly aid Kempe’s side of the argument.
- Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reported that while both Conor Garland and Tyler Myers “have been managing minor” injuries during the Canucks’ preseason and training camp, both players “have asked” to play in Wednesday’s preseason game against the Calgary Flames. MacIntyre added that “neither” player is likely to be unfit to play in the team’s season opener. Both Garland and Myers are key veteran contributors to the Canucks: the feisty Garland is an important part of the team’s offensive identity in its middle-six, while Myers was the team’s number-four defenseman last season. With the Canucks entering an extremely important campaign, it’s encouraging news that neither player looks set to miss any regular-season time.