How a blockbuster New York Rangers trade for Jack Eichel could work
Let’s get into a minefield here and discuss what a Jack Eichel trade could look like for the New York Rangers.
Yes, we’re at that time of year already where hockey experts and fans alike are driving the Jack Eichel trade rumors machine back into life, and speculation has only intensified over the last few days given that the Buffalo Sabres can’t seem to get out of their own way.
Despite new General Manager Kevyn Adams going all out in the offseason to placate his franchise cornerstone by signing elite winger Taylor Hall to a one-year, $8 million deal and acquiring veterans in the ilk of Eric Staal and Cody Eakin, the Sabres are 5-7-2 on the year and, stuck in what is an incredibly competitive East Division, are in very real danger of not making the postseason for a tenth consecutive year.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
With the Hall experiment not really working either, it does feel as though we’re on a collision course with Jack Eichel soon wanting out of Buffalo, and you can’t really blame him given that he’s not played one single Playoff game since entering the NHL in 2015-16 and he’s well behind the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Auston Matthews when it comes to the conversation of the greatest young players in the league right now.
Perhaps a change of scenery and going to a contender and a franchise that isn’t always in a state of chaos would help Eichel achieve his dreams of one day winning the Stanley Cup, and there is one team that consistently crops up in the Jack Eichel speculation sweepstakes.
The New York Rangers.
Now, we’re going to delve into why the Rangers and Jack Eichel could be a good fit, before mapping out what it would take for the Blueshirts to pull the trigger on what would be an absolute blockbuster of a deal. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.
Why Jack Eichel and New York Rangers could be match made in heaven
I will preface this by clearly stating that I am a hardcore New York Rangers fan and would of course love to see Jack Eichel strut his stuff at Madison Square Garden, but this isn’t a piece designed to make myself or other Blueshirts fans feel better.
No, for whatever reason there’s always been a strong link between Eichel and the Rangers and these whispers of a reunion between the forward and Blueshirts Head Coach David Quinn, with the duo going to the 2014-15 NCAA Championship game together while with Boston University, just don’t want to seem to go away.
There are reports out there that Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton really wants Eichel and even kicked tyres on him this past offseason, while it is known that this franchise would like to add one more big star to this roster in order to finish the rebuild with a bang and officially usher in what will hopefully be a golden era of New York Rangers hockey.
Jack Eichel would fit that bill and he ticks all the boxes for the Rangers.
For starters, it is no secret that the Blueshirts lack depth down the middle behind No. 1 center Mika Zibanejad and, while their farm system is loaded, they don’t really have any uber-talented studs waiting in the wings. They have Filip Chytil who could develop into a top-six center, and they also have Brett Howden who is more of a nice bottom-six player, but they lack a real game-changer at center.
Therefore, trading for an elite talent in the ilk of Jack Eichel would answer all of the Rangers’ prayers and he would immediately form a lethal one-two punch down the middle with Mika Zibanejad, perhaps rivalling that of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci of the Boston Bruins.
Eichel would go from having one good year of Jeff Skinner and no other real weapons around him to being able to play with the likes of Artemi Panarin, Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko on a nightly basis. I mean, the difference is day and night in what the 24-year-old would have around him at MSG.
Having those elite weapons would no doubt help Eichel to go to that next level, which is a pretty scary thought given that he hasn’t recorded less than 50 points in each of his first full five seasons in Buffalo, including 82 points (28 G, 54 A) in 2018-19 and 78 points (36 G, 42 A) in a shortened season in 2019-20.
So, not only would Jack Eichel be joining a team clearly on the rise and on the cusp of being a contender, which would allow him to really unlock his full potential and show what he can do in the postseason, but his presence would also push the New York Rangers over the top and give them the final piece they are looking for and craving.
It appears to be a match made in heaven in pretty much every single way, and the chance to play in a huge market such as New York at the World’s Most Famous Arena would also no doubt excite Eichel, who could see his stock rise off the ice given that he will be playing for a much bigger and more attractive franchise.
So, it is clear that trading Jack Eichel to the New York Rangers would work out pretty well for both the player and the team, but what about the Buffalo Sabres? They will need something pretty substantial in return and we’re going to explore what that return could look like now…
What would the New York Rangers have to give up for Jack Eichel?
First and foremost, Jack Eichel is an elite talent and one of the premier young talents in the entire National Hockey League, so the Buffalo Sabres would expect a monster haul back for their franchise cornerstone if they decided to trade him, and that’s exactly what they would get.
Now, right off the bat, it is important to note that Eichel doesn’t have a No-Movement Clause in his contract until July 1, 2022, meaning that the Sabres will have control over where he is traded, if he is, and they would almost certainly go to the highest-bidder if they decide to part company with their Captain before 2022.
While they would probably prefer to trade out of the Eastern Conference, there are few teams with the capital to make a trade of this magnitude work, and the New York Rangers are one of those teams. For starters, they have one of the best farm systems in the entire NHL and they boast a plethora of high-end prospects that would bolster what is a depleted Buffalo pipeline.
Also, after the 2020-21 season, the Rangers will have a much better cap situation and that will allow them to comfortably accommodate Eichel’s $80 million contract, which has five years remaining on it after this season with an Average Annual Value of $10 million, along with a $7.5 million signing bonus that is due in 2022.
According to CapFriendly, the Blueshirts are currently projected to have around $50 million in cap space in 2022-23, and that could only increase should the NHL be in a position to increase the salary cap by that point in a post Pandemic world.
So, now all of that is out of the way, what would the New York Rangers have to give up to get Jack Eichel? A hell of a lot for sure but it is important to note that there will probably be a few untouchables, including defensemen Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller and forwards Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko.
The Rangers clearly see those players as the faces of this franchise and the core of what they hope to be a championship-caliber team, but everyone else will be on the table. I mean, Chris Kreider could be seen as an untouchable given he’s recently signed a seven-year, $45,500,000 contract extension with the franchise and is seen as potentially the next Captain of this team.
Of course, you have to give up talent in order to acquire talent so, that being said, the Rangers would more than likely have to give up either Kakko, Fox or Miller if they really want Jack Eichel on Broadway, although I do think Lafreniere would be off the table for the Sabres, but let’s see how it shakes out.
However, this is a team loaded with a boatload of prospects and you could see the likes of Vitali Kravtsov, Matthew Robertson, Ryan Strome, Pavel Buchnevich, Morgan Barron and maybe Nils Lundqvist in addition to an absolute bounty of high-end picks included in any potential deal.
Now, we aren’t saying that all of those pieces would be sent over in trade, but those are the kind of names you could expect to see included in a deal. And, while some will fight back in response to this article and say that the Sabres wouldn’t trade Eichel unless someone like Lafreniere or Kakko was included, keep in mind that the Rangers aren’t going to trade two of their main assets for one player given they want to win soon, and also, Buffalo will hardly be trading from a position of strength if Eichel actually goes ahead and asks for a trade.
Granted, the Buffalo Sabres would still be getting a hell of a lot back for their Captain but you aren’t going to see a kind of deal where a Lafreniere or a Quinton Byfield (if the LA Kings traded for Eichel) are included in almost a swap deal for Jack Eichel. You just aren’t being logical if you think that is possibility.
The bottom line is that if Jack Eichel is traded it is because player and franchise have reached the point of no return, which would wipe out any leverage the Buffalo Sabres would have otherwise had in trade talks and, again, they will get an absolutely bounty back from any potential trade partner, but they aren’t going to get a generational talent in the ilk of Alexis Lafreniere back in any return.
dark. Next. Matthews coming for greatest goalscorer crown
Anyway, this is a situation to keep an eye on and if the Buffalo Sabres don’t make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2020-21, then expect speculation regarding Jack Eichel’s future to rage once again and, if he somehow becomes available, then don’t be surprised if the New York Rangers with their bounty of draft capital and prospects, their exciting young core and a Head Coach who has a prior relationship with the player quickly become the frontrunners to acquire Jack Eichel in a trade.