Sabres News: Potential surprise team that could trade for Eichel

I am afraid this is what Buffalo Sabres fans will be hearing every day until a deal is done. It was reported by Elliotte Friedman via The Instigators that there is a team that is clearly involved and in the middle of the current Jack Eichel trade sweepstakes. And it may not be the team that you would first think of.

The Anaheim Ducks seem to be the current front runner to land the “soon to be” former Sabres captain. Buffalo prefers to send Eichel out west to minimize the number of games they will play against him, and currently, the Ducks are looking to potentially strike a deal. There is nothing set in stone at the moment, but Anaheim is undoubtedly involved.

The Ducks are coming off a lackluster season in which they went 17-30-9. This record won them the third overall pick in this upcoming NHL Draft. Anaheim has not made the playoffs since 2018. They came in sixth in the Pacific Division standings in both 2019 and 2020.

It would be slightly surprising for a team that has been struggling over the last three years as much as the Ducks have to make a move that would include sending away high picks and prospects to get a player of even Eichel’s caliber. But they obviously feel that it could be worth the risk and think they have the proper pieces that could build a good team around Jack.

Friedman mentioned that he believes that the number three overall pick would certainly be involved if a trade between Buffalo and Anaheim were to occur. This would supply the Sabres with another top-ten pick in the draft, which they mentioned they are preparing for. And if they get the third overall pick in a trade for Eichel, they could potentially add a third top-ten pick if they dealt Sam Reinhart before the draft.