One of the major storylines heading into the offseason will be the situation regarding Buffalo Sabres’ captain Jack Eichel.
While rumours around a potential Eichel trade have been ramping up for a while, his comments at the end of the season only added more fuel to the fire.
“I’ve been a bit upset about the ways things have been handled since I’ve been hurt...there’s been a bit of a disconnect between myself and the organization.”
It did seem as though Eichel isn’t pleased with his situation and we know some teams have at least been in touch with the Sabres regarding Eichel. Considering Eichel’s no-movement clause will kick in about a year from now, if Buffalo were to deal him, they’d have the most leverage before then.
The Kings have been rumoured as a team who could be in on Eichel and it was reported by Frank Seravalli that Los Angeles had an initial conversation with the Sabres about Eichel. One thing the Kings have going for them is that they’re one of a few teams who have the assets to make a deal for Eichel, in terms of young players, prospects, picks and cap space. However, it was also reported by Seravalli that the Kings wouldn’t be willing to include Quinton Byfield in a deal for Eichel and he instead noted it could be a package of prospects, picks and roster players.
Based on what was reported, the Erik Karlsson trade is probably the best comparable to use when projecting what the Kings could give up, as maybe the only deal this size that’s been done in recent years. The Karlsson trade saw San Jose send the following package to Ottawa:
Two roster players (1F, 1D): Chris Tierney (24 years old) and Dylan DeMelo (25 years old)
One former first-round pick: Josh Norris (19 years old)
One other forward prospect: Rudolfs Balcers (21 years old)
1st round Pick
Two 2nd Round Picks
Obviously any trade involving Eichel wouldn’t just be a copy of this but the Karlsson package may be the best comparison we have.
With Byfield off the table, Alex Turcotte is probably the name the Sabres would go after as the centerpiece, if the Sabres were willing to make a deal without Byfield involved. Turcotte was selected by the Kings with the fifth-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and just scored six goals and 21 points in 32 games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.
Below, here’s an example of a comparable trade, which along with Turcotte, would include a forward prospect who averaged around 60 points per 82 in his rookie AHL season (similar to Balcers), a 24-year-old NHL forward on pace for around 40 points per 82 games (similar to Tierney), a solid defender in his mid-20s (similar to DeMelo), along with one first-round pick and two second-round picks.
F- Alex Turcotte
F- Arthur Kaliyev
F- Adrian Kempe
D- Sean Walker
2022 1st Round Pick
2022 2nd Round Pick
2023 2nd Round Pick
Assuming any deal doesn’t get done before this year’s draft, I’ve set the picks for next year and the year after. It also assumes that Kempe and Walker both make it through the expansion draft and also while some of Eichel’s cap hit is offset, there may need to be other pieces sent by the Kings to balance it out further.
It’s hard to project any deal this large but if you’re Kevyn Adams, this is probably the kind of package you’d be looking for. I’m not going to pretend that I’ve followed the Sabres closely enough to identify specific assets that they’d be seeking out but if Eichel is actually traded, you have to imagine most of the key pieces involved would have to be Eichel’s age or younger.
One issue with this deal is that the Sabres would be getting quantity over quality. A package like this involves some really nice pieces, but Buffalo wouldn’t be getting any single player who carries Eichel’s value.
Then if you’re the Kings, does a deal like this make sense? On one hand, it’s Jack Eichel. He’s a legitimate top center in the prime of his career with five years left on his contract. Getting Eichel would instantly speed up the Kings’ rebuild and would mean you’re pushing towards the playoffs. He’d be a key piece for many years to come and would be key in helping the Kings in pushing to get back to contender status.
On the other hand, because the Kings would be sending back quantity over quality, they’re depleting their pool of young players and prospects, as well as top draft picks. Los Angeles would need to be confident enough in their current prospect pool that they’d feel they already have most of the pieces they need to build a contender around the likes of Eichel and Byfield in the coming years.
The Kings would also be pushing up the window to compete. Los Angeles would almost certainly need to include a first-round pick and if they do, they’re betting on the fact that they’ll be a playoff team next season.
So does a deal like this make sense for either team? It’s possible, but there are so many factors in a deal of this magnitude to consider, as mentioned above. Trades like this don’t come around very often, so projecting one is always going to be difficult. We also don’t even know if Eichel is going to be dealt so as of now, this is purely speculation. At least for now though, it’s certainly fun to consider what a possible Eichel trade could look like.
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Do you think this is a realistic package, IF the Kings were to make a deal for Jack Eichel?
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