The Vegas Golden Knights entered the offseason with two major items on their to-do list. First, they needed to improve their offense by adding speed and skill on the wing. By adding Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, they did just that. The second and potentially most important order of business was to sign Jack Eichel to an extension. The Golden Knights haven’t checked that box yet, although there’s still ample time before the start of the season on October 7th.
Last week, Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon spoke with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic about the latest on Eichel’s contract negotiations. And from the sound of it, Golden Knights fans have nothing to worry about in that regard.
“That’s a priority,” McCrimmon said. “It remains a priority. He’s been a great player for our organization. I think our organization has been great for him. So, lots of interest, obviously, I think from both sides to make something work.”
LeBrun reported that he’d be surprised if the Golden Knights didn’t extend Eichel. However, the Golden Knights have historically managed to keep their business under wraps, and this is no exception. LeBrun didn’t offer specifics on the extension beyond a report that initial conversations have taken place.
“The top priority at the moment, as [McCrimmon] said, is to get Eichel extended,” wrote LeBrun. “My understanding is that there have been a few conversations to date on it. It’s still early stages. It doesn’t sound like anything is imminent, but there’s a lot of time to get it done, and I would be very surprised if it didn’t.”
The Fourth Period doubled down on LeBrun’s report about the impending negotiations. However, they also took it a step further by adding a time frame. On Friday, they reported that they expected talks between McCrimmon and Eichel’s representatives, led by agent Pat Brisson, to pick up this month.
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