Increased Eichel, Golden Knight chatter
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff: There has been speculation that Jack Eichel could file a grievance in the next 10 to 14 days. There had been hope that a trade could have been worked out before having to go the grievance route.
The trade talk between the Buffalo Sabres and Vegas Golden Knights has increased over the past to days. The problem for the Golden Knights, who are off to a slow start, is that Eichel would be out for months after he gets his surgery.
Mark Stone’s injury and $9.5 million cap hit is also a question mark. They are still not sure about his status and how long he’ll be out for.
A third team may need to get involved to retain some salary.
Could the Avs get in Eichel
Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post: The Colorado Avalanche are off to a slow start, and if it continues, could GM Joe Sakic look to make a bold move? It’s still early in the season with plenty of time to turn things around, but something seems to be missing from this team.
That said, should the Avalanche take a serious look at Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel?
One reason for the Avs to consider this is to keep him away from the Vegas Golden Knights. It’s wouldn’t be an easy deal for the Avs to make for salary cap reasons and the risk of the neck surgery is there, but he could provide a huge playoff boost.
Blackhawks GM options
TSN: Kyle Davidson was named the interim GM of the Chicago Blackhawks, but his inexperience will have them searching for an experienced GM according to Darren Dreger, and there are several possible GMs available.
“Jimmy Rutherford is well rested, he’d prefer to be the president of hockey operations, but would take a GM job for the right fit. Jeff Gorton, formerly of the New York Rangers, you’ve got Ray Shero as an experienced GM as well. Not to mention there will be a long list of guys who believe they should be on that list of candidates, but that will come in time.”
Arthur Staple: “No one asked, but Hawks next two calls should be to Ed Olczyk for president/hockey ops and Jeff Gorton for GM.
Lot of work needs to be done inside the org and in the community. Two people who would help.”