Revisiting Jack Eichel trade between Sabres, Golden Knights 3 years later

A review of how the massive Jack Eichel trade have impacted the teams involved.

In early November 2021, the Buffalo Sabres traded franchise center Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Selected second overall in 2015, Eichel was seen as the player who could help lead the team back to relevancy. But while he arguably did his part, the pieces weren't put in place around him. The Sabres cycled through three general managers and four coaches over Eichel's six years in Buffalo, failing to ever reach the playoffs.

Then in 2021, Eichel suffered a spinal disc herniation, and through his own words, there was a ‘disconnect' between himself and the organization regarding the injury. Eichel pushed for an artificial disc replacement surgery, while the Sabres requested spinal fusion surgery. After a solution wasn't reached in Buffalo, Eichel was stripped of his captaincy heading into the 2021-22 season.

So finally, Jack Eichel was dealt to Vegas. In return, the Golden Knights received forward Alex Tuch, prospect Peyton Krebs, and both a 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick. Meanwhile, Vegas also received a 2023 third-round pick, in addition to Eichel.

So now three years after the blockbuster trade, we take a look at how it's worked out for each team.

Jack Eichel has been a perfect fit with Golden Knights 

After being acquired, it took a while for Eichel to actually suit up for Vegas. Eichel still needed to get surgery, and when he did return, the Golden Knights ended up missing the playoffs.

Since then, however, Jack Eichel has been everything the team hoped for. He's the team's clear first-line center, which was their one area of weakness in their first few seasons. Eichel scored at an 82-game pace of 37 goals and 85 points through 130 games across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

Of course, Eichel also captured a Stanley Cup with the team in 2023. He ended up leading the Golden Knights in points during the playoff run, registering six goals and 20 assists across just 22 games.

It's also worth noting Eichel wasn't the only player that Vegas added to the deal. With the 2023 third-round pick they acquired, the team selected forward Mathieu Cataford. Since being drafted, Cataford has been a QMJHL standout. Last season, the forward scored 40 goals and 90 points in just 60 QMJHL games. Obviously, he's a minor piece of the deal, but he's emerged as one of the Golden Knights' top prospects.

But Eichel was acquired to help take Vegas to the next level, and he's done just that. A point-per-game player on a Cup winner, it's near impossible to knock this trade for the Golden Knights.

Tuch has been the biggest add for Sabres

Obviously, with the trade, the Sabres gave up the best player involved. In any scenario where you're parting with your team's top star, it's going to be difficult to win the deal. However, the clear option was to use the trade to try to set themselves up for the future (even if Eichel himself was still only in his mid-20s).

The Sabres acquired one pre-established roster player in the trade, in Alex Tuch. The winger had been with Vegas since their inaugural season and was the same age as Eichel. While Tuch was only scoring at an 82-game pace of 20 goals and 46 points across his four years in Vegas, he was already a fairly well-rounded winger at that point, who could be versatile up and down the top-nine.

Upon joining the Sabres though, Tuch took a massive offensive step. Given a much larger opportunity, the winger has scored at an 82-game pace of 29 goals and 72 points across his four seasons in Buffalo. He's become a legitimate top-line forward, and in the 2022-23 regular season, he even outscored Eichel. Especially with a long-term deal in place when he was acquired at just a $4.75 million cap hit, Tuch has been providing excellent value.

Of course, Jack Eichel plays up the middle, and Tuch doesn't have quite the same offensive skillset, but he's been an excellent fit in Buffalo.

Other pieces in Buffalo's return could make an impact

In addition to Tuch, the Sabres acquired then-prospect Peyton Krebs. Selected 17th overall in 2019, Krebs looked poised to be a long-term piece of the Sabres' future. However, he's struggled to really live up to the excitement thus far. Krebs' production has actually declined in each of the last three years, and in the 2023-24 season, he managed just four goals and 17 points in 80 games.

Krebs is still just 23 years old, so there's still an opportunity for him to grow into an impact player. But as one of the most important pieces in the deal, Krebs playing in a depth role with the Sabres wasn't the desired outcome.

Two of the other key parts of the trade came from the draft picks the Sabres received. The 2022 first-round pick was used to select Noah Ostlund at 16th overall, but the 2023 pick was traded as part of a deal to acquire Jordan Greenway.

Ostlund is currently playing his first full season in North America with the AHL's Rochester Americans. He has the opportunity to be an impact player in Buffalo, but it's a waiting game. Greenway, on the other hand, is 27 years old, and is in the final year of a three-year contract. So while Greenway may be a decent top-nine forward, Ostlund is the one who has the bigger chance to factor into the team's future.

Golden Knights still come out as winners 

In determining who ‘won' the trade three years later, we have an answer in Vegas. Simply put, the Golden Knights bet on Jack Eichel being the piece they needed to take the next step. They paid the price to acquire him and proved to be right, winning a Stanley Cup in 2023 with Jack Eichel as a major factor.

At the same time, from Buffalo's perspective, it's a little less clear-cut. They weren't a Cup contender with Eichel, and they're still not close to that distinction three years later. For the Sabres, it was about putting the pieces in place to compete later. Tuch has been great, Greenway provides depth, and both Krebs and Ostlund could still make an impact.

But right now, the Sabres' potential to contend as a result of the trade is just that. The Golden Knights have already won their Cup, with Eichel playing a key role. As a result, three years later, the deal remains a Vegas win.