Eichel's dicey health situation complicates any trade
Two down. One more to go.
A day after sending Rasmus Ristolainen to Philadelphia, the Buffalo Sabres traded Sam Reinhart to Florida in exchange for top goalie prospect Devon Levi and a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft.
Now, the waiting game begins to see where Jack Eichel ends up.
The Sabres captain, who has been out since March with a herniated disc in his neck, has not been shy in his displeasure with a team that last made the playoffs a decade ago — having finished with the worst overall record in four of those 10 years — and by the looks of it, could go another decade without qualifying.
“There has been a lot of conversations on a lot of different things on our team, and certainly a player of that level there's going to be phone calls,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. “I said from Day 1 that we have to look at every possible scenario and be willing to see, does this make sense for us and why? And ask those hard questions. We'll continue to do that.”
The challenge is whether Buffalo, which received the No. 14 pick (Isak Rosen), a second-rounder in next year's draft and defenceman Robert Hagg from Philadelphia in the Ristolainen deal, can get enough of a return for a top-line centre whose status for next season is in doubt. Though Eichel has reportedly been skating in Boston, there is no confirmation whether he will opt for surgery or continue to rehab an injury that could have long-term implications.
The Ducks, Kings and Rangers appear to have the most interest, though reports suggest the Sabres' huge asking price has been a major sticking point so far. That doesn't mean a deal won't get done sometime this summer.
Either way, with Reinhart and Ristolainen gone and No. 1 overall pick Owen Power joining 2018 No. 1 overall pick Rasmus Dahlin on Buffalo's blue-line, a new era is about to begin.
BLACKHAWKS APPEAR TO BE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS AGAIN
While the Sabres took a step toward their ongoing rebuild by trading two core pieces from their roster, the Chicago Blackhawks took a step toward winning a fourth championship in 12 years with the acquisition of defenceman Seth Jones.
It was a bold move for a team — and a general manager — that finds itself at a crossroads.
After allegations surfaced that an assistant coach had sexually assaulted two players in 2010 — an incident that general manager Stan Bowman allegedly might have had previous knowledge of and reportedly did nothing about — many had been calling for Bowman's resignation. But in acquiring a future Norris Trophy winner for a prospect, a first-round draft pick in 2022 and a second-rounder in 2021, Bowman might have saved his job for the time being.
In the process, he might have given second life to a team that missed the playoffs for the third time in four years.
“Thrilled to be able to add someone like Seth Jones to our team,” said Bowman, who signed the 27-year-old to an eight-year extension that carries an annual cap hit of US$9.5 million. “He's an impact defenceman that we've been searching for — for quite some time. And to finally be able to add him here is a huge move for the whole group. I think it changes the complexion of our defence in particular but our team in general.”
With Duncan Keith having already been traded to Edmonton, suddenly the Blackhawks don't seem so old anymore.
A lot of their success next year will be predicated on whether captain Jonathan Toews can return from a chronic immune response syndrome that forced him to miss all of last season. But with Patrick Kane still performing as a top-5 scorer and Jones locked in as the No. 1 defenceman, it looks like the Blackhawks are back.
MAKAR'S DEAL COULD IMPACT HOW MUCH VANCOUVER PAYS HUGHES
The bar has been set.
While Cale Makar might be slightly ahead of Quinn Hughes at this stage of their young careers, the six-year, $54-million extension that the Colorado Avalanche defenceman signed on Saturday should have an impact on contract negotiations with the Vancouver Canucks.
Makar has scored 20 goals and 94 points in 101 games since entering the league in 2019. Hughes, who is one year younger, has 11 goals and 97 points in 129 games during that same span.
Simply put, if Makar is worth $9 million annually, and Miro Heiskanen, who earlier this week signed an eight-year deal, is worth $8.45 million, does that mean Hughes is worth somewhere in the range of $8 million? If so, what does that mean for Elias Pettersson, who is also a restricted free agent this summer?
It's a question that becomes difficult to answer for a team that just took on the final six years of Oliver Ekman-larsson's contract, which carries a cap hit of $7.26 million, and will have to also re-sign Conor Garland to a deal believed to be north of $4 million annually.