Buffalo Sabres: Jack Eichel trade rumors are a wakeup call

Reading between the lines, the Jack Eichel trade rumors are an ultimatum for the Buffalo Sabres – improve quickly or else.

This NHL offseason has already been pretty crazy and the Stanley Cup Final isn’t even over yet. It got even crazier when NHL insider Bob McKenzie returned from his Twitter hiatus to toss a live grenade into hockey twitter. Teams apparently asked the Buffalo Sabres about Jack Eichel this offseason.

Those discussions went roughly as far as one would expect- nowhere. But still, McKenzie doesn’t just make stuff up. He wouldn’t tweet about it unless it actually happened.

Who gave McKenzie the information? It’s whoever would stand to gain from the rumors. Why would the New York Rangers bother leaking the information? They gain nothing from it other than attention. Though it is worth noting the Rangers have a history of telegraphing their moves. This could be the case here.

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However, there’s a far simpler answer – Eichel and his agent. Think about it. Eichel wants to win and stay in Buffalo. Leaking this info is the only way he can put pressure on the organization to improve quickly. He’s telegraphing his next move to the Sabres. If they don’t hear it, that’s their fault, not his.

McKenzie’s rumor should be a wakeup call for the Sabres. Right now, those rumors mean nothing for now because Eichel wants to remain in Buffalo. But he’s someone who really, really, really hates losing.

At some point, Eichel’s going to get too tired of it and realize he’s not going to win in Buffalo. He’s subtly telling the Sabres to get their act together by putting pressure on them to contend. If this is the case, it’s hard to blame Eichel. He would thrive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, yet he hasn’t even played in a single postseason game. The Sabres couldn’t even make the 24 team postseason!

Before you start thinking there’s a way Buffalo gets rid of Eichel and comes out smelling like roses, no, there is not a way. It’s not happening.

History isn’t friendly to teams who trade franchise centers. The Joe Thornton trade is arguably the worst move the Boston Bruins have ever made. Not too far behind it is the Tyler Seguin trade. The Detroit Red Wings went into a downward spiral after trading Marcel Dionne for peanuts to the Los Angeles Kings.

Both the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins immediately regretted trading Phil Esposito. Though the Edmonton Oilers won a Stanley Cup without Wayne Gretzky, the trade remains the start of the decline of the Oilers dynasty. Trading Mark Messier to the New York Rangers buried the dynasty.

The only time in history a team has traded a franchise center and didn’t regret was when the Calgary Flames traded Joe Nieuwendyk to the Dallas Stars for Jarome Iginla. It’s also one of the very few times in NHL history you could argue both teams won a major trade.

You have to think the Sabres have at most two more seasons before Eichel demands a trade because his no-movement clause kicks in after the 2021-22 season. Then Eichel has all the leverage. He can pick the team he wants to go to. The clock is ticking, and until the Sabres create a winning environment, these Eichel trade rumors aren’t going away.