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The former second overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, Jack Eichel, is set to make his season debut Wednesday night for the Las Vegas Golden Knights. It has been a long time since we last saw the superstar forward on the ice. It appears, Golden Knights fans are going to get him onto the ice sooner than originally thought.
GM Kelly McCrimmon has announced that Mark Stone will be going on LTIR effective today.
McCrimmon also announced that Jack Eichel will make his Golden Knights debut Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche. #VegasBorn
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 14, 2022
Las Vegas traded for Eichel and a conditional pick from the Buffalo Sabres. They sent Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs and two conditional picks to Buffalo. It's possible that trade goes down as one of the most lob sided trades in NHL history.
Eichel was arguably the best college hockey player during his time at Boston University. He then hit the ground running for the Sabres, scoring 24 goals and 32 assists his rookie season. Eichel followed that up with three more successful seasons but in 2019-2020, he took an ever larger step forward. Eichel scored 36 goals and had 78 points in only 68 games played.
Sadly, his career was derailed early the next season after suffering a serious neck injury. Eichel suffered a herniated disk in early November last season. That's when the drama with the Sabres began.
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He and the franchise did not agree on what surgery should be done and by whom. The Sabres then stripped him of his captaincy. It got very contentious and became clear that Eichel would likely never suit up for Buffalo again.
Golden Knights fans are pleased with that development. It allowed them to trade for the superstar without giving up too much. He was not expected back until at least March, if not later, after the trade. Yet, here we are in mid-February and Las Vegas will have him on the ice.
