John Tortorella is now 8-0 in playoff games contested against Presidents' Trophy winners.
Yes, that is now a statistic.
Add that to the ever-growing library of fun and wacky hockey statistics, but Tortorella has now won 21 of the 27 games he's coached since joining the Vegas Golden Knights as a very-late-season coaching hire. That run has gotten what could easily be the best expansion franchise in hockey history to its third Stanley Cup Final in just nine seasons.
And with that, Tortorella has former Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel four wins away from a second Stanley Cup since joining the Golden Knights via trade almost five years ago.
Let's actually take a quick moment to reflect on the trade
After previously requesting a trade out of Buffalo, Eichel and a third-round pick were sent by the Sabres' front office to the Golden Knights. In exchange, Kelly McCrimmon and Co. traded forwards Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, the former of which was an "Original Misfit," a first-round pick that Buffalo used to select Noah Ostlund and a second-round pick that ended up being used as part of a deal that brought forward Jordan Greenway to Western New York.
While Eichel and the Golden Knights missed the playoffs in 2022, they proceeded to win the Stanley Cup during the 2023 postseason. Another three postseason berths followed that 2023 playoff campaign, which saw Eichel record 26 points in 22 games, with the third seeing Vegas return to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Sabres' case for winning the trade, albeit limited, is a notable one. While the team didn't have the playoff results until recently, the haul that Buffalo got from the trade played a role in getting Buffalo back to the playoffs. Tuch recorded at least 60 points in three of the four full seasons that he played in Buffalo since that midseason trade, while Krebs earned ice time that he wouldn't have gotten in a superstar-studded Golden Knights lineup. At the same time, Ostlund is coming off of a 27-point rookie campaign after playing just eight games last season.
Much of the value that Buffalo acquired from the Eichel trade could be gone in an instant by the end of the offseason
If Tuch were to pack up and leave Western New York in free agency, then a lot of the value that Buffalo recouped in the Eichel trade would be gone in an instant. Krebs (who's a restricted free agent this offseason) and Ostlund are both solid players and key parts of the Sabres' future, but Tuch's departure would mean more than just a name being added to the list of star players leaving the organization. While not a superstar in the traditional sense, Tuch knows what being a Sabres fan means and he represents the team very well while wearing Buffalo's blue and gold.
But like Eichel post-trade, Tuch went to a Stanley Cup Final in 2018 with Vegas while playing in two additional Conference Finals. Whether Tuch stays or goes, he would certainly want to get back to the later rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But does that come in Buffalo or elsewhere?
By now, it's clear that stars who leave Buffalo tend to find postseason success elsewhere.
Eichel was no exception when he won the Cup in 2023, and others like Sam Reinhart and Ryan O'Reilly also secured Stanley Cup titles since leaving Western New York.
Tuch is more than likely aware of this fact and, as a result, might be considering the possibility that Buffalo might not necessarily be his best path to the Stanley Cup. Jarmo Kekalainen might be able to get a big payday together, but a chance at the Stanley Cup could just as easily determine Tuch's next course of action.
Such a decision would represent a major blow to the Sabres' attempts at re-establishing themselves as a destination for free agents of all kinds and superstars who want to get out of roster revamps. Tuch leaving would once again create a perception that the Sabres might be a good hockey team, but they can't do what it takes to keep their biggest names, whether it's presenting a vision or a lucrative contract of some kind.
The Sabres might have lost the Eichel trade already courtesy of a slower playoff return among other factors, but Eichel being on the verge of another Cup might not be the biggest of their worries in that regard.
If Tuch were to leave and win a Cup elsewhere, Sabres fans would be able to add yet another former roster cornerstone to the list of those that left and found success.
At least we can still hope that Vegas isn't a prospective destination for Tuch ... right?
Add us as a preferred source on Google