Buffalo Sabres: Jack Eichel trade still has no clear-cut winner

Many Buffalo Sabres fans expressed displeasure at Jack Eichel winning the Stanley Cup last night. But it shouldn’t change their perception of the trade.

Jack Eichel and his Vegas Golden Knights may have won the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, and that could sway public opinion over who won or who is winning the Jack Eichel trade. Roughly a year-and-a-half ago, the Buffalo Sabres sent the disgruntled Eichel and a third round pick to Vegas for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a first-round pick (Noah Ostlund), and a second-round pick (subsequently traded for Jordan Greenway).

As the trade outlines, Eichel was supposed to be one of the few, if not the missing puzzle piece for Vegas. They traded for Eichel because they were in ‘win now’ mode. And last night, they got that win. For the Golden Knights, if they didn’t win the Cup with Eichel, the trade would have failed. Clearly, that wasn’t the case, but it doesn’t mean they one-upped Buffalo in this thing.

As for the Sabres, winning now wasn’t on their minds when they made the trade. We need to remember that this deal occurred back in November 2021, and the Blue and Gold were once again looking like they were about to end up in the NHL’s basement.

Buffalo Sabres-Golden Knights: Jack Eichel trade still has no real winner

General manager Kevyn Adams made that trade with his mind on the future, for Tuch and Krebs to join what became the league’s youngest hockey team when October 2022 rolled around. Both players have since become integral puzzle pieces for the Sabres, with Tuch evolving into one of the NHL’s best scorers.

Krebs, meanwhile, has transformed into a hard-hitting, gritty forward who is starting to excel on the penalty kill. Oh, and their first full season in Buffalo this past year ended up with the franchise coming just one win away from snapping its playoff drought, something no one expected from such a young hockey team.

So when will we have a clear winner of the trade? Let’s wait until the subjects of the deal are no longer playing for their respective teams. That said, it will be a while before we know whether the Vegas Golden Knights or the Buffalo Sabres won the Jack Eichel trade.