It’s been a quiet summer for the Vegas Golden Knights. They took care of business early, acquiring Mitch Marner and re-signing their key players before Free Agency began. However, there’s one bit of business the Golden Knights still need to address, and that’s extending Jack Eichel.
As dictated by the CBA, Eichel became eligible to sign an extension on July 1st. Fans and analysts alike both expected the Golden Knights to re-sign Eichel quickly. They haven’t yet, but take some advice from Douglas Adams here: don’t panic!
There’s no reason to believe that Eichel is interested in leaving Vegas. And why would the Golden Knights even humor the idea of not re-signing him?
Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas discussed Eichel’s contract situation on Saturday’s episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast.
‘Writing on the Wall’: Toronto’s Failures Pushed Marner to Golden Knights
“Jack Eichel, I think he’s staying in Vegas,” Friedman began. “I would be shocked if he went anywhere else. But to me, a guy like Eichel, he’s probably just waiting to see how the market is set. And then, he locks himself in.”
The market, of course, centers around one man: Connor McDavid. Like Eichel, the Edmonton Oilers captain was eligible to sign a new contract on July 1st. Unlike Eichel, analysts project McDavid’s new deal to range from $16-17 million per year.
“[Connor] McDavid, in a lot of ways, is a governor when it comes to this stuff, in terms of what his next contract will be,” Bukauskas added.
Historically, the Golden Knights haven’t overpaid their stars– they even let Jonathan Marchessault walk over a contract dispute. Eichel, however, is a different story; the Golden Knights have something special in him. He’s a true superstar, and arguably the first to don the Vegas jersey.
No, Eichel hasn’t yet signed an extension. But as of now, there’s no reason to panic. If both sides want to get this deal done, it’ll happen. That’s typically how these things work.
And, as demonstrated by Mitch Marner, what the Golden Knights want, the Golden Knights get.
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