Their players just aren't as good as they think. The team is also just constructed terribly. Everyone knows the Skinner contract sucks. Eichel/Dahlin are not really the players some fans think they are. Eichel has all the talent in the world, but you can just see how frustrated and fed up he is with losing. Dahlin isn't really the generational D-Man they thought they were drafting. He can still be a very good player but the thinking that he was generational can be put to bed. It's a tough situation, do you keep your franchise guy who doesn't look like he wants to play there and build around him. Or sell and rebuild. IMO if they can move Eichel for another franchise player they should. I think he needs a change of scenery, and bringing in an elite/franchise talent with a fresh start with this team/city can be a good thing. I don't know if anyone is available for a deal like that but from what I've seen, Eichel looks like he's just given up on this team.
The only beef with keeping Eichel is, how do you make this team a contender and fix the surrounding cast with the assets you have available ? I don't think it can be done until he's maybe 27-28. He's on a fair contract, elite talent and young, he'll bring a massive haul. The skinner contract really screwed them, no one is taking that, even with retention it'll be hard to move. I feel like more than anything the Skinner contract crippled this teams chances and is preventing them from making any real moves. That may be one of the worst contracts I have ever seen. They need to figure out a way to get rid of that contract if they want to be competitive with Eichel as a Sabre. Only way I see that happening is if they package him with multiple futures, not sure if they are willing to do that. If they are not, trade Eichel for a younger franchise player, or elite player + picks.
Just a badly constructed team that is absolutely crippled by Skinner. Who was the GM that signed that deal, Botteril ? Should never be allowed near a hockey rink again.