Sabres ship Jack Eichel to Golden Knights for prime prospect Alex Tuch, a number of draft picks in blockbuster deal

Midway by a report eight-year, $80 million contract with the Sabres, three-time All-Star Jack Eichel is leaving Buffalo. The Sabres on Thursday announced that they have traded the 25-year-old heart to the Vegas Golden Knights in trade for a package deal of two gamers and two draft picks, together with a 2022 first-rounder and 2019 first-round prospect Peyton Krebs.

Thought-about to be considered one of, if not the, prime prospect within the Golden Knights’ system, Krebs is accompanied by Alex Tuch, a former first-round choose of the Minnesota Wild. The Sabres are additionally receiving a 2023 third-round choose within the package deal for Eichel.

Eichel, in the meantime, is an enormous addition for Vegas.

He is performed simply 21 video games since final season resulting from a herniated disk. Eichel opened this season on injured reserve amid a dispute with Buffalo over surgical procedure. However he is obtained 5 years left on the deal he signed in 2017, and, when wholesome, the previous No. 2 total choose has been one of many NHL‘s prime two-way facilities, logging at the very least 24 objectives in 5 straight seasons beginning in 2015-16. He is totaled 139 objectives and 355 factors in 375 video games in his NHL profession.

Eichel’s neck harm is what led to his departure from Buffalo. The Sabres most popular Eichel bear fusion surgical procedure to return from his herniated disk, as ESPN reported, however the All-Star as a substitute sought synthetic disk alternative — by no means earlier than carried out on an NHL participant. Because of this, Buffalo stripped Eichel of his captaincy this season, however Vegas “was amendable to Eichel getting his most popular surgical procedure.”

The ahead is now anticipated to bear synthetic disk alternative as quickly as this week within the wake of the commerce, in line with Emily Kaplan.

The Sabres had initially been searching for 4 first-round belongings in return for Eichel, as The Athletic notes. The Golden Knights, in the meantime, are anticipated to make a corresponding transfer with Eichel set to rework their ahead group, contemplating they’re finally projected to be $7 million over the wage cap.