The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that star forward Jack Eichel had successful surgery on his lower-body and will be out week-to-week as he recovers. Eichel suffered an undisclosed injury on and we know learned that it was a serious injury that required surgery. He did not play during the Golden Knights’ last two games versus the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators, respectively.
Eichel has been having a strong season for the Golden Knights as he is tied with Mark Stone for first on the team in scoring with 44 points in his first 42 games of the season. Eichel is tied with Stone, Robert Thomas, and Brayden Point for 25th in the NHL in scoring this season.
The star center has settled in to being a Golden Knight after being dealt there by the Buffalo Sabres after playing there for six seasons. So far, Eichel has scored 60 goals and 135 points in 143 games with the Golden Knights and 26 points in 22 playoff games. He led Vegas to a Stanley Cup last season and was a contender for the Conn Smythe Trophy, which ultimately went to Jonathan Marchessault.
Eichel will likely return to the lineup in early February, but it’s possible he could return in late January if his recovery goes better than planned. It’s a relief that this injury has nothing to do with the neck problems he had in the past which ultimately caused him to want out of Buffalo.
The Golden Knights are the defending Stanley Cup champions and they’re going to try to go back-to-back this year. They currently sit in eighth-place in the NHL and second in their division, behind only the Vancouver Canucks. Vegas is in a good position to have home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs and their team is as competitive as last year.
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