I’m not the one who said originally what you’re asking to him and in return what Response you want him to give, but may I take a stab at this? If you were to create a player like Eichel on NHL 19 you’d see high 80s early 90s for most of his attributes. Barkov too, absolutely....no question about it.
Barkov is an absolute beast defensivly And dynamic offensively with his Finnish flash that can be dazzling, especially on a breakaway.....but Eichel is a more rounded player from an offensive standpoint. His skating is better, he’s more versatile in transition (NHLs best transition player in second half of 16-17 upon returning from ankle injury ahead of even mcdavid utilizing his balance, mobility and speed. The fact he’s returned from two serious high ankle sprains (on both abkles) and continues to be one of the leagues top offensive driving forwards and elite speed skaters is nothing short of remarkable, since these types of injuries linger for months on end and have been known in the past to cut short careers. Not too mention this type of injury that he sustained twice directly effecting the CD area that he uses to pull off his elite skating, where his strides and quick turns stand out as a big reason why he excels so well and can take off at the rate he does. Eichels got a bag of tricks likee Barkov does...., id give Sasha the edge in His handwork decking, stick handling , but eichels are no slouch those areas, his toe drags, theough the legs into the offensive zone and pulling these Moves off in some the most important, crucial times of the games no matter who the defender is, is also absolutely remarkable.
His best attribute when creating plays is how fast he can make passes tape to tape on any spot of the ice. It’s why seemingly whoever he plays with, his skill has elevated their (his linemates) game by a lot, evander kane, Evan Rodrigues, girgensens, Pominville and now jeff skinner....if these guys are on eichels line they produce and usually two or three times as much as they would without him. The numbers clearly back this up and if you’d like I will post them. He’s gotten more with less then arguably anyone in this league not named mcdavid. He was fourth in offensive zone possession just a couple weeks ago and has the most shots in the league. He’s fifth in assists and tenth in points. Generating Chances all the time and he’s even a plus player now..... (plus 9) ,his defensive game has improved considerably since becoming captain.
With that he’s now more accountable and currently the leader as captain and leading scorer of a winning team in a playoff spot, at the moment, we can talk all we want but the eye test is best as you know if you’re a panthers fan not a lot of eyes get on these players but it’s the same with him, just watch it and you don’t have to ask. That doesent mean you’ll agree. But at least you’ll have some Frame of refereence and won’t have to ask why! And this is just the beginning. While the panthers have an impressive top six, eichels never had a player on his line come close to 60 points yet still has 150 points in his last 154 games.
His offensive ceiling is literally as high as anyone in the NHL not #97. This is a few examples of why one would say the skilled part you had in question. They’re both remarkable players at the end of the day despite a few diffeeences there isn’t a big gap but when it comes to skill there isn’t either. As I’ve pointed about above though it’s not ludicrous for someone to merely suggest Eichel had more offensive skill
Then barkov.
I know at the end of the day this is a lengthy read and I wasn’t the one you asked but was that explanation good enough?