The Buffalo Sabres beat Jack Eichel and his Vegas Golden Knights on March 10th. Then, Eichel committed the sin of heckling an entire fan base.
There are a few groups of people you don’t badger with, and fans of the Buffalo Sabres are among those groups of people. Sabres fans are loyal, witty, and while they forgive, they don’t forget. And although the Eichel trade is just eight months old, Sabres fans have a few more things to point at when it comes to who won this trade.
Now, before we list three more reasons why the Buffalo Sabres are the outright victors, let’s recognize Eichel’s personal success in Vegas. In just 34 games with the Knights, he did log 25 points, 14 goals, and 11 assists.
So from a production standpoint, Eichel is as good as ever. But, it does not mean his presence is a good thing for the Golden Knights. In fact, it may ultimately end with the team becoming one of the worst in the Western Conference. Let’s discuss.
More reasons the Buffalo Sabres won the Jack Eichel trade: Reason #1 – Financial constraints v. financial stability
At the time of this writing, SpotTrac shows that the Golden Knights are currently $1,394, 643 over the cap. Only the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals are in more cap trouble. Eichel also carries a cap hit at $10 million in a contract that runs through 2025-26, giving the Knights little room to work with.
By contrast, the Buffalo Sabres are currently third in cap space with $19,604,166. General manager Kevyn Adams may very well add another puzzle piece to the team, likely via a trade. But the general consensus is that he will use the money to extend budding stars on the team sometime during the upcoming season. It’s more of a when, not if.
Right now, dumping Eichel’s contract onto another team was a brilliant move. And while these results can certainly change, the trade left the Sabres with immense cap space while the Knights are struggling to make ends meet.
And as you saw from the info above, the Knights still need to make a move or two if they plan on starting the season under the cap. Which leads me to my next bit of reasoning.