I've been very lucky over the years to be in the right spot at the right time behind the scenes of the NHL. And one such time came during the 2015 Stanley Cup finals in Chicago…. There was a bus that brought us from the rink back to the media hotel, and it was an endless bus… traffic in Chicago was always horrible and they had the NHL network streaming to the TV to keep us a little bit interested but unfortunately was on like a 15-minute loop and it was a two-hour bus ride.
But like I said despite that wonderful description, I was lucky. Because behind me on the bus, next to each other, sat Connor, McDavid, and Jack Eichel. The NHL brings the prospects for the next draft to the Stanley Cup final and these guys would be drafted in just a few weeks to Edmonton and Buffalo respectively… and I was lucky enough to be a fly on the wall and over hear parts of their conversation…
Their conversation was ridiculously hilarious and driven by Jack. On the highlight reel we were watching there was this one Crosby move that kept coming up. So it must've come up about four times and each time that it happened Jack would turn to Connor and say, “Hey Connor, can do that? I mean you can do that, right?” Connor would snicker, but despite his often-times serious way, you could tell he was just loving getting busted on by Jack…..I think. He was hard to read and still is, Jack was in heaven and loving it.
It was obvious that McDavid, the kid from Toronto, couldn't quite keep up with the banter of the kid from Boston…. It's a little more polite up in Canada than it is in Boston…..a little…
These two guys had been the “stars of the show” earlier in the night when were all given a chance to interview them. I was really impressed with both for different reasons… They are nothing alike, yet the determination and respect was obvious….off the ice, the confidence was unquestionable.
They would of course be drafted number one and number two. And many were saying Jack was a number one overall in almost any other draft year.
Ten years Later…
From 2015 to 2025.
McDavid and Eichel are once again getting linked…Both are in camp, but playing on a contract that is due to expire at the end of the season…both franchises are on edge.
Eichel’s contract appears to be closer to getting done, but the fact that it has not yet been done is definitely helping to spur on some of these rumors that these players could in fact be swapped for each other… There would have to be more in the trade of course coming from Vegas, because McDavid is McDavid.
I talked to three sources today and two have heard about these talks and discussions… One noted that the fact that Edmonton has publicly came out and said that McDavid was going to start the season on a line with Draisaitl was very interesting… The other player on that line apparently is Trent Frederick…due to some Oilers injuries up front.
The question I have for you today is how much more do you have to put into this trade to make it happen? What else has to come from Vegas to Edmonton?
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