On paper, blind to all of the circumstances of this trade, this looks like a solid deal.
While the price was steep, seeing Vegas give up a promising winger in Alex Tuch, a top prospect in Peyton Krebs, and two draft picks to get the 25-year-old centerman, the move looks great.
But then you start taking a closer look at the deal.
Eichel needs surgery, one that has never been done before on an NHLer. Eichel has a $10 million cap hit, which suffocates Vegas against the salary cap even further and the Golden Knights just gave up two promising players and two draft picks for a player that may not be the same after surgery.
So, now what?
First things first; Eichel needs to get his surgery.
Eichel will be undergoing a disk replacement surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck.
The Buffalo Sabres wanted the centreman to get disk fusion surgery to repair his neck. However, Eichel wanted to opt for the experimental surgery, creating a rift between his party and the Sabres front office.
Eichel’s surgery will sideline him until the end of the Olympic Break in February, and the outcome of his surgery is uncertain.
Will Vegas get the elite, scoring center they have desperately needed? Or will they get a watered down version of the former No. 2 overall draft pick.
Only time will tell.
The one concrete aspect of this trade is the mess it makes of the Golden Knights’ cap situation.
With Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, and Jack Eichel all on LTIR, the VGK have shelved $26.5 million on injured reserve.
When all three players are back healthy, that will put Vegas $10 million over the cap.
Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon has a tall task ahead of him in this upcoming season, and it is now made taller with his latest acquisition.
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