The Vegas Golden Knights opened the 2025-26 season with a loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. Despite the season-opening loss, there are Stanley Cup aspirations in the desert after signing Mitch Marner. The Golden Knights made a big splash before puck drop, signing Jack Eichel to an 8-year, $13.5 million AAV contract extension on Wednesday. We have the grades ready for both sides for the third-biggest contract in NHL history.
The Golden Knights traded for Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres during the 2021-22 season. After he recovered from a neck injury, he became a key part of the NHL's freshest contender. He made his postseason debut in 2023, helping Vegas win its first Stanley Cup. His 94-point campaign was the best of his career in 2024-25, and he was rewarded for that.
The Golden Knights gave Eichel a $3.5 million raise per season with this contract. The salary cap is slated to go up by $8.5 million next summer when the contract kicks in, so Vegas is still in a good position financially.
Jack Eichel signs another monstrous contract
Eichel signed an eight-year, $10 million deal with the Sabres in 2017, after just two years in the league. That contract started when his entry-level contract ended after the 2017-18 season and runs through this year. Add that $80 million deal to this $108 million deal, and Eichel is one of the richest players in NHL history. But does that make this deal worth it for Eichel?
Eichel was traded from the Sabres to the Golden Knights for two reasons. First was the medical situation, as Buffalo denied his ability to get the neck surgery he wanted to get. But the part that didn't get spoken about as much was his desire to win. Vegas gives Eichel a chance to win every season, and he took a discount to try and get another ring.
Eichel could have signed a short-term deal like Connor McDavid did to break the bank again. He also could have asked for more, like Kirill Kaprizov did with the Minnesota Wild. But instead, he is sticking in Vegas on a massive deal that makes him a very rich man.
Eichel grade: A-
The Golden Knights keep the window open
The Golden Knights' championship window opened on the first day of their first season. While many did not see that coming in 2017, they made the Stanley Cup Final that year and never looked back. Trades for star players like Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, and Eichel have kept that window open. And the long-term deals to Alex Pietrangelo, Mitch Marner, Stone, and now Eichel keep them coming back to the postseason.
There have not been many draft and development success stories in the history of the Golden Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev is the most successful player they have drafted, and he is a key player, but they achieve their success through player acquisition. If that is going to be the business model, these contracts have to be signed. It is a lot of money, but it could have been a lot more expensive, making this a successful deal.
Vegas has questions on defense this season, and this contract may prevent them from solving it in the summer. But they have always found a way, and maybe Rasmus Andersson is that answer at the trade deadline. For other teams, it would be easy to say they are restricted by the salary cap. But the Golden Knights have proven that they will always find a way.
Golden Knights grade: A+
Final Jack Eichel contract thoughts
Fans who have wished for the downfall of the Golden Knights since their inception will have to keep waiting. Eichel, Marner, and Stone are elite forwards who are also three of the best defensive forwards in the league. Vegas has built this team on two-way dominance, which Eichel fits perfectly.
