Jack Eichel comes close in Calgary

In 2021, the story that got people talking almost non-stop was that of Jack Eichel.

He was captain of the Sabres at the time, but was no longer happy in Buffalo and wanted to be traded.

Complicating matters was the Sabres’ refusal to allow Eichel to undergo the surgery he wanted. As a result, no one was happy with the situation, and it wasn’t until a few months later that we saw the center forward traded to Vegas.

The Golden Knights paid a high price for him because they weren’t the only ones in the running.

In an interview, Eichel confided that the Flames also had him in their sights… And that the Calgary team was edged out by the Vegas team.

In the end, towards the end, it was between Calgary and Vegas. They were the last two teams. – Jack Eichel

Imagine how different things would be today.

Jonathan Huberdeau probably wouldn’t be playing in Calgary and might still be dominating the NHL in Florida, alongside his old partner in crime Aleksander Barkov…

The Flames would surely have been much more competitive compared to last season and this one…

The Golden Knights might not have won the Stanley Cup, in light of the fact that Eichel was a really important piece of the club’s 2022-2023 conquest…

Yikes. Sounds like it’s hard to imagine a world where Eichel would be wearing the Flames’ colors at the time of writing.

But in the end, it all worked out for him, and that’s what’s important at the end of the day. The deal allowed him to hoist the most precious trophy in hockey… And I find it hard to believe that things would have been the same had he been traded to Calgary.

Oh well.

In gusto

– Preparation continues.

– I like the third trio.

Team lines in Day practice

Minten – Geekie – Dumais
Cowan – Poitras – Savoie
Yager – Celebrini – Wood
Allard – Beck – Danielson
Rehkopf

Mateychuk – Lamoureux
Furlong – Bonk
Donovan – Warren

Rousseau
St-Hilaire
Ratzlaff

Absent: Nelson @TSN_Edge

– Mark Masters (@markhmasters) December 25, 2023