‘A special player’: Revisiting the Jack Eichel trade 5 years later

Five years ago Wednesday, the Golden Knights completed what general manager Kelly McCrimmon calls the most important trade in franchise history, acquiring center Jack Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres. Eichel arrived at Red Rock Resort to a welcome featuring cheerleaders and a drumline, marking the start of a stretch that would include experimental neck surgery, a Stanley Cup championship, a long-term contract extension, marriage and fatherhood. "I love living here," Eichel said. "I love the city. I love the people."

The deal followed months of turmoil in Buffalo. After a neck injury ended Eichel's 2020-21 season, he sought artificial disc replacement surgery — a procedure never before performed on an NHL player — while the Sabres insisted on a traditional fusion. The impasse led the Sabres to strip Eichel of his captaincy on Sept. 23, 2021. "There's beyond dark days, for sure," Eichel said. "It was a long process. It was a tedious one. It was a really hard one, honestly."

McCrimmon began trade talks with Buffalo counterpart Kevyn Adams in August 2021, driven by a need identified during the 2021 semifinals against Montreal. When center Chandler Stephenson was injured in Game 1, the Knights lacked a true No. 1 option and lost the series in six games. "We always had good centers from inception. But we never had that true No. 1 center," McCrimmon said. "When you look at the teams that win, they've usually got a high-end guy as a No. 1."

Eichel, then 24, was in the fourth year of an eight-year, $80 million contract with no trade protection, giving all 31 teams a chance to pursue him. While clubs such as Anaheim, Calgary and Montreal were rumored to offer competitive packages, McCrimmon finalized the agreement at 11 p.m. EDT on Nov. 3, sending original "Misfit" Alex Tuch and a 2019 first-round pick to Buffalo.

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal