Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel will finally meet in the playoffs
The 2015 NHL Draft is one that changed the NHL forever. It sent Connor McDavid to the NHL and now he is firmly one of the best players who ever lived. The Edmonton Oilers won the draft lottery that year, so they were allowed to have this generational talent.
That was back when there was only one lottery winner. Picks 2-30 in the first round (there were 30 teams at the time) would go in reverse order of the standings minus the lottery winner. That meant that the Buffalo Sabres landed the second pick.
With that second pick, the Sabres took Jack Eichel who was also seen as an elite prospect that only trailed McDavid on every board.
Since then, people don’t forget that they were the 1-2 monster at the top of the draft, but it isn’t in the conversation as much as it once was. Well, after a disagreement in Buffalo over an injury solution, Jack Eichel wanted out.
He was granted his wish as he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021-22. Now, he and McDavid are in the same division, so they don’t play each other just twice a year. We also get to see them face each other in the postseason for the first time ever.
Jack Eichel vs Connor McDavid is going to be very exciting to watch.
They played in the World Cup of Hockey a few years ago, but they weren’t on Team Canada and Team USA respectively. They were on the same team as Team North America was a collection of players from both countries under 23 years old. They were actually teammates.
In this series, however, each of them is going to want to play well against each other. Connor McDavid is clearly the better player as he is the best player in the league, and it really isn’t close. Eichel is very good though, and he wants to beat the guy whose shadow he’s been in for a while.
There are other elite forwards in this series to help out as well. Guys like Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson will be there to support Eichel, while guys like Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be there for McDavid.
That is a lot of high-end skill. This series is going to be absolutely unbelievable to watch. Seeing Eichel play against McDavid in a seven-game series is amazing and something that all hockey fans should be excited about. It is one of many reasons to tune in.