Jack Eichel is no longer a member of the Buffalo Sabres. After six years within the Sabres organization as the second overall pick in 2015, Eichel is now headed to the Vegas Golden Knights as part of the first major NHL blockbuster trade we’ve seen this season.
This was a long time coming for Eichel, who had his captaincy stripped with Buffalo while sitting out due to injury. The major hangup between the Sabres and Eichel was a disagreement on what kind of surgery the 25-year-old should have to repair the disk he herniated in his neck last season.
As a member of the Golden Knights, Eichel will be able to get the artificial disc replacement surgery he wanted, with a recovery time between three to five months. Eichel, who is not a very prolific Twitter user since joining in the summer, even tweeted out his excited reaction to the news with him in a Golden Knights jersey.
VEGAS BABY, VEGAS pic.twitter.com/s996GU5Jpk
— Jack Eichel (@jackeichel) November 4, 2021
Though the Golden Knights won’t get to reap the benefits of this trade for some time, it’s great to see Eichel excited about playing hockey again. Not only that, Eichel will finally be able to get surgery on his herniated disk, an injury that I am sure is not pleasant to have in your daily life.
Here’s how the hockey world reacted to the Eichel trade and the end of an era in Buffalo.