Vegas Baby, VEGAS!

The long-awaited trade of superstar Jack Eichel is official… He is officially a Vegas Golden Knight. In a trade that set Twitter on fire late Wednesday evening, the Buffalo Sabres moved the $10 million contract of their disgruntled forward for Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, a 1st and 3rd round pick. See full details of the trade below:

Eichel will have the off-season surgery he was demanding all along. The Knights have announced they will perform the surgery, and Eichel expects to miss the next 3-5 months. The Knights could see him in the lineup after the Olympic break if the surgery goes according to plan.

So, what does this mean for the rest of the league?

The Pacific Division adds yet another superstar, and the Knights return to serious cup contenders. With a player of this caliber heading to the bright lights of Las Vegas, Eichel should be the perfect suit… No pun intended. The concern? He hasn’t played a game since March, and neck surgeries aren't your run-of-the-mill recoveries. I understand the likes of Erik Karlsson defeating all odds and returning early from an Achilles injury, but let’s pump the breaks a bit until we see how the player looks after neck surgery.

George McPhee’s vision may be on hold at the moment, but a fully healthy Golden Knights team is downright scary. The Golden Knights have been snake-bitten by injuries early into the season, with five of their top-six forwards having already spent time on the IR. If Eichel can return to form, he brings a dynamic the Knights have needed since entering the league. His size, speed, and skill are almost impossible to match. Playing alongside a stout Golden Knights defense should allow Eichel to illustrate a more-complete two-way game than in Buffalo, taking Vegas to the next level.

From Buffalo’s perspective, I see this as a step in the right direction. Addition by subtraction in this case. I can’t picture a scenario where Buffalo wanted to move on from a player of this skillset, but they had few ultimatums. With the team's positive start to the season, their fanbase should be happy with the return. That said, adding young skilled forwards is good on paper, but Sabres management better hit on their draft picks if they expect to be competitive soon. With the likes of Dylan Cozens, Owen Power, and J.J. Peterka leading the group of prospects, it's not unrealistic to see Buffalo roster an exciting young group sooner than we think.

To recap, the Golden Knights have now traded the franchise's first three picks in Cody Glass (Patrick trade), Nick Suzuki (Pacioretty trade), and Erik Brannstrom (Stone trade). With Peyton Krebs (Eichel trade) now being added to the list of highly-touted prospects traded away, the Golden Knights have shown they’re ready to win now. Injuries may be the only reason the Golden Knights don’t lift the cup this year! Those of you who bet on the Knights to win the Jack Eichel sweepstakes can go CASH OUT!