Boston Bruins: What would it cost to trade for Jack Eichel?

The Boston Bruins inquired about Jack Eichel earlier this offseason. But do they have what it takes to create an appetizing offer for the star center?

Bob McKenzie got Hockey Twitter all worked up on Sept. 28 when he returned from his annual Twitter hiatus. In just his second tweet back, he dropped a nugget even Adrian Wojnarowski would be jealous of – teams inquired about Buffalo Sabres star center Jack Eichel this offseason. Though these discussions didn’t go anywhere, the Boston Bruins were reportedly one of the teams that expressed interest.

This report comes from Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub. Now, this was probably not a very serious call. Likely merely checking in to see if the Sabres would listen to an offer. But for now, Buffalo appears committed to keeping their All-Star center, which is the right move.

At this second, the Bruins probably can’t acquire Eichel. In order to trade for him, they’d probably have to persuade David Krejci to waive his modified no-trade clause, which allows him to block a trade to 15 teams. Either that or they’d have a very expensive third-line center, as Krejci has a $7.25 million cap hit. Also, the Bruins are reportedly not going to spend to the cap during the 2020-21 season.

More from Puck Prose

However, a lot can change in the next 12 months. Maybe by September in 2021, Jack Eichel‘s fed up with losing and starts asking for a trade.

The Bruins will likely be looking for a new number two center after the 2020-21 season because Krejci’s contract is expiring. They’ll also starting pondering about who will replace Patrice Bergeron as the number one center because, as they say, Father Time is undefeated. He’ll be 36 years old, so it’s probably time to at least think about life after St. Patrice.

But is acquiring Eichel feasible? Let’s take a look.

The Cost For Acquiring Eichel

The history of trading franchise centers is one riddled with mistakes and regrets. Almost every team who has ever traded their franchise center wound up regretting it or didn’t get nearly enough. So there isn’t much relevant precedent for acquiring someone like Eichel.

One can imagine the Boston Bruins’ 2021 first-round pick would be a non-starter. The Sabres would likely hang up immediately if that’s not a part of the offer. But even after including the first-round pick, the Bruins would have to add more. Quite a bit more, actually.

The Sabres would probably ask for Charlie McAvoy, and who can blame them? But the Bruins aren’t trading him, even for someone as great as Eichel. McAvoy’s the future of their blueline. And before you say Bergeron, remember, he’ll be 36 years old next year. His contract expires after the 2021-22 season and he has a three-team trade list. So even if, hypothetically, the Bruins wanted to trade Bergeron (and they don’t), he probably wouldn’t want to go to the Sabres.

Boston would probably have to lean a bit more towards “quality” over “quantity”, while still providing a good amount of the latter. If McAvoy isn’t in the trade, it’s reasonable to believe Jake DeBrusk would be high on the Sabres’ wish list. Depending on how the negotiations for his new deal go this offseason, he might be someone the Bruins are willing to part with next offseason.

Jack Studnika would be next on the Sabres’ wish list. He’s a very talented young forward whose value will likely increase next season, especially if he proves he can handle a full-time NHL role. Brandon Carlo could be a target as well, though the Sabres would probably want top defensive prospect Urho Vaakanainen.

The Potential Offer

This would probably be the best deal the Bruins could make. As I said earlier, so much can change in just 12 months. But if I’m the Sabres, this is the bare minimum I’d be looking for to start trade talks.

Honestly, this doesn’t feel like enough to be a fair trade. But this is what tends to happen when you trade a franchise enter. The return usually sucks. It’s almost like the Sabres shouldn’t trade a franchise center or something!

Conclusion

Just like each of the other 30 NHL teams, the Bruins should pester the Sabres relentlessly if Eichel becomes available. He’d give the Bruins a franchise center and would extend their Stanley Cup window. To top it all off, Eichel’s from Massachusetts and even played for Boston University, so the unwritten laws of hockey dictate the Bruins have to be seriously interested in him, right?

That said, it’s fair to question if the Bruins have enough to seriously entice the Sabres. On paper, Boston can probably offer one of the more competitive packages. But there are teams out there who could outbid the Bruins, most notably the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings.

Next. Top 5 Trade Candidates This Offseason. dark

You can bet the Bruins are going to keep a very close eye on what’s going in Buffalo and it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re a serious contender if the Sabres decide to trade Eichel. And if Eichel has any say in where he’s traded, I imagine the Bruins would be on his shortlist of teams he’d like to go to. This could work in their favor.

Home / Boston Bruins