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Jack Eichel

Golden Knights, Jack Eichel Have Had Preliminary Extension Talks

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The Golden Knights and star center Jack Eichel had “loose, unofficial discussions at various points this season” in advance of him becoming eligible to sign an extension with Vegas on July 1, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

Official talks between Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon and Eichel’s camp should begin in short order after Vegas’ season came to an end this week at the hands of the Oilers in the second round. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a max-term deal for the 28-year-old come across the wire when the new league year begins – Pagnotta went so far as to call an Eichel extension the top priority for Vegas this summer over the futures of any of their pending free agents.

The deal will undoubtedly be the richest in franchise history when signed, topping captain Mark Stone’s eight-year, $76MM extension doled out in 2019. Eichel will be entering the final season of the eight-year, $80MM deal he signed with the Sabres before his entry-level contract expired – of course, Vegas acquired him midway through that deal in a blockbuster swap in 2021.

The 2015 No. 2 overall pick will enter talks well-equipped, coming off the best season of his career by a significant margin. An all-situations center for Vegas, he recorded new career highs in assists (66), points (94), and rating (+32) while playing the most of any Knights forward and leading the team in scoring. Now over three years removed from artificial disk replacement surgery in his neck – the first NHLer to undergo the procedure – he’s back to being the well-above-a-point-per-game producer he hinted at before the injury in Buffalo.

With the salary cap’s projected aggressive rise over the next few seasons, there’s a case for Eichel to earn a multi-million-dollar raise over his current $10MM cap hit. A potential comparable is Leafs winger William Nylander, who signed an eight-year extension with an $11.5MM cap hit midway through the 2023-24 season. Both players have scored at a 90-point pace over an 82-game schedule over the last three years combined. Nylander signed for just over 13% of the cap – with next year’s $95.5MM figure set in stone, that would translate to a $12.5MM AAV for Eichel on a max-term deal.

Unfortunately for the Knights, they don’t have any big-ticket contracts coming off the books before Eichel’s extension would go into effect in 2026-27. Stone’s ($9.5MM cap hit) and Alex Pietrangelo’s ($8.8MM cap hit) deals, the next two richest on the team, both expire in the summer of 2027.

Image courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Jack Eichel, Anže Kopitar, Brayden Point Named Lady Byng Trophy Finalists

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Now that award season is approaching, the NHL has announced the three finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy: Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights, Anže Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings, and Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

As one of the more underappreciated honors, the Lady Byng Trophy is awarded to the player voted best to combine sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct, and ability as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Kopitar is the only one of the trio to have won the award previously.

In arguably the best season of his career from an individual perspective, Eichel led the Pacific Division champion Golden Knights in scoring with 28 goals and 94 points in 77 games. Not only did Eichel have a career year himself, but he also set a new standard for Vegas players by besting William Karlsson’s 78-point 2017-18 season, which stood as the franchise’s single-season record until now. This was largely due to his availability, missing only five games all season and only accruing eight PIMs.

As mentioned earlier, Kopitar is the only member of the trio who has previously won the Lady Byng Trophy, receiving the award in the 2015-16 and 2022-23 seasons. He outperformed his Pacific Division rival, Eichel, by only taking two minor penalties compared to Eichel’s four. Surpassing Dustin Brown as the longest-serving captain in Kings history this season, Kopitar helped Los Angeles reach the postseason for the fourth consecutive year.

Point became a finalist for the second time in three years, and for good reason. Point bested a point-per-game average for a third consecutive season and centered one of the most efficient top lines in the game. Beating Kopitar and Eichel, Point only had one minor penalty this year (and finished with seven PIMs).

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Injury Notes: Golden Knights, Avalanche, Middleton

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The Vegas Golden Knights were one of many teams to get a wave of positive injury updates on Friday. Neither star forward Jack Eichel nor top defenseman Alex Pietrangelo are expected to play on Saturday, but both are nearing a return, head coach Bruce Cassidy told Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Both players have missed Vegas’ last two games – Eichel with a day-to-day upper-body injury and Pietrangelo with illness. That same illness has also held winger Victor Olofsson and defender Nicolas Hague out of Vegas’ last two games. Cassidy shared that he had no updates on the latter two absentees, as they’re away from the rink with their sickness.

Getting Eichel back from injury will be a major addition as Vegas prepares for the postseason. He leads the squad in scoring this year with 27 goals and 93 points in 76 games – nearly 30 more points than Mark Stone’s 67 points ranked second. This is Eichel’s first season playing more than 70 games since the 2018-19 season, when he recorded his previous career-high 82 points with the Buffalo Sabres. The year has been more a return to routine health than a true breakout, but either way, Eichel has smashed his career-mark and is set to rival 100 points for the first time in his career. He’ll likely fall just short, as Vegas has just two games left after Saturday’s matchup against Nashville.

Meanwhile, Pietrangelo leads a strong – but sick – supporting cast. He has 33 points in 70 games this season, third-most on the Vegas blue-line. Pietrangelo leads the Golden Knights lineup in average ice time per game with 22:24 – surprisingly the lowest ice time average he’s recorded since his rookie season in 2010-11. He’ll jump right back to a top-pair role when he returns, while Olofsson and Hague will find their way in Vegas’ middle lines. Olofsson has managed 14 goals and 27 points in 54 games this season – stout scoring for his first year with the club. Hague, meanwhile, once again ranks near the bottom of scoring among Golden Knights defenders, with just 11 points in 66 games so far.

Other injury notes from around the league:

  • A pair of veteran members of the Avalanche took a step toward returning as Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette relays that winger Jonathan Drouin joined the team for practice yesterday in a non-contact jersey as he works his way back from a lower-body injury.  Meanwhile, defenseman Josh Manson (upper body) skated on his own.  Drouin has been banged up all season but has been productive when healthy, collecting 37 points in 43 games, good for sixth on the team in scoring despite missing 37 contests.  Manson, meanwhile, has been out for nearly a month now but has done well when playing, collecting 15 points in 48 games while averaging a little over 18 minutes per night of playing time.
  • Wild defenseman Jacob Middleton missed his third straight game last night due to an upper-body injury.  However, Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune notes that the blueliner is a possibility to return for tonight’s contest in Vancouver.  Middleton has been a critical part of Minnesota’s back end this year, logging nearly 22 minutes per game of ice time while also chipping in with 20 points in 66 outings.  The Wild are still trying to lock down a playoff spot and getting Middleton back would be a big boost to help them try to do just that.

PHR’s Brian La Rose also contributed to this post.

Golden Knights Recall Alexander Holtz

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After spending the last two months in the minors, Alexander Holtz is getting another NHL shot.  The Golden Knights have recalled the winger according to the NHL’s Media Portal while Danny Webster relays (Twitter link) that Holtz was on the third line in the morning skate.

The 23-year-old was acquired at the draft last year from New Jersey with Vegas hoping that a change of scenery could help unlock things for the 2020 seventh overall selection.  However, that didn’t exactly happen.  Holtz had a limited role with the Golden Knights in the first half of the season, notching just three goals and eight assists in 49 games while averaging 11:31 per night.  That playing time was similar to last season with the Devils when Holtz put up 16 goals and 12 helpers while playing all 82 games.  Instead of taking a step forward, he took a step back offensively.

That resulted in the Golden Knights taking a step back with Holtz when they assigned him to AHL Henderson in early February.  He certainly had more success with the Silver Knights, tallying seven goals and six assists in 16 appearances to earn this promotion.

It’s one that could be short-lived, however.  Webster notes (Twitter link) that winger Victor Olofsson was held out of the game day skate due to illness but could still play tonight against Seattle.  In that case, emergency conditions would no longer apply, meaning Holtz would either have to be returned to Henderson or be converted to one of their four post-deadline regular recalls.

In other Vegas news, Webster adds that center Jack Eichel remains listed as day-to-day and won’t suit up against the Kraken.  However, center Tomas Hertl was a full participant in the morning skate and appears to be set to play on the second line so they will at least get one impact center back for this one as they look to get one spot closer to clinching the Pacific Division title.  Hertl missed a little more than two weeks with a shoulder injury but still sits second on the Golden Knights in goals with 33 and third on the team in points with 59 in 70 games.

2024 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced

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Today, the NHL announced the 32 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”

Each team submitted their nominee; they are as follows:

Anaheim Ducks: Cam Fowler
Arizona Coyotes: Nick Bjugstad
Boston Bruins: Linus Ullmark
Buffalo Sabres: Alex Tuch
Calgary Flames: Andrew Mangiapane
Carolina Hurricanes: Jaccob Slavin
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Murphy
Colorado Avalanche: Cale Makar
Columbus Blue Jackets: Zach Werenski
Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger
Detroit Red Wings: Dylan Larkin
Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse
Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov
Los Angeles Kings: Kevin Fiala
Minnesota Wild: Marc-Andre Fleury
Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki
Nashville Predators: Roman Josi
New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes
New York Islanders: Anders Lee
New York Rangers: Jacob Trouba
Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk
Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh Penguins: Bryan Rust
San Jose Sharks: Luke Kunin
Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz
St. Louis Blues: Brayden Schenn
Tampa Bay Lightning: Nick Paul
Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews
Vancouver Canucks: Quinn Hughes
Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel
Washington Capitals: Tom Wilson
Winnipeg Jets: Josh Morrissey

Unlike most awards which are voted on by the players or media, the winner of this award is selected by a committee consisting of Commissioner Gary Bettman and former winners of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the NHL Foundation Player Award, one that was awarded from 1997-98 through 2016-17.

Last year’s winner was Calgary’s Mikael Backlund.  The winner for this season will be revealed in late June.

Golden Knights Activate Jack Eichel, Place Mark Stone On LTIR

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The Golden Knights welcomed back a key part of their attack tonight against Columbus as the team announced (Twitter link) that center Jack Eichel has been activated off long-term injured reserve.  To become cap-compliant to activate him, winger Mark Stone was transferred to LTIR, per PuckPedia (Twitter link).  Additionally, SinBinVegas relays (Twitter link) that forward Brendan Brisson has been taken off the roster, meaning he has been sent down to AHL Henderson.

Eichel has missed the last seven weeks (spanning 19 games) after undergoing surgery to repair a knee injury in mid-January and had been cleared for full contact since Friday.  Despite the extended absence, the 27-year-old still sits third on Vegas with 19 goals and 44 points in 42 games which had earned him an All-Star nod although he couldn’t participate due to the injury.

It has been a rough go as of late for the Golden Knights who won seven of the first nine games without their top middleman but have lost seven of their last nine, dropping them to fourth in the Pacific in terms of point percentage.  If that held, instead of contending for a division title, they’d find themselves in a Wild Card spot so they’ll be counting on Eichel to help right the ship.

As for Stone, his LTIR placement has been widely expected.  The 31-year-old last played on February 20th with what has been reported as a lacerated spleen, one that will keep him out of the rest of the regular season at least; his availability for the start of the playoffs remains in question.  His absence has also been significant as Stone is still tied for the team lead in points (53) and leads Vegas in assists with 37.

The fact that Stone will miss the rest of the regular season means that the Golden Knights can use the remainder of their LTIR pool – a little over $7MM – to add to their roster before Friday’s trade deadline.

As for Brisson, the 22-year-old was up on an emergency recall and hasn’t looked out of place in his first taste of NHL action over the last seven weeks.  Brisson has two goals and four assists with Vegas so far this season while logging 12:39 per night, good numbers for a rookie.  Meanwhile, with the Silver Knights, he has been more productive, notching 12 goals and 14 helpers in 41 contests.  While Vegas had the ability to keep Brisson on the active roster, it makes more sense to send him down if he isn’t going to play in their top 12 for the time being.

Western Conference Notes: Eichel, Myers, Vilardi, Stankoven

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Vegas Golden Knights star Jack Eichel won’t make his return from injury on Saturday, says head coach Bruce Cassidy. His next chance to return will come when Vegas visits the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. Eichel has been out since January 11th, missing the team’s last 18 games with a knee injury that required surgery. He made his return to the team’s practices on Wednesday, quickly upgrading to a full-contact jersey and nearing a return.

Eichel’s return will offer major relief to a Vegas lineup that’s gone 2-5-1 in their last eight games – with opponents outscoring the Golden Knights 31-to-27. Eichel is the only Golden Knight scoring above a point-per-game pace this season, with 44 points in 42 games. Vegas has set a much more commanding 24-13-5 record in games Eichel has been healthy for.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers has been designated as week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. Mark Friedman will slot into his spot in the lineup. That will bring Friedman up to 21 NHL games this season, spending much of the year as an injury fill-in. He’s managed just one assist alongside 21 penalty minutes and a +5. Myers has so far appeared in all 62 Canucks games this season – a feat that, impressively, eight different Canucks have managed, including three defensemen.
  • Winnipeg Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi has returned to Winnipeg to seek further evaluation for an upper-body injury suffered in the team’s Thursday night loss to the Dallas Stars. Vilardi left the game after just 10 minutes of ice time. He missed Winnipeg’s Saturday morning win over the Carolina Hurricanes and will now miss one more game as the Jets round out their road trip on Sunday. Vilardi has scored 16 goals and 30 points in 38 games this season, though he’s been heavily limited by a string of injuries. The Jets have gone 26-10-2 in games Vilardi has appeared in this season.
  • The Dallas Stars have recalled impressive rookie Logan Stankoven, who was briefly sent down to the minors after the team’s Thursday night game. But with this recall, Dallas shows that move was purely transactional, and that Stankoven will indeed continue in an NHL role after recording three goals and four points in his first four career games. Stankoven has also recorded 57 points in 47 games this season, battling for the league’s top scorer title all season long.

Snapshots: Johnson, Eichel, Gadjovich, Konecny

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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson missed the team’s Thursday morning practice with an illness, team reporter Lance Lysowski shares. Johnson was also limited to just three minutes of ice time in Buffalo’s Tuesday night loss to the Florida Panthers. His availability for the team’s Thursday night game is uncertain.

Johnson has appeared in 50 games with the Sabres, scoring three goals and setting a -5. This season marks the first time that Johnson has scored a regular season goal since the 2021-22 season, when he netted eight in Colorado, though Johnson did score once in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The former first-overall pick is sitting at 970 career NHL games, though his 1,000th will have to wait until next season, with the Sabres left with 23 games this season. Johnson’s absence will likely pull rookie Ryan Johnson back into the lineup. Ryan Johnson has appeared in 37 games this season, recording seven assists and a +1. He’s still searching for his first goal as a pro hockey player, also yet to score in the AHL, where he’s tallied four assists in nine games.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Vegas Golden Knights star Jack Eichel has returned to full contact at practice, suggesting he’ll be ready to return soon. The team plays the Boston Bruins on Thursday night, and the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Eichel’s availability for these outings hasn’t been clarified yet. His return will be big news for Vegas, who just lost Mark Stone to a lacerated spleen. Eichel is Vegas’ last skater scoring above a point-per-game, with 19 goals and 44 points in 42 games.
  • Florida Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich will miss the team’s Thursday night game with a “minor” injury, per team reporter Colby Guy. Head coach Paul Maurice shared with Guy that he thinks Gadjovich will rehab quickly. The 25-year-old winger has four points and 90 penalty minutes in 31 games this season. He’s expected to be replaced by William Lockwood, who has one assist in 24 games of his own this season.
  • Top Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny has not yet returned to the team’s practices. He’s missed the last three games with an upper-body injury, seemingly suffered at the team’s Friday practice, which Konecny left early. He’s been a force for Philadelphia when healthy, scoring 27 goals and 54 points in 57 games.

Afternoon Notes: Eichel, Monahan, Liljegren, Timmins

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Star Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel returned to the team’s practices today, donning a no-contact jersey. It’s his first appearance on the ice since January 11th, as Eichel has been facing a knee injury that required surgery. The injury earned him a spot on long-term injured reserve in mid February, though he’s missed enough games to be eligible to return. Now in a no-contact jersey, it seems Eichel is just awaiting clearance to resume contact and a full practice. The 27-year-old has joined Vegas on their current four-game road trip across the Atlantic Division, which will feature a matchup against Eichel’s former Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. It’s not yet clear if he’ll be able to play in that matchup, though his return to practice suggests he’ll return soon.

Eichel’s return will illicit a big sigh of relief from Vegas’ top brass. The team recently lost star winger Mark Stone to a lacerated spleen that earned him a spot on injured reserve. Vegas is also down William Carrier, Brett Howden, and Pavel Dorofeyev – forcing the club to lean on depth options like Brendan Brisson, Byron Froese, and Sheldon Rempal.

In Eichel, Vegas is getting back their only player still scoring at, or above, a point-per-game pace. Eichel has 19 goals and 44 points through 42 games this season, while leading the team’s forwards in ice time. The Golden Knights will hope he can quickly bounce back to the role of lineup star and save them from the 1-4-1 stretch they find themselves on.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Winnipeg Jets are expecting Sean Monahan to slot back into the lineup, after missing the team’s Sunday game with illness, per team reporter Scott Billeck with the Winnipeg Sun. Monahan has played in eight games since being traded to the Winnipeg Jets, scoring five points but still searching for his first assist. The scoring brings Monahan’s totals up to 40 points in 57 games this season – the most he’s scored since the 2019-20 season.
  • Timothy Liljegren is slated to miss the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Tuesday night game against the Vegas Golden Knights with an undisclosed injury, per head coach Sheldon Keefe. Keefe added that Liljegren got banged up in the team’s Saturday game against the Colorado Avalanche, with Liljegren leaving the bench later into the third period. The 24-year-old defenseman has 16 points across 40 games this season.
  • Conor Timmins has returned to skating, though he’s not yet cleared to skate with the team, per team reporter David Alter. Timmins has been out since January 24th with mononucleosis. It’s another halt in Timmins’ season, which kicked off with a lower-body injury that held him out until late November. He’s since sat out due to being a healthy scratch and dealing with illness. Timmins, 25, has six points in 16 games this season.

Golden Knights’ Mark Stone To Be Out “A While” With Injury

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Star Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone will be “out for a while” per general manager Kelly McCrimmon, who shared the update with Pierre McGuire and Jimmy Murphy on the latest episode of The Sick Podcast – The Eye Test. McCrimmon added some good news, saying that Jack Eichel and William Carrier are nearing a return.

Stone suffered an apparent upper-body injury in the team’s Tuesday night game against the Nashville Predators, after receiving a big hit from Yakov Trenin. Trenin earned an interference penalty on the play. Stone’s injury is a tremendous loss for the Golden Knights. The 31-year-old winger currently leads the team in scoring, with 16 goals and 53 points through 56 games. It’s yet another successful season for Stone, who has totaled 256 points in 274 games since joining the Golden Knights in 2018-19. Unfortunately, productivity isn’t the only consistent for Stone – as he is yet again facing long-term injury in the second half of the season. Stone has had an upper-body injury hold him out from February to April in each of the last two seasons, earning a spot on injured reserve each time. Vegas will hope lightning doesn’t strike for a third time this season, with Stone so far remaining off of IR.

If Vegas does lose Stone, they’ll quickly turn their towards Jack Eichel, who has been out of action since January 11th with a knee injury. Eichel was moved to long-term injured reserve on Monday, though he has already missed the required amount of time and will be eligible to return as soon as he’s healthy. He has been Vegas’ most-productive scorer, operating as the only Golden Knight scoring above a point-per-game pace with 19 goals and 44 points through 42 games. Eichel has also been consistently limited by injury, with 67 games last season marking the most he’s played in one year since the 2019-20 campaign. He’ll have a chance to beat that mark by one game, with 26 games remaining on Vegas’ schedule, though he’d have to return on Thursday to maintain that pace.

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