Just read an athletic article on Minnesota from last wed thru last Saturday. They really want eichel. Summarized:
They put on a board what it would take to get him and one guy said “that’s a lot” guerrin said, well it is Jack Eichel
They called their spine specialist about him
Some other stuff I don’t remember but they do really want him
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Here’s the part on Eichel from The Athletic
The one player whose name comes up in discussion within the Wild offices throughout the weekend shouldn’t surprise anyone: Jack Eichel.
It shouldn’t be a surprise because Buffalo has made it perfectly clear they are looking to move on from the No. 2 pick in 2015 and there are a handful of teams, including the Wild, that have an obvious need for an elite No. 1 center.
Eichel is such a player and even with the significant cap issues created by the Suter and Parise buyouts, there is still dialogue internally about how or if acquiring Eichel works for the Wild.
It’s called due diligence.
One can only imagine similar conversations are going on around the league.
No team is going to be able to make a deal for Eichel without contemplating a number of factors. First, the prospects and picks it would take to satisfy Buffalo will likely include any number of the team’s top prospects plus a handful of first-round picks down the road. Then there is the $10 million cap hit Eichel carries for the next five years.
How do you address all those moving parts without throwing the team’s carefully laid plans to move forward into complete chaos? Or can you? The truth of the matter is there really isn’t a definitive answer. So Guerin and his staff keep looking at it from as many angles as they can.
Friday morning those discussions become more earnest with Sells, O’Hearn, Shero, Sexton and Guerin blue-skying what works from their end.
Guerin turns to a large glass board on another of the room’s walls and begins drawing up what a deal might look like and what kind of elements might need to come into play if they were to try and pry Eichel out of Buffalo.
Eichel is determined to have neck surgery as opposed to rehabbing an injury that cost him half of last season and will likely miss the start of the coming season. The Sabreshave opposed the surgery option and the handling of the injury has led in some ways to the acrimony between Eichel and the Sabres.
“How do we protect ourselves,” Sexton asks.
Guerin calls the Wild’s team doctor to get input on the situation. The doctor in turn agrees to call a neck specialist to provide some more context. Later Guerin has a long chat with the specialist about his interpretation of the procedure that Eichel is angling toward having.
The group looks at the glass board and the assets that could possibly go out the door.
“It’s a lot,” someone in the group notes.
But it’s Jack Eichel, a superstar center, another notes.
It’s now mid-morning. The draft is about eight hours away.
On that glass board is the outline of a deal that would change everything for Buffalo and Minnesota if it ever came to fruition.
It won’t be the last time Eichel’s name comes up during the weekend.
