Comparing the Eichel trade to what the Bruins would have had to give up
Jack Eichel has finally been traded. While various teams were rumored to have been in the running, including the Bruins, he’s heading to Vegas. This really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The Golden Knights have shown in the past that they are willing to go the distance to acquire their target. Once Vegas was rumored to be in the running, you knew there was a good chance they were going to get Eichel.
According to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, the Calgary Flames were in the running as of Wednesday night. Rumoring to have forward Matthew Tkachuk in play for Eichel. We’ll never know what happened there, but this left me wanting to compare what Vegas sent to Buffalo with what the Bruins could have offered.
A Bruins comparable to what Vegas gave up for Eichel
The center piece of the trade itself is Eichel of course. A generational talent and top line center. Going the other way is forward Alex Tuch and forward prospect Peyton Krebs, a conditional first and second round pick. In 249 regular season games with the Golden Knights, Tuch had 61 goals and 78 assists for a combined 139 points. He previously played six games with the Minnesota Wild prior to Vegas acquiring him in the 2017 NHL Expansion draft. A comparable player the Bruins could have given up would be forward Jake DeBrusk. DeBrusk and Tuch coincidentally are both 25 years old. DeBrusk has 69 goals and 67 assists for a total of 136 points in 251 games with the Bruins. Very similar outputs, although they each play the game their own way. DeBrusk is also looking to rebound from last season, which was a season to forget.
Peyton Krebs was selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft with the 17th overall pick. Krebs played from ages 15-20 with the Winnipeg Ice, formerly the Kootenay Ice, of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Still a rookie, Krebs has had a cup of coffee with both Vegas and their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. A comparable Bruins player I believe the Bruins could have offered would be forward prospect John Beecher. Entering his third year of college hockey at the University of Michigan, John Beecher has had a rough go with injuries in his collegiate career. Beecher, now 20 years old, has yet to see the ice this season. However, when he does, he’ll be joining an absolutely stacked Wolverine’s roster.
Bruins and Sabres trading within the same Division
There’s sort of an unspoken rule in the NHL when it comes to trading within your division. That guideline is to avoid trading within your division when possible, especially when it comes to a player of Eichel’s caliber. Divisional teams play each other a minimum of four times during the regular season alone. The way the playoff format is currently structured, there’s a good chance a team will play against two divisional opponents in their journey to the Stanley Cup Final.
Because of this, I do believe the Bruins would have had to offer more than what Vegas acquired Eichel with. Whether it be swapping Beecher with prospect Jack Studnicka or prospect Fabian Lysell. Even then, additional picks and prospects would likely have had to have been considered.
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-Josh Croteau (@_JCro on Twitter)
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