Sabres reportedly backing down on Eichel trade

The chatter has grown so loud, but it seems like the Sabres are ignoring it.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
Sabres reportedly backing down on Eichel trade
Zuma Press

We all felt like Buffalo Sabres’ Jack Eichel on the trade market was a done deal. 

And then, the Sabres took a look around. After another brutal start to the season, the Sabres look once again like a team who will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs and are looking to make it an even decade between playoff appearances. As you might expect, this had lead to a number of trade rumors including captain Eichel, who just wants a taste of the postseason. 

However, while many rumours have getting louder that the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers might want to acquire Eichel, it now sounds like the Sabres might be backing out on a potential Eichel trade, as Elliotte Friedman explained in his latest 31 Thoughts column on Sportsnet. Check it out: 

“On Jack Eichel : I know it’s white-hot in Buffalo, but I would be shocked for the above reasons (money, tight cap space) if the Sabres considered a trade now. First, it’s something they have to come to grips with. Second, there simply aren’t a ton of teams in position to do it for budget or cap reasons. Things change in the off-season: contracts coming off the cap; the 10 per cent summer cushion; etc. The Rangers are an obvious exception — they could do it at any time, if they wished — although some of the proposals I’ve seen out there are kinda crazy.”

Friedman has reported that it is a buyer’s market out there, but wonders how many teams will really be willing to take on money at the deadline in April. 

Is this the right time for the Sabres to make a blockbuster trade involving their captain? Eichel’s no-move clause does not kick in until the 2022-23 season, the year he would have normally been eligible for unrestricted free agency :  the Sabres retain leverage.  

But you have to understand how badly Eichel wants a taste of the postseason and a chance to be a real winner and he’s held on for a while in Buffalo. 

He deserves a real chance to win, but he might have to wait longer… 

Source: Sportsnet