There’s a lot of speculation going on right now concerning Jack Eichel. What we know to be certain is that trade talks have picked up. That information is coming from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, two of the most trusted sources in the game.
Neither one of them is indicating a deal will come down soon, but they expect it to go happen by the draft on July 23rd. However, there is at least one report that indicates it may occur within days.
Jack Eichel trade coming soon
Jeremy White on WGR550 in Buffalo followed up on the most recent LeBrun report that talks have intensified with “I’m hearing days, not weeks” for an Eichel trade.
If this is true, then the team that seems to be most rumored lately and best positioned are the Anaheim Ducks. Friedman was also on WGR550 today to say that the Sabres preference would be to send him out West. He added that those in the East get the sense if they want him, they’ll need to pay more.
Ducks after Eichel
The latest news has the Rangers and Kings interest waning or quite possibly non existent for the L.A.. That makes the Ducks a prime destination for the 24 year-old center.
GM Bob Murray has been rumored to be looking to make a splash this offseason . Now that he has some cap space thanks to Ryan Getzlaf’s $8.25 million hit coming off the books, trading for Jack Eichel is a possibility. Anaheim holds the third overall pick in the draft which is a given to be part of the package. They key here is who’s the roster player they move, and will they part with Trevor Zegras? If they are willing to, and assume the full risk of the neck injury – this could be the team Eichel lands on.
Other teams that may be in on Eichel are the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets. It should also be noted that the Rangers interest is still there, just not what it was pre-injury. And as for the Kings, Friedman thinks they are giving out disinformation as to their interest in him.
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