Eichel trade yields promising return for Sabres

Following a near six-month stalemate that surrounded Jack Eichel’s neck injury, his desire for an artificial disk replacement, a “disconnect” with the franchise, and all of the rampant trade speculations since the end of last season, the Buffalo Sabres have finally traded him.

While the hope was that he would be a long-term building block of this franchise as they were in the midst of a rebuild when he was drafted second overall in 2015, the former Sabres captain was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights Thursday morning, along with a 2023 3rd-round pick. In return, Buffalo received forwards Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch, a 2022 1st round pick that is top 10 protected, and a 2023 2nd-round pick from Vegas.

This trade closes the door of an era of Sabres hockey that was supposed to turn around the luck of the franchise but instead was one of the most disappointing stretches in team history. As a result, the Sabres are looking for a fresh start organizationally and this trade was the final piece to set that process in motion.

However, the returns will not be immediate, as Tuch underwent shoulder surgery last summer and is expected to return in the spring. Krebs, after playing in the first nine games for Vegas this year, will report to the Rochester Americans, per GM Kevyn Adams at his press conference on Thursday following the trade announcement.

Here’s some background on two of Buffalo’s newest acquisitions:

Alex Tuch:
Originally drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the first round (18th overall) of the 2014 draft, Tuch became known around the league once he joined Vegas in the 2017 expansion draft. In four seasons, which consisted of 249 games played, he earned 139 points (61+78) and was an integral part of the greatest expansion franchise in sports history with the Golden Knights. Now, the Syracuse, NY native will play for the team he cheered for growing up, as he will be another member of the youth movement on the Sabres roster.

Peyton Krebs:
Initially drafted by Vegas in the first round (17th overall) of the 2019 draft, Krebs has split time between the NHL and AHL over the last couple of years, playing in 20 career games at the pro level. Prior to that, he played junior hockey in the WHL, where he earned 103 points (25+78) in 62 games played for the Winnipeg Ice over the last two years. Heading into this season, Krebs was ranked the #1 overall prospect in their organizational pipeline, and with 5 points (0+5) in two games this year for their AHL affiliate Henderson Silver Knights, he will play a significant role in Rochester this season.

Although this has been expected for quite some time, trading Eichel signals the true start of the Sabres rebuild as they look past the difficulties over the last seven years, there’s hope that this core of young players can lead the Sabres to a more prosperous era of hockey.