Jack Eichel made his NHL debut in 2015. That's when the second overall pick at the 2015 NHL Draft made a huge impact on the Buffalo Sabres and the Western New York community.
It didn't take the kid long to form relationships with his Sabres teammates. Eichel became buddies with a veteran player named Jamie McGinn. The two players were linemates and enjoyed hanging out away from the rink after the work day had ended. To this day, Eichel still considers McGinn a friend.
McGinn had scored 14 goals and 13 assists in 63 games during the 2015-16 season. The Sabres acquired the rugged power forward at the 2015 NHL Draft as part of the Ryan O'Reilly blockbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche. McGinn was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2016. Friendships aside, McGinn was traded at the 2016 NHL trade deadline for a conditional third round draft choice.
The McGinn trade was a coaching moment for Eichel. The NHL is not just about hockey. It's a business. One bench door closes. Another bench door opens.
Earlier this season, Eichel was forced to say goodbye with another one of his closest friends on the Buffalo Sabres. In December, Jason Botterill waived veteran forward Matt Moulson. Eichel was as close can be with Moulson, his wife and two children. The Moulsons were the billet family to then 19 year old NHL rookie Eichel in 2015. Eichel and his Sabres teammates were sad to see Moulson leave Buffalo.
At the time he was waived and subsequently loaned to the Ontario Reign (LA Kings) AHL, Moulson had zero points in 14 games played this season and was a -9. The 34-year-old forward still has one year remaining on his Sabres contract at a cap hit of $5M AAV in 2018-19. Unless Moulson is traded before the end of the season this almost guarantees the Sabres will buy him out at the end of this season. In just 21 games played with Ontario this season, Moulson has found his scoring touch with 6 goals and 20 assists.
For Moulson, playing a starring role in the AHL was far better than being a healthy scratch or a fourth liner in Buffalo.
For Moulson, one door closed while another do opened.
Eicel knows full well its business not personal when close teammates part company.
At his All Star Game media session on Saturday, Eichel was asked about the likelihood of saying goodbye to another close friend in Evander Kane, who no doubt will be traded by Jason Botterill at or before the February 26 NHL trade deadline.
"You never know what's going to happen," Eichel told Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. "Obviously it's not really my area of expertise but my first year I learned about how it's a business. Players have to do what's in their best interests and teams have to do what's in theirs.
"Personal relationships, friendships, you never want to see buddies go, people you enjoy being around. But you kind of have to put that aside and look at the business aspect of things. There's guys on the move in this league all the time and that's part of it. Obviously you're prepared for it and you just want what's best for the team every day."
Eichel is an NHL All Star now.
He's grown as a man and as a professional hockey player in his two plus seasons in the NHL. He knows that saying goodbye to buddies like Jamie McGinn and Matt Moulson is not fun, but it is a commonplace occurence in the volatile yet closeknit NHL fraternity.
Eichel knows that his Botterill has several teams who all want to acquire Kane. Eichel also knows that a bidding war will create leverage for Botterill which means that the Sabres will be the beneficiary of up to four premium value building blocks, in the form of a current player, first round draft choice and a top prospect. Eichel doesn't want to be playing for another NHL Lottery team in his career. He has dreams of leading the Sabres to a Stanley Cup run in the near future. The way Botterill and Eichel see it, the Sabres will be selecting a star player in the top few selections at the June NHL Draft. Will it be rock star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin? Brady Tkachuk just might be the second coming of Eric Lindros. Imagine in skating with Team USA bros Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt. Russian sniper Andrei Svechnikov would look great skating alongside Eichel in Buffalo. Scoring wizard Filip Zadina would certainly inject scoring pop into the Buffalo offense.
Either way, Eichel and the Sabres cannot lose with their 2018 lottery selection. Buffalo will receive another 2018 first rounder in teh Evander Kane trade. All in all, its just another brick the wall.
The subtraction of Kane will sting in the short run, however, it will open up a left wing roster spot in the top six. The Sabres have top prospects Casey Mittelstadt and Alex Nylander in the on deck circle. Add in the treasure trove of assets that the Sabres will receive in the Evander Kane, Benoit Pouliot (and perhaps Robin Lehner) trades, and you can see a playoff berth for the Sabres in 2018-19. Botterill is askinhg for a first rounder, top prospect and a veteran roster player. If Botterill deal Kane to his old boss Jim Rutherford in Pittsburgh, the Sabres will likely end up with scoring winger Conor Sheary, scoring prospect winger Daniel Sprong, and a first rounder. Talk about a win-win. The Pens will be getting a fully engaged, energized, healthy, scoring power forward in Evander Kane. The Sabres would be adding highly productive, scoring forwards in Sheary and Sprong whose offense will off set Kane's 50+ point production.
Kane is a 26 year old veteran who has never played in an NHL playoff game. Eichel doesn't want to be that guy. Eichel does not want to wait 5 more years until he's 26 years old to play in his first Stanley Cup playoff tourney. Eichel is a winner. Jack wants to win now. If that means saying goodbye to a great friend in Kane then so be it. By virtue of his ginormous 8-year, $80 million contract extension that will activate in 2018-19, Eichel will be the face of the Buffalo Sabres franchise until he is 29 years old and perhaps longer. The Sabres belong to Eichel. He will be responsible for leading the Sabres out of the out house and up to the penthouse of the NHL standings. In this era of the NHL salary cap, unrestricted free agency and analytics, players will continue to come and go. Players will continue switching teams. Fans will continue cheering for laundry.
In the NHL, just because you are no longer teammates doesn't mean your friendships are over forever. Its very common for NHL bros to travel together and attend weddings together during the summer months. You should visit Buffalo in August to see the crowd of NHLers who work out inside at HARBORCenter. Go to Gary Roberts' camp in Toronto in July. You will see dozens of NHLers who all workout together. Darryl Belfry has a skills training facility in Florida where dozens of NHLers go to improve their skills and hang out with their buds.
Eichel will keep Kane's cell phone number in his contacts. There is always time to hang out together and get caught up during the summer.
Eichel has 20 goals and 29 assists in 49 games played. He's one of the hottest scorers in the NHL since December 15. Eichel scored 25 points in 17 games played since mid-December and is now tied with Colorado Avalanche sniper Nathan MacKinnon for the most in the NHL.
Eichel is currently on pace to shatter his personal bests in goals (24), assists (33) and points (57) on the strength of improved production at even strength.
With his 17th even-strength goal in his 44th game of the season on January 11 vs. Columbus, Eichel surpassed his career-best total from 2015-16 (81 games).
With his 37th even-strength point in his 48th game of the season last week in Edmonton, Eichel achieved his career-best total from 2015-16 (35 EV points in 81 games).
Eichel has done most of his scoring during this prodigious points production streak without Kane riding shotgun with him. In fact, Kane is goal less in his last 12 games playing with centers other than Eichel. Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons are now flanking Eichel and both are thriving.
Evander Kane will play well for whichever playoff contending team he is traded to. Eichel will continue to pile up the points in the final 33 games of this disappointing season.
When its all said and done, Eichel and Kane will have time to reflect on it all later this summer.
Watch Eichel's ASG Media Day session here:
Thanks, Sabres.com
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