Friedman weighs in on the possibility of a Jack Eichel trade this season

Recently, rumours have been flying regarding the possibility of the Buffalo Sabres trading Jack Eichel given the teams struggles mixed with the fact the 24-year-old reportedly voiced his displeasure with the organization this past offseason.

Some analysts have made it seem like a trade is almost a guarantee at this point. However, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, don't hold your breath on it happening during the 2020-21 season.

«On Jack Eichel: I know it's white-hot in Buffalo, but I would be shocked for the above reasons if the Sabres considered a trade now,» Friedman wrote in his '31 thoughts' blog segment. «First, it's something they have to come to grips with. Second, there simply aren't a ton of teams in position to do it for budget or cap reasons. Things change in the off-season: contracts coming off the cap; the 10 per cent summer cushion; etc. The Rangers are an obvious exception – they could do it at any time, if they wished – although some of the proposals I've seen out there are kinda crazy.»

While this is big news, it's not all that surprising. As Friedman said, most teams simply don't have the cap space to bring in a player like Eichel who has a $10 million cap hit. It seems likely that the Sabres captain will remain in Buffalo for the rest of the season, though possibly not much longer. They have yet to make the playoffs through Eichel's first five seasons in the league, and would need a miracle to do it this season as they have gotten off to a horrid 6-10-3 start.

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