The Buffalo Sabres have finally removed the "interim" tag from Don Granato and named him the 20th head coach in franchise history.
Now their focus turns to Jack Eichel and the 2021 NHL Draft, both of which are intertwined.
Buffalo has reportedly been shopping its franchise cornerstone, which isn’t surprising given how his 2020-21 season ended.
Back in May, Eichel publicly questioned the team over its handling of the herniated disk in his neck, saying he’s “upset” with Buffalo’s approach. It was the last chapter of an immensely frustrating campaign, in which Eichel only recorded two goals and 18 points in 21 games, and the Sabres, once again, finished at the bottom of the league standings.
While trading Eichel wouldn’t make the Sabres better in the short-term (obviously), it could be a way for the organization to reset. The Sabres are asking for four pieces that “would be the equivalent of four first rounders,” according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.
Chris Peters of Hockey Sense agrees with Buffalo’s reported high asking price. During an appearance on Monday with “Schopp and the Bulldog,” the longtime NHL writer said the Eichel return should be franchise-altering.
“[The return] still should be huge,” Peters said with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog. “When Jack Eichel is healthy, he’s one of the best players in the NHL, hands down. That’s something we kind of forget when somebody is out of sight and out of mind for a while, and the injury situation being what it is, it’s not ideal in terms of getting full value. But I still think all of these teams are going to be bidding against each other. You have a lot of teams that want him, and I think there are plenty of teams that do.”
However, there are plenty of arguments against trading Eichel. As Howard Simon writes, he’s still only 24-years-old and is locked under contract for another five years. However, the two sides may not be able to overcome their apparent differences.
If Eichel is traded, it will likely happen by the first day of the 2021 NHL Draft, which begins on Friday, July 23. For general manager Kevyn Adams, any potential Eichel deal would be his biggest draft move — despite the Sabres also having the No. 1 overall pick this year.
“The most important thing for the organization’s future is what happens with Jack Eichel, and all energy has to be on that,” Peters said.
In Peters’ mind, draft pick compensation alone isn’t enough for Eichel. The Sabres should be looking at bringing some rising stars back, too.
“I think you certainly want to look young, because when you trade a Jack Eichel, that’s a rebuild move, which unfortunately Sabres fans have become all too familiar with,” he said. “But you do have to go young, and young and elite, and that is a very difficult thing to do with any player in any trade. But if you’re going to move Jack Eichel, it has to be something pretty substantial that’s coming back. … They have to get this one right, obviously.”
Adams has quite the task in front of him.
In case you missed it, you can listen to Peters' entire interview during "Schopp and the Bulldog" below:
