On Monday morning, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that he was surprised to wake up to rumors that center Jack Eichel might have requested a trade out of Buffalo and that the superstar might be on the trade block. Further to that, McKenzie had heard the New York Rangers were major players. Shocked of such reports, he said he dug into the matter further and reached out the parties involved for clarification.
McKenzie tweeted:
Imagine my surprise when I started making calls today and heard Jack Eichel trade rumours, including unverified chatter he may have at some point recently requested a trade out of BUF and that NYR were amongst interested teams. This, of course, required further investigation.
McKenize added that when he got in touch with Eichel’s agent Peter Fish, he said, “I hear that (trade talk) a lot.” Fish stated. “Jack wants to win, he’s frustrated (not winning) but, no, he doesn’t want out.” He noted that Eichel is preparing to head to Buffalo at some point here and prepare for the season, whenever that may be. “That’s all he controls.”
McKenzie goes on to say that the messaging out of Buffalo is that the Sabres aren’t shopping Eichel, nor is there a deal on the table to move him anywhere. The Rangers are believed among one of many teams to have called and asked about Eichel in a possible trade and new GM Kevyn Adams is listening to offers. But, none of those talks with other clubs resulted in Eichel trade traction.
What Does Eichel Really Want?
Other than to win, Eichel wants to know that the Sabres are on the same page as him. It appears a dialogue between Eichel and management has taken place to ensure “they both want the same thing (to get better obviously) and share the same timetable (sooner rather than later).”
In summary, McKenzie writes:
Eichel doesn’t want out of BUF; BUF doesn’t want to trade Eichel; move along, nothing to see here. Fair enough. But some rumours are worth checking out/mentioning. Which I’ve now done. Now back to draft prep.
Next: Dustin Byfuglien Likely Done in NHL, Why Is He Walking Away?
