Is it ludicrous to even entertain the idea of a team without any roster players yet making a pitch for Jack Eichel? Almost certainly. That being said there are a few things that Seattle could offer to the Buffalo Sabres that would be unique. It's Monday, let's have a bit of fun and take a look at why the Kraken of all teams could be an excellent fit for Eichel.
Much of the recent Eichel trade talk is stemming from this quote from the elite centre
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. The most important thing now is to get healthy and be ready to play hockey next year, wherever that might be."
That last bolded part is the big one that has people talking. It should surprise no one that Eichel has been unhappy with his tenure thus far in Buffalo. The Sabres have been the worst hockey team in the NHL for a decade and Eichel has yet to see a playoff game in his six seasons with the club. A shakeup is needed and the young superstar would bring in a huge return.
So what could the Kraken offer?
Obviously draft picks would be the starting point and the Kraken will have a slew of those that could be offered. In addition to likely several first round picks, the Kraken will likely be collecting picks from other teams, either to take on contracts or from teams that don't want Seattle to select certain players. In this regard no NHL team will have a larger supply of picks than the Kraken.
Secondly is cap space. Eichel will come with a 10 million dollar price tag over the next 5 seasons and as teams around the league are struggling with a flat cap, the Kraken will have cap space galore and normally would need to take on some bad contracts just to get to the cap floor. Eichel at 10 million would be a far better use of money than picking up Lucic at 6 million.
Buffalo will likely want more than draft picks, they will want players and Ron Francis should he desire could essentially offer the Sabres any selection of players they want from the Kraken. This is a rare opportunity where the Kraken fanbase will have no ties to any of these guys so anyone could be up for grabs. We don't yet know who will or will not be protected but I could see a scenario in which the likes of defenseman Devon Toews, goalie Jake Allen, and forward Rickard Rakell are exposed and selected by the Kraken. Seattle could select these players then turn them around immediately with picks for Jack Eichel.
If somehow this crazy scenario came to pass, the Kraken would immediately have their captain and most marketable player locked up for the next 5 years. A blockbuster trade like that would immediately generate buzz around the team and help the team gain notoriety in Seattle and drum up more fans.
I would put the odds of this happening likely at around 0.05%. That being said it's fun to think about and just the fact that there is a possibility, no matter how astronomically low, gives me excitement to know we are closing in on watching this team take to the ice.
Thanks for reading.
Seattle Kraken Blogger • 
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