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Jack Eichel

Jack Eichel Done For Season With Herniated Disk

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April 15: At his media availability today with reporters including John Vogl of The Athletic, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams explained that Eichel will be re-examined in early May but for now will continue rehab, not undergo surgery.

April 14: The Buffalo Sabres have actually played better of late, but bad news is coming down about their captain. The team has announced that Jack Eichel will miss the rest of the season due to a herniated disk in his neck. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that Eichel is expected to need surgery but should be healthy for the start of the 2021-22 season.

You couldn’t script a worse season for Eichel, who came into the year with huge expectations after scoring 36 goals and 78 points in just 68 games during the shortened 2019-20 campaign. He had taken the next step in his career and the front office had rewarded him by bringing in a top free agent, signing Taylor Hall to a one-year $8MM deal specifically to play alongside Eichel. Well, Hall is now in Boston after quickly playing himself off Eichel’s wing and recording just two goals in 37 games, while the Sabres’ captain will finish his season with just 18 points in 21 games played.

The fact that Eichel had just two goals of his own is an incredible dropoff for a player that had 137 through his first five NHL seasons and strongly contributed to the Sabres league-worst record. Now the question becomes whether or not Eichel has played his last game for the Sabres, as trade rumors have followed him in each of the last several offseasons and will only grow in volume after this brutal year.

It has now been nearly six years since the Sabres selected Eichel second overall behind Connor McDavid in 2015. In that time he has yet to even sniff the postseason, with the Sabres finishing no higher than sixth in their division during his career. He’s played through the entire coaching tenures of Dan Bylsma (2015-17), Phil Housley (2017-19), and Ralph Krueger (2019-21) without any real success, despite his own high point totals. The fact that he’s making $10MM per season for the next five years will only increase the trade talk as the Sabres obviously need to go through a real rebuild if they want to compete.

Eichel will turn 25 in October and is now facing a long rehab with plenty of uncertainty surrounding the future of the Sabres. This won’t be the last time his name graces the headlines before the start of 2021-22.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Injury Notes: Gallagher, Tanev, Eichel, Andersen

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Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin spoke with the media today following the passing of the trade deadline and did not parse words when asked about injured star Brendan Gallagher. Bergevin does not believe that Gallagher has a chance to play prior to the conclusion of the regular season, he openly admitted. This would align with the six-week timeframe that Gallagher received after fracturing his thumb this past week. There was some optimism that Gallagher could return before the Canadiens’ season is currently scheduled to end on May 11, but Bergevin either does not see this as realistic or simply will not rush Gallagher back to play regular season games. With the North Division playoff teams all but set, Montreal faces little risk of missing the postseason so the priority with Gallagher is only to get him as healthy as possible for the playoffs.

  • Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ron Hextall had similar things to say about one of his own players today. Hextall told the media that the move to acquire Jeff Carter was at least partially influenced by the belief that Brandon Tanev will not play again in the regular season. He stated that Tanev’s upper-body injury, which landed him on Long-Term Injured Reserve, is a “tough injury to judge” but that he does not believe the rugged forward can return before the playoffs. Tanev has been a scoring presence and a physical presence for the Penguins this year and the team will have to replace his output in a number of areas. Fortunately, Hextall at least noted that Kasperi Kapanen is expected back in 10-14 days and Evgeni Malkin is likely to play again before the end of the regular season.
  • The Buffalo Sabres’ season is obviously lost and the team will not rush injured superstar Jack Eichel back into action to play meaningless games. GM Kevyn Adams spoke to the media today and stated that Eichel has not officially been shut down for the year, but he is at least out for a while longer. The superb center has missed 18 games since suffering a neck injury in early March and has only made “slight improvement” in that time per Adams. He did not rule out Eichel playing in some of the Sabres’ final games, but by that point it seems even more unlikely that the team will see any value in putting him back in the lineup.
  • One GM did share some optimism with the media today regarding a key injury. Toronto’s Kyle Dubas made it clear that he does not consider starting goaltender Frederik Andersen to be done for the season. Andersen’s has been struggling with a nagging injury and to this point there has been no timetable for his return. As a result, Dubas made a major addition in net by trading for David Rittich to pair with the red-hot Jack Campbell, but he did not rule out Andersen taking his job back at some point. Dubas did not try to guess as to whether Andersen would be able to return before the end of the regular season or if he would instead be active for the playoffs, but he simply believes that Andersen will play for the Maple Leafs again this year. For the impending free agent, pushing through the pain to get back on the ice may be Andersen’s last chance of suiting up for Toronto again.

Jack Eichel Dealing With Upper-Body Injury

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Saturday: While head coach Ralph Krueger was unable to disclose a timeline, he did tell reporters including John Vogl of The Athletic that Eichel is out “for the foreseeable future” and that he is unable to put a date on how long he will be out.  Krueger also declined to specify if his top center needs surgery or just rest.

Tuesday: The Buffalo Sabres don’t need any more bad news, but they got some anyway. Jack Eichel will miss tonight’s game with an upper-body injury and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tweets that there are “rumblings” that he could be out for longer. Eichel was seen grabbing his neck over the weekend after being pushed into the boards behind the New York Islanders net, though it is not clear if that is the injury he is currently dealing with.

At Sabres practice, Dylan Cozens has moved into the first-line center role between Taylor Hall and Sam Reinhart according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. While that is certainly exciting for the young forward and his fans, losing Eichel for any significant length of time would all but guarantee that the Sabres season is over. The team is already sitting in last place in the NHL with just six wins in 23 games.

This has been a season to forget for Eichel personally too, even though he does have 18 points in 21 games. Only two of those are goals, one of which was a powerplay marker. That means the $10MM center has exactly one even-strength goal on the year, a huge reason why the team is struggling so much. Even Eichel’s ice time has come down this season, which has had some speculating over whether he was already playing hurt.

It’s injury to insult now the Sabres these days, who can’t seem to find a silver lining in anything that happens. The team takes on the Philadelphia Flyers this evening.

Injury Notes: Eichel, Pietrangelo, Bruins, COVID

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Jack Eichel is leaving Buffalo… to get a second opinion on his injury. The Sabres superstar has been dealing with a lingering upper-body injury this season, which was aggravated on Sunday according to The Athletic’s John Vogl. Eichel returned to Buffalo while his team took on the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday and now as they head home, Eichel is leaving to see a specialist. It is still unknown what exactly is bothering Eichel and there have been contrasting reports as to its severity. While head coach Ralph Krueger stated that Eichel may miss only a week, other sources claim that the injury could be much more severe. Seeking a second opinion is certainly not an indication that this is an ailment that only requires a week of rest. Fortunately (?), the Sabres’ season is already lost and they have no reason to bypass proper treatment and rehab for Eichel in order to rush him back to action. While the All-Star center surely would like to return and improve upon a dismal season by his standards, there should be no pressure from the team. Perhaps only Krueger, the optimistic voice on Eichel’s injury, stands to gain from his quick return, as the head coach’s seat is very hot.

  • Alex Pietrangelo has also left his team, abandoning the Golden Knights’ road trip in order to return to Las Vegas, head coach Peter DeBoer tells NHL.com’s Danny Webster. Pietrangelo is out “for the foreseeable future” due to an upper-body injury. Pietrangelo left the Knights’ Saturday tilt with the San Jose Sharks after blocking a shot and did not suit up on Monday. While the team has not disclosed the specific injury that their big off-season addition suffered, it is believed to be related to his left hand or wrist. DeBoer stated that he does not think that Pietrangelo will be out “long, long-term” but did say that there is not timetable for his return.
  • The Boston Bruins have suffered through consistent injuries all season long and there is still a lack of concrete information on their extended absences. GM Don Sweeney spoke to the media and attempted to provide some insight, but had few details to offer. Forward Ondrej Kase, acquired at the 2020 trade deadline, has been out since the Bruins’ second game of the season after suffering his third head injury in a calendar year. He has resumed skating and is “eager to play”, but there is still no timetable for his return as they work him back cautiously from another concussion. Kase was expected to provide secondary scoring for the Bruins this season, which has again been a struggle for the team, and they will likely have to make a call on adding a forward at the trade deadline before they get to see much of Kase back in action. Sweeney also addressed the status of another injury-prone player, Kevan Miller. Miller missed all of last season with a fractured kneecap and recently suffered a “setback from a volume standpoint”, likely overworking his surgically-repaired knee. An absence from Miller, even just due to rest, is not unexpected but Sweeney stated that he too has not timeframe for a return. Jeremy Lauzon, who suffered a broken hand late last month, was given more of a ascertainable timeline to return, but according to Sweeney he appears to be on track to return later in his four-to-six-week window. Lauzon has already missed over two weeks following surgery, but he reportedly will still not be re-evaluated for another four weeks. As for Brandon Carlo, whose recent head injury was well-publicized, Sweeney offered no update other than to say he is feeling better, but not skating.
  • The NHL has done a tremendous job of working their COVID Protocol Related Absences list down to just a handful of names over the past week or so. The league finally appears to have a handle on the virus, just in time for many players to soon start receiving vaccines. However, Coronavirus continues to rear its ugly head in other corners of the hockey world. On Wednesday night, an AHL game between the Binghamton Devils and Lehigh Valley Phantoms was suspended after the first period due to COVID-19 protocols affecting the Devils, NHL.com’s Mike Morreale reports. At the college level, the ECAC announced that Clarkson University, ranked second in the conference and 14th nationally, will be forced to end their season due to COVID. Not only will Clarkson miss out on both the ECAC and NCAA Tournaments, but the ECAC is now left with just three teams playing two games to determine a conference champ, with their Ivy League members also not competing this season. Clarkson becomes the second program, after Merrimack College, forced to end their season prematurely due to COVID.

Trade Deadline Primer: Buffalo Sabres

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Although we’re not even two months into the season, the trade deadline is just over a month away.  Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Buffalo Sabres.

No team has received more media scrutiny this season than the Buffalo Sabres. The team is floundering yet again despite adding the top free agent forward in Taylor Hall and acquiring veteran center Eric Staal. Not only have Hall and Staal disappointed, but very few members of the team have exceeded or even met expectations this season. With failing veterans, stalled youngsters, and a number of expiring contracts, the Sabres are stuck and appear primed for a fire sale and resumed focus on rebuilding.

According to a number of sources, almost anyone on the Sabres could be made available. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Buffalo is “wide open” for business and The Athletic included four Sabres on their Trade Deadline Big Board. It all sounds very exciting to the other 30 teams and their fans, doesn’t it? Well, don’t get your hopes too high for major moves by Buffalo. Given the constraints of an NHL trade market impacted by a flat salary cap as well as real-life financial struggles, not to mention the restrictions on Canadian teams due to COVID-19 border policies, making trades this year is no easy feat. Trading a player like Jack Eichel in-season seems nearly impossible, even if the Sabres wanted to move him which is unlikely. Add in that rookie GM Kevyn Adams is new to the job and trying to build connections in a quiet market while trying to avoid being taken advantage of, and the Sabres suddenly look like a team that might end up playing it safe. Does Adams really want to move the likes of Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson, both of whom are among the productive minority in Buffalo, when the odds of winning such a move seem slim? Does he want to potentially overreact to the frustrations of Jeff Skinner and give away major assets to move his contract? Adams has a number of contracts expiring after this year and next that he can move without much risk of it coming back to bite him. Expect that “wide open” means he’s willing to move any amount of those players, but won’t be too keen to touch anyone else who the team may still be able to build around.

Record

6-14-3, .326, 8th in East Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$410,962 in full-season cap space, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2021: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 4th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th
2022: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th

Trade Chips

Hall of course stands out as the top trade chip for the Sabres if you assume that the likes of Eichel, Reinhart, Olofsson, and Rasmus Dahlin are not going anywhere (a safe assumption despite the whispers). The former Hart Trophy winner may not be enjoying a strong season, but he is a known commodity who can play a top-six role for any team in the league. Hall has expressed some interest in re-signing with Buffalo, but without any evidence that he is a fit and with a ways to go in their rebuild, retaining the 29-year-old Hall on a heavy price tag makes little sense. The trouble with trading him though is a potential lack of suitors who can actually afford his $8MM cap hit. A lack of demand could impact what Buffalo is able to receive in a deal, but they should still end up with a nice package. Anything is better than letting him walk for free this summer.

Staal too could see his time in Buffalo come to a quick end. The veteran center is well-respected across the league and brings solid two-way play and postseason experience. While he has lost a step, that won’t stop contenders from seeing him as a worthwhile depth addition.

On defense, Brandon Montour is absolutely on the block. The puck-moving defenseman is headed for free agency and the Sabres have made it known that they are open to renting him out. Montour has not produced as they had hoped and is no longer in their long-term plans, so Buffalo has no reason not to trade the 26-year-old defenseman. Given his offensive upside, his ability to play either side of the blue line, and his palatable $3.85MM cap hit, Montour should be easy to move. Sadly, Jake McCabe also would have been easy to move and would have returned a prime package as arguably the best left-handed defenseman on a trade deadline seller. However, his season is over due to injury and the Sabres will lose out on his trade value.

Even with Montour and McCabe out of the way this off-season, the Sabres still face a potential expansion conundrum on defense. Should Buffalo choose to protect seven forwards and three defensemen, Dahlin is a lock but it leaves only two spots to split between top-four blue liners Rasmus Ristolainen and Colin Miller and young Henri Jokiharju. The Sabres could choose to move one of the three rather than lose them for nothing to the Seattle Kraken. Ristolainen had long been a fixture on the rumor mill, but those talks have cooled significantly since last season. Do the Sabres finally move the talented defenseman, especially as his stock has risen this season? Ristolainen only has one season remaining on his contract and could be tempted to pursue a more talented team in free agency after playing exclusively for Buffalo thus far in his pro career. Miller also has just one year remaining on his deal and comes with a lesser price tag than Ristolainen, albeit with a less complete game as well. Jokijarju, 21, is not necessarily safe either; the young rearguard has not met expectations thus far in his time with the Sabres but he does have impressive upside.

In net, Buffalo will see both members of their NHL tandem hit the open market this summer barring an extension. The Sabres may be well-served to extend 27-year-old Linus Ullmark, but if the feeling isn’t mutual then they should move the net minder while he can still return value. If Ullmark is healthy, he could be a major trade chip for the Sabres. Veteran Carter Hutton is less likely to move given his struggles and his $2.75MM cap hit, but Buffalo will certainly make him available.

Others to Watch For: F Curtis Lazar ($800K, one year remaining), F Tobias Rieder ($700K, UFA), F Riley Sheahan ($700K, UFA), D Matt Irwin ($700K, UFA)

Team Needs

1) Draft Picks – Sabres fans rightfully want their team to be better and they want them to be better sooner rather than later. However, that isn’t easy to do. A rookie GM with few impact players and little cap space doesn’t have the means to immediately upgrade his roster. This team is headed toward a long, arduous rebuild. What makes accepting that reality even more difficult is that the Sabres do not even have their full complement of draft picks to build upon. Missing a third and a fifth this year and a fifth next year, Buffalo is in the unfortunate position of needing to add talent to their pipeline and don’t even have the complete means to do so. The goal for Adams and company at the deadline should be not only to recoup their missing picks but to add other high-value picks as well.

2) Prospects – If the Sabres are unable to add valuable future prospects in the form of high draft picks, they need to target current top prospects instead. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler recently ranked Buffalo’s pipeline as 15th-best in the NHL, an unacceptable position for a team that is supposed to be rebuilding. The Sabres need to move from middle-of-the-pack toward the top of the NHL’s prospect rankings if they want to speed up their rebuild. A projected top-four defenseman and center depth should be the specific targets of their aim to add youth.

Jack Eichel Has Not Requested A Trade

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After several other general managers around the league have recently spoken to the media to deflect pressure from their players and coaching staffs, Buffalo Sabres executive Kevyn Adams announced a press conference today to do the same thing. The presser was not to announce anything in particular, as Adams instead just answered questions. Right away, the Buffalo GM made one thing clear: Jack Eichel has not requested a trade.

It is surprising it even came to this point for the Sabres, who added Taylor Hall and Eric Staal in the offseason in an effort to compete for the playoffs. With Eichel and other young pieces like Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Olofsson and Sam Reinhart, the Sabres were supposed to be on the upswing. Instead, the team has crumbled, losing their last five and compiling a 6-12-3 record through their first 21 games of the season.

A big part of that terrible record is the play of Eichel, Hall and expensive winger Jeff Skinner, who have combined for just two even-strength goals (and four total). Those three combine for a $27MM cap hit, a huge number for any team, let alone one that’s just trying to pull itself out of the basement. Those struggles have led to plenty of speculation about Eichel, who is quickly approaching 400 games in his career without ever sniffing the postseason.

Recently, Eichel was put second on The Athletic’s Trade Deadline Big Board, with one league executive even suggesting that he was “going to end up a New York Ranger” at some point in the future. Adams today downplayed his captain’s availability, once again explaining that he isn’t looking to trade one of, in his words, “the best players in the world.” On the idea that he solicited offers in the offseason, Adams just said that he listened if people called, as he would with any other player.

Even though his goal totals are down, Eichel does still have 16 points in 19 games for the Sabres, tied for the most on the team with Reinhart and Olofsson. There’s no one doubting his ability as a top player, but since he’s making $10MM per season and wears the “C”, the target will continually be placed on his back. The 24-year-old has shown clear frustration in the past when his team continued to lose, and his trade availability is a story that isn’t going anywhere–even if he hasn’t requested one yet.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Eichel/Krueger, Sutter, Wheeler, Grzelcyk

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Buffalo Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger isn’t having a good week. The team has lost three straight, including a 3-0 shutout loss to Philadelphia Sunday. When star Jack Eichel went down with an injury and was expected to miss time earlier this week, Krueger told the press, including The Athletic’s John Vogl that Eichel got hurt during warm-ups on Thursday and his injury was not related to the fact that he missed the morning skate that day.

Eichel, who played Sunday, said after Sunday’s game that the injury didn’t happen in warm-ups like Krueger said. Eichel said the injury occurred during Tuesday’s game against New Jersey, contradicting Krueger’s statement three days earlier.

When Vogl asked about his job status, Krueger said he wasn’t worried.

“Absolutely not, John,” said Krueger. “If you do, I don’t know. But I’m not wired that way, just so you know. I’m wired to work on solutions and take responsibility, and I do both right now.”

Not a good sign in Buffalo.

  • Vancouver Canucks center Brandon Sutter is having a solid season in the final year of his five-year, $21.9MM contract. The 32-year-old has scored six goals in 24 games so far this year. Despite being a logical trade chip for the upcoming trade deadline on April 12th, Sutter says he wants to stay with the Canucks past this year, according to The Province’s Ben Kuzma. “You know when your contract is up there’s always going to be speculation and talk,” he said. “For me, I’m just focused on this group and this team. I want to be here and this is where I want to stay. Really no secrets there from me.”
  • Just because the Winnipeg Jets asked defenseman Toby Enstrom to waive his no-movement clause so the team could protect seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie in the 2017 Vegas expansion draft, don’t expect Winnipeg to do the same with Blake Wheeler this year for the upcoming Seattle expansion draft. The Athletic’s Murat Ates (subscription required) writes that Wheeler would fit the profile of someone the Seattle Kraken would pass on if he were left exposed, considering he’s 35, has three more years at $8.25MM and is no longer a dominant top-line forward (although still a solid top-six player). The scribe notes that the Jets would never ask him to waive his no-movement clause. Winnipeg intends to use Wheeler as well as Mark Scheifele as examples to other Jets’ players that the team will stick with their stars for their entire career.
  • Joe Haggerty of BostonHockeyNow writes the Boston Bruins could see the return of top-four defenseman Matt Grzelcyk soon. The 27-year-old blueliner practiced Saturday, but wasn’t ready to go Sunday against the Rangers. Grzelcyk has been out with a lower-body injury and has missed all but two games since Jan. 21. He has tried to come back twice when he obviously wasn’t ready. Grzelcyk has only appeared in six games this year.

East Notes: Sabres Injuries, Clutterbuck, Dal Colle, Schneider

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There’s some good news and some bad news on the injury front for the Sabres in advance of their pair of weekend matinees against Philadelphia.  The good news is that there’s a chance that defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen could return with head coach Ralph Krueger telling reporters, including Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News, that there’s a “high possibility” that the blueliner could play on Saturday.  Ristolainen was off to a good start to his season with six points in ten games while logging over 23 minutes per night before a particularly tough bout with COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the bad news is that center Jack Eichel and goaltender Linus Ullmark aren’t expected to be available for either game, relays Jourdan LaBarber on the Sabres’ team website.  Eichel was a late scratch on Thursday after experiencing some discomfort during the pregame warmup and is listed as day-to-day.  As for Ullmark, he left after the first period yesterday with Krueger indicating that they’re hopeful he will only be day-to-day after their weekend games.  One of Dustin Tokarski or Jonas Johansson will need to be recalled from the taxi squad.

Elsewhere in the East Division:

  • Islanders winger Cal Clutterbuck missed practice today due to an unspecified injury with head coach Barry Trotz classifying him as day-to-day, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross. He left Thursday’s contest against Boston in the first period and did not return.  However, it appears that New York could get some good news on the injury front as Michael Dal Colle practiced today and could be available for one of their games this weekend.  The 24-year-old is currently on IR with a lower-body injury and has missed the last four games.
  • From the same column, Gross notes that Islanders goaltender Cory Schneider has been designated as a non-roster player and is unavailable due to family reasons. That was what prompted Jakub Skarek to be recalled to the taxi squad yesterday to keep the team compliant in having three available goaltenders.  New York now has an extra roster spot available although with an extra forward and defenseman up on most game days, they likely won’t need to use it.

Speculation Swirling Around Buffalo Sabres

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The Buffalo Sabres are losing again. Even with the offseason excitement of pairing Taylor Hall with Jack Eichel, the team is at the bottom of the East Division standings, sitting 4-6-2 with just 31 goals in 12 games. That MVP-caliber pair has produced just three goals combined, including just a single tally at even-strength. Add in the zero goals that Jeff Skinner has provided and the Sabres have just three for the combined $27MM cap hit of that trio. With that kind of offensive ineptitude from their highest-paid players, speculation about trades was bound to spark up.

Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet joined The Instigators on WGR550 in Buffalo and spent nearly 15 minutes discussing the future of Skinner. The 28-year-old forward has six years left after this season on his eight-year $72MM contract but has just 24 points in the 71 games since he signed it. He has just one point this season and has had his ice time reduced dramatically. It’s not clear at all how Buffalo gets out from under the Skinner contract, but Friedman doesn’t believe Buffalo should be trying to attach draft picks as a sweetener in a potential trade.

It was the next topic that really raised some eyebrows though, as the conversation turned to a potential trade of Eichel. Friedman simply stated “yes” when asked if a trade of the Sabres superstar was possible, before going on to explain his thoughts:

Look, we know that this was something that came up last summer. I don’t know that it was ever close. The feeling that I’ve always had is that Buffalo knew Eichel was unhappy. They asked Eichel to take a step last year and he really did, we’ve talked about how much of a step Eichel took last year. Still, when it came to team success it just didn’t really go anywhere. Now you look at where it is this year, you know he’s going to be frustrated, and there were conversations last year. But what I was told was, the Sabres just said ’we are not ready to do this. We are not ready.’ Teams made offers, it was communicated that he was restless. I don’t think he ever asked for a trade, I don’t think it got that far. But he was restless and teams knew it. The Sabres took some offers and said ’no we’re not ready to do this.’

It’s clear that there would be interest in Eichel, but a trade involving a $10MM-per-year contract would certainly not be simple. The 24-year-old center is signed through the 2025-26 season. Friedman notes that the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings could both potentially put together packages for Eichel from the number of assets in the organization, though doesn’t imply they have made an offer at any point.

One important difference between Skinner and Eichel, other than the obvious performance levels, is that the former owns a full no-move clause. Eichel’s NMC doesn’t kick in until the 2022-23 season, the year he would have normally been eligible for unrestricted free agency (players before that age are not allowed to include any trade protection in their contracts). That means trading Skinner would have the additional hurdle of getting his blessing, while Eichel technically doesn’t have to be included in the process.

Still, the only way the Sabres would be moving on from their franchise center is if he wanted it, and though Friedman suggests there was unrest in the summer, Eichel has never publicly stated he is looking for a change. In fact, he has done quite the opposite, by acknowledging his frustration but reaffirming his commitment to the Sabres organization many times. That feeling can change in a heartbeat though, and by the end of this season, Eichel will have played more than 400 NHL games without ever sniffing the postseason. Buffalo hasn’t even had a winning season with him, going 160-194-55 in his five-plus-year career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

East Notes: Barzal, Cizikas, Olofsson, Peterka

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With the opening of training camp, New York Islander players have undergone off-ice testing today. However, one notable missing player today is unsigned restricted free agent Mathew Barzal, who now is considered to officially be a holdout, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple.

Head coach Barry Trotz confirmed that Barzal is not in camp, although he said Barzal is on Long Island. He said he will make due without Barzal for now. The team currently only has $3.9MM in cap room, but once the team is able to put defenseman Johnny Boychuk on LTIR due to a career-ending eye injury, that should open up some extra cap space to sign the first-line center.

“You have to make sure you’re adaptable,” Trotz said. “We’re going to worry about who we can put on the ice.”

  • Sticking with the Islanders, Staple reports that forward Casey Cizikas is in camp and ready to go. The 29-year-old forward was forced to leave the bubble during the playoffs after suffering an eye injury. Cizikas told Staple that he took a hit to the head during the playoffs and the vision in his left eye went blurry. After leaving the bubble, the key fourth-line forward was diagnosed with a detached retina. “I feel comfortable and confident on the ice now, so that’s the most important thing,” said Cizikas.
  • When Taylor Hall signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres, the former Hart Trophy winner was penciled in next two Jack Eichel and winger Victor Olofsson. Unfortunately, the first few days of camp haven’t given him much playing time with those linemates as Eichel has been out with an upper-body injury and has been day-to-day with the start of camp. Now, Olofsson is also listed as day-to-day. The forward left practice Saturday after crashing hard into the goal post while doing a one-on-one drill with Rasmus Dahlin at full speed, according to The Athletic’s Jon Vogl. He was favoring his left arm. However, head coach Ralph Kruger said Sunday that he expects Eichel, Olofsson and goaltender Linus Ullmark to return by Wednesday, according to the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski, although that likely means they will miss Monday’s scrimmage.
  • Despite an impressive showing for Team Germany at the World Juniors last week, Buffalo Sabres prospect John-Jason Peterka will not be attending Buffalo’s training camp. The 18-year-old is expected to return to Germany and play for EHC Munchen in the DEL where he has been playing since last season. The team’s second-round pick (34th overall) scored seven goals amongst men in 42 games there last season and should take a much bigger role with his team this year. Vogl adds that Krueger knows Peterka’s coach in the DEL and believes he will develop him well.

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