Las Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel is back in action after missing the first half of the season following his trade from the Buffalo Sabres and subsequent surgery. Just 11 games into his Vegas career, Eichel will be returning to Buffalo for a road game against his former team, and he opened up on his true feelings on his return ahead of the matchup.
“I think about my time in Buffalo, it obviously ended a little bit messy,” Eichel said via ESPN. “”But I hope [fans] can look past some of the things that happened maybe in the last year and think about the previous 5½, 6 years that I was there and everything that I tried to do for the community, everything that I feel like I put forth on the ice as a hockey player, and know I just tried to do as much as I could for the city.”
Eichel was traded to the Golden Knights in November in a blockbuster deal that sent the star center to Las Vegas in exchange for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2022, and a second-round pick in 2023. His exit, as he mentioned, from the Sabres was far from tidy, however, as there were disputes between the former team captain and the organization over his health.
Eichel had been dealing with a herniated disk in his neck and was advised under a doctor's opinion that he should undergo surgery. The Sabres felt otherwise, however, and a rift emerged, which ultimately resulted in Eichel losing his captaincy, and subsequently getting dealt to Vegas.
After joining the Golden Knights, Eichel had successful neck surgery and was sidelined until after the All-Star break. He's since featured in 10 games for his new team, scoring 3 goals and providing 4 assists. He'll travel to Buffalo for a return to his former club, where he's hopeful fans won't be too hostile.
Eichel was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and was playing under the largest contract in team history, worth $80 million over eight seasons, which he had signed in 2018.
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