Once again the Jack Eichel the draws are multiplying. Realize that anything is possible, but don’t expect to see the franchise center in a Detroit Red Wings uniform next year. Still, managing director Steve Yzerman must consider making an offer for his services.
Eichel is not only a huge talent; he’s exactly what the Detroit Red Wings lack, a true number one center.
With all due respect to Dylan Larkin, he’s proven to be a worker bee, a jack-of-all-trades type that works for any team, but he’s proven time and time again that he isn’t. not a top center in the NHL. Here is the thing; it’s OK. It doesn’t matter that Larkin isn’t one of the elite. He brings a lot to the table, but his inability to consistently score keeps him from taking the next step.
The Detroit Red Wings are extremely thin in the middle of their roster. It’s not very likely, but IF Yzerman could make a deal for Eichel, Larkin would be the teams’ second center, which better matches his overall abilities.
More than Detroit Jock City
If the Red Wings were deep in the middle, hopefully head coach Jeff Blashill would experiment a bit and drag Larkin to the wing. Imagine a top line of Tyler Bertuzzi and Larkin flanking Eichel.
It’s a bit of a bizarre scenario, understanding that Jack Eichel at the Detroit Red Wings is extremely unlikely.
As for the prospects of the Red Wings, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider are completely off limits.
Unfortunately, that’s precisely when the Sabers hang up. Not only will an Eastern Conference team have to pay too much for Eichel, but they will essentially have to sell the farm to acquire it. So the bigger question becomes, is it worth mortgaging the majority of your future for a single player?
When the time comes, the Buffalo Sabers will be reluctant to trade Eichel for an Eastern Conference team, let alone a team in their division. The Sabers franchise will not put itself in a position where it would be burned several times a year by a superstar it had previously selected second overall.
It’s a bit unfortunate as Eichel fits a clear need for the Red Wings, and the organization currently has an abundance of salary cap space to add a player who is making a salary of $ 10 million. I expect the star forward to head to the Western Conference and possibly the West Coast.
News broke recently suggesting the Anaheim Ducks are emerging as a potential frontrunner to secure a deal with Buffalo for Eichel. Ducks similar to the Red Wings need a plethora of help.
Another team that keeps coming back into the conversation is the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings are revamping their roster and pairing Eichel with perhaps the most underrated two-way center in the game, Anze Kopitar would be something special.
Another team to watch is the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks are in hell right now and would need to move several high-priced pieces to get Eichel under the ceiling. No one will want to touch Erik Karlsson’s lucrative deal, especially since his production has declined significantly since leaving Ottawa.
Brent Burns is currently 36 and Marc-Edouard Vlasic is 34. Burns earns $ 8 million for four more seasons. Vlasic’s number is $ 7 million per season for another five years. Ouch.
That means the Sharks would need to include players like Timo Meier, Thomas Hertl, Kevin Lebanc, along with an abundance of draft capital and a few high-end prospects from the farm to persuade the Sabers to close the deal.
This whole story of Eichel will be interesting to follow in the days / weeks to come.
Want to hear your voice? Join the Detroit Jock City team!
Write for us!
Eichel has scored 139 goals and 355 points in his first 375 career NHL games.