The 2021 NHL offseason is officially underway with the first buyout period started through Tuesday, July 27. Many expect this offseason to be one of the most active offseasons the league has seen in quite some time, especially with the Seattle Expansion Draft set to take place on Wednesday, July 21.
As for the Buffalo Sabres, their 2021 offseason got underway a while ago back at the end of the 2020-21 regular season. Since then, the Sabres conducted their search for a head coach and ended up removing the "interim" tag from Don Granato's title, making him the 20th head coach in franchise history. Buffalo also got the luck of the draw at the 2021 NHL Draft Lottery, winning the No. 1 overall pick after finishing as the 31st place team in the regular season.
In the mean time, the Sabres have reportedly been gauging the trade market for a number of prominent players who have openly expressed their displeasure with how things have played out in Buffalo. It was both Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen who said during their end-of-season conference calls they do not want to be part of another rebuild in Buffalo.
The main player getting all the attention on the trade market this offseason, however, has been Sabres captain Jack Eichel, after he voiced his frustrations with the "disconnect" between himself and the organization with the herniated disk in his neck. While a resolution is reportedly near on a treatment for Eichel's neck injury, it appears as though the marriage between the Sabres and the 24-year-old is all but over.
The speculation surrounding a potential Eichel trade has been swirling for quite some time now. There has reportedly been a number of teams to have inquired about Eichel's services and, most notably, his injury, and the asking price from the Sabres has been thought to be up to four first round assets.
One of the teams that has been reported to be a major player in the Eichel sweepstakes, and could continue to be going forward, is the Anaheim Ducks.
"You've got a club there in Buffalo that needs something to happen, and the Anaheim Ducks' offense has been in the cellar for three-straight seasons. Something's got to give here," said Ducks postgame host Josh Brewster in a recent appearance on the "Howard and Jeremy Show" on WGR. "There are certainly a number of prospects here, and the Ducks have a high pick, third overall. Something's got to change. This club needs change. ... I would have to say I would look at the Ducks as a front-runner."
Anaheim finished their 2020-21 regular season as the second-worst team ahead of the Sabres, going 17-30-9 with 43 points in the 56-game pandemic-shortened season. It was Anaheim's worst finish to a regular season, by far, since the salary cap era, but it has been a gradual decline for the organization since the team's last playoff appearance in 2018.
When looking at the Ducks' current roster, the team is trying to rebuild on the fly with a good youth movement starting to come into the picture. Aging veterans like Ryan Getzlaf and David Backes are set to hit the free agent market this summer, while other players like Adam Henrique, Jakob Silfverberg and Rickard Rickell all could be available this offseason for the right price.
As for the younger pieces going forward, the team is set to build around the likes of Troy Terry, Sam Steel, Maxime Comtois, Isac Lundestrom, Trevor Zegras, and Jamie Drysdale. Other notable prospects in the system for the Ducks include Jacob Perreault, Brayden Tracey, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, plus the third overall pick in the upcoming 2021 NHL Draft on Friday, July 23.
While all of those pieces may not be in the picture when the rebuild is complete in Anaheim, their younger players down the pipeline are quite rich with talent.
"The best player is Jamie Drysdale, because of the way he can move on the blue line," Brewster said. "I think he may be already as good as Cam Fowler, and I think Cam Fowler is the most underrated defenseman in the league, who's struggling with a club that has struggled offensively for three years. Jamie Drysdale is, I think, the best-of-the-best, in terms of [Ducks prospects]. And then Trevor Zegras and what he can do from a forward position; They're working him back into his natural center [position] after starting him on the wing. That is a really exciting player."
With the Anaheim roster and prospect depth that valuable going forward, it should absolutely make the idea of a potential Eichel trade to the Ducks that much more enticing.
One thing for the Ducks to consider, though, with a potential deal for Eichel is how much of a difference he could make for the roster on a short-term basis. Can the Ducks win games right away and get back into contention, or is it a better idea to continue to draft and develop young talent and organically rebuild the roster, even though it may take more time to get back into playoff contention?
"I don't think the Ducks feel they have a roster that can win right away, but certainly if you bring in Jack Eichel and that level of production, I think things change very quickly," Brewster said. "He plays center, he produces what he produces. I think there's always some questions about the puck battles with Eichel and is the two-way game that strong. But then again, if you can produce what we know he can produce, I have other guys on my team who can do some of those other things. It would be a big franchise-changing move."
Aside from the injury concerns with his herniated disk, the Ducks would also have to make some room on their salary cap for Eichel's contract, on top of having to make other moves to construct their team.
According to CapFriendly, the Ducks currently have $22.555 million in salary cap space this offseason and are just short of the salary cap floor. That is before taking into consideration the player to be lost in the Seattle Expansion Draft, as well as the restricted free agents that will need new contracts. Some of those restricted free agents include Steel, Comtois, Lundestrom, Max Jones and Danton Heinen.
As it stands right now, Anaheim has the cap space capable of fitting Jack Eichel on the books for the 2021-22 season and beyond. It's logistically reasonable to see Eichel being able to fit in the perimeters of the Ducks' salary cap for the remaining five years of his current contract.
But where do the trade negotiations start for the Sabres when having discussions with the Ducks?
While it may not be the exact starting point for discussions, it is believed the Sabres are inquiring about another top pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. The Ducks have the third overall pick in this year's draft, which would be another key piece to add to the future of the organization going forward.
Where the trade discussions really start to heat up for Buffalo is the acquisition of either of Anaheim's top prospects, Zegras or Drysdale.
"I would have to say if you don't see Trevor Zegras or Jamie Drysdale come back, I think it would make it very difficult for [Kevyn] Adams to face the fanbase," Brewster said.
"If I'm a Buffalo Sabres fan and either of those [players] come my way, this is assuming the third pick overall is in this package; If those two are untouchable, then it makes it tougher... to deal for Eichel."
This is where the Sabres and general manager Kevyn Adams have to start with trade negotiations for a potential Eichel move. The two main pieces of a deal have to be either Zegras or Drysdale, as well as the third pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. If neither assets are part of the package for Eichel, hang up the phone and wait to potentially hear back from the Ducks.
Sure, it may be quite the ask for Eichel, whose health status is still a huge question mark, but when healthy, there is little doubting the skill set of the Buffalo center. When playing at his best, one could make the case Eichel is a top-15, even top-10 player in the NHL.
Some have asked along the way if it would be enough for the Sabres to trade Eichel to Anaheim if the Ducks offered just Zegras or Drysdale and the third overall pick in 2021. Sure, anything is possible, but the chances of that scenario happening seems extremely low. Buffalo is likely going to ask for more assets, and the Ducks are probably going to try and unload another contract to Buffalo so they can make Eichel's contract fit better on the books and allow themselves a chance to make other moves to compete in the Pacific Division.
So how could this potential trade look?
Here's a mock trade to ponder:
Anaheim acquires:
- C - Jack Eichel
Buffalo acquires:
- C - Trevor Zegras / D - Jamie Drysdale
- C - Adam Henrique
- LW - Maxime Comtois
- RW - Sam Colangelo
- 2021 first round pick (third overall)
Henrique fits the contract dump to the Sabres with three years remaining on his contract with a $5.825 million cap hit. Sure, it's not exactly the greatest contract to take on, especially since Henrique's production rate took quite a dip this past seasons.
However, can still serve as a serviceable piece down the middle for the Sabres, on top of serving in a leadership role over the next few seasons. He most recently served as captain of Team Canada for the 2021 IIHF World Championship, where he scored six goals and added five assists for 11 points, and helped lead the Canadians to a gold medal.
Another thing to consider for the Sabres with Henrique is he just played with projected No. 1 overall pick Owen Power at the World Championship. Power spoke highly of Henrique following the tournament, saying Henrique helped him throughout the course of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Comtois is establishing himself as a solid depth player at the NHL level. Through parts of three seasons with the Ducks, the 22-year-old has scored 23 goals and added 28 assists for 51 points in 94 games. This past season was Comtois' first full season with Anaheim, where he managed to net 16 goals and add 17 assists for 33 points in 55 games.
Finally with Colangelo, the 19-year-old forward is currently playing at Northeastern University after being a second round pick (36th overall) of the Ducks in the 2020 NHL Draft. Colangelo has plenty of offensive upside to his game, while also being a pretty reliable player in his own end.
Colangelo was part of a Chicago Steel team in the United States Hockey League during the 2019-20 season that finished the regular season as the top team overall before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the Clark Cup Playoffs. He finished that campaign as the third-leading scorer on the team with 58 points (28+30) in 44 games.
Also a part of that Steel team from the 2019-20 season happened to be Power, who was named the USHL Defenseman of the Year after a 40-point campaign (12+28) in 45 games played.
One of Buffalo's scouts was also a part of the front office of the Steel that season, as Tristan Musser served as Chicago's Director of Player Personnel. If there is one person that would know Power and Colangelo better than anyone in the organization right now, it would be Musser.
Could there be additional assets from either side to make this deal even more substantial? Certainly. Additional picks, prospects or NHL players could be part of a deal such as this, but it is always a crapshoot when trying to guess what NHL teams are thinking in cases like this one.
It will certainly be quite an ask by the Sabres in any Eichel trade, but there's good reason for Buffalo to be looking such a return. The team has to get the best quality it can in any return to help turn the course of the franchise around as soon as possible.
In case you missed it, you can listen back to Brewster's interview during the "Howard and Jeremy Show" below: