It seems that the Jack Eichel saga may finally be over. The Vegas Golden Knights got Jack Eichel for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, 2022 1st round pick, and a 2023 3rd round pick. This is a surprising trade considering it had been rumored that the Calgary Flames were close to a deal with the Sabres that would involve a big name like Matthew Tkachuk.
Alex Tuch is currently on LTIR with an upper-body injury from shoulder surgery that he underwent in July. He was said to be out for six months from the surgery. The 25-year-old has scored 139 points (61 g, 78 a) in 255 games with the Minnesota Wild and the Vegas Golden Knights. Peyton Krebs was on the Henderson Silver Knights after playing nine games with the Vegas Golden Knights and two games with the Henderson Silver Knights where he earned five assists.
The good news about this trade is that Vegas definitely knows how to deal with having players who are hurt in their lineup, so not having Eichel right away won’t be a problem for them. Let’s face it, they’re used to having people hurt in their lineup. Even though they might wish they could use Eichel right away, they luckily didn’t lose anyone they had right now, so their roster isn’t any worse than it was before.
The odd thing about this trade is that Buffalo was willing to trade for someone who was on the LTIR and therefore can’t be used right away. They essentially can only use Peyton Krebs, who was just sent down to the AHL by the Vegas Golden Knights. They must have faith that they can use Alex Tuch when he’s rehabbed and ready to play.
But who “won” the trade? If you ask me, it was Vegas. Anyone who gets Jack Eichel in a trade is the winner in my opinion, especially because, as I mentioned, Buffalo can’t use Alex Tuch right away as he’s on LTIR. When Jack Eichel is healed and ready to play, he’ll be a much better player than Tuch and make the Vegas Golden Knights a Stanley Cup contending team. I can’t say that I can see Tuch making a huge difference on the Sabres.