Player Discussion Jack Eichel Part 1

[Crazy Tasty]

Sounds like a great argument to trade for kopitar so jack can battle harden in practice (and it feels a giant hole; the cost would be insane though, which would make it just a nice dream)

Kopitar as our 2nd line center... hmmmm I might just trade Samson for that, would have to depend on what else goes to LA.

 

[Reddawg]

Just thinking about the center we ended up with in the Crosby/Kopitar draft makes me irrationally angry.

 

[Crazy Tasty]

Just thinking about the center we ended up with in the Crosby/Kopitar draft makes me irrationally angry.

Outside of those 2 there weren't any other centers for 13OA, and honestly that draft was pretty weak. It would have been nice though to get at least an NHL player out of that draft...

 

[Reddawg]

Outside of those 2 there weren't any other centers for 13OA, and honestly that draft was pretty weak. It would have been nice though to get at least an NHL player out of that draft...

The 2005 draft makes me angry in general. We had an equal shot at Crosby along with Pittsburgh, the Rangers, and Columbus (I think). Instead we get Marek f***ing Zagrapan. Can you even imagine adding Sidney Crosby to the 2005-06 team? How many Cups would we have by now if the balls fell differently? (that sounds wrong)

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

Eichel has only gone 2 games without a point this year only twice. He has not gone 3 or longer without a point. That is the sign of a true consistent superstar.

It is refreshing to see Eichel grow a physical edge to his game. When he is angry or an opponent is being cheap he is more then willing to throw his 205 pounds of pure muscle frame into an opponent. Eichel needs to do it more, he has the body and strength to be a new breed of power forward.

He simply is incredible. We have had to put up the last few years of people on this site bashing eichel saying he is behind guys like Barzal and Pettersson. There is only 1 forward definitively ahead of Eichel right now and that is #97 in Edmonton. For today and the next 10 years over the long run only McDavid is better. He is absolutely on the same level as Mack, Matthews and, Kucherov and Rantanen.

He is now a 22 year old 90+ point two way superstar center captain. And the scary thing is he is not even the best or most important player in the organization.

Eichel+Dahlin>> any other duo in the league. No one boasts a 90+ point 2 way superstar center and a future hof type dman. Edmonton may have won McDavid but Eichel+Dahlin>McDavid+Draisaitl/Hughes/Nurse/Klefbom etc etc.

If Eichel signs one more 8 year extension after the current one expires no doubt in my mind he ends up as the all time leader in goals, assists and points. He is only 22 years and less then 2 months old and Jack Eichel is already 43rd in Sabres history scoring wise with 215 points.

Here are some notable players he will pass this season on the all time Sabres scoring list.

Eichel - 43rd, 215p
Peca- 42nd, 217p
Dumont- 41st, 223p
Briere- 39th, 230p
Ennis- 37th, 236p
CuBro- 34th, 252p
Lindy Ruff - 30th, 285p

He is exactly 71 points away from cracking the top 30 in franchise scoring overtaking our longest tenured coach in team history. Barring injury Eichel will score 71 points prior to his 23rd Bday in October of 2019. Eichel is the new Sabre fan eras Perreault.

 

[SabresFan26]

Jack's been having a great year which is good to see but I'd like to see him work on his board game to really dominate possession, especially defensively.

 

[Snippit]

He's great and all but you can't exactly say a guy with 66% OZS is "two-way"

 

[dortt]

If there was a choice between Jack stringing together a run of 10 multi point games or score 10-12 points but be a 2 way player, have Jack score the 10 multi-point games in a row. We'd win far more than we'd lose with that kind of production

 

[Gabrielor]

Couple games old, but man, incredible speed to take away a pass option on a rush.

 

[OkimLom]

If there was a choice between Jack stringing together a run of 10 multi poiynt games or score 10-12 points but be a 2 way player, have Jack score the 10 multi-point games in a row. We'd win far more than we'd lose with that kind of production

10 game winning streak:

4/10 multi-point games; longest streak 2 games.

5 game losing streak:

4/5 games multi-point games ; longest streak 2 games.

Jack improves his two-way game, he will give himself more opportunities from that improvement, increasing his chances to produce more offense. Because of his dynamic play, if he improves his two-way game, he will win his matchups more often, which will give us more chances to win games.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

He's great and all but you can't exactly say a guy with 66% OZS is "two-way"

That should not be held against him. A lot does with his linemates. But seeing how he is back checking and picking up his man he absolutely has developed an astute two way game. And if we are going to use ZS to either diminish or prop up a player then Risto the last few years should get some slack for all his dzs.

 

[joshjull]

He's great and all but you can't exactly say a guy with 66% OZS is "two-way"

You’re confusing his role/usage with his individual play. A player can play a two way game in an offensive role.

 

[sabrebuild]

The 2005 draft makes me angry in general. We had an equal shot at Crosby along with Pittsburgh, the Rangers, and Columbus (I think). Instead we get Marek ****ing Zagrapan. Can you even imagine adding Sidney Crosby to the 2005-06 team? How many Cups would we have by now if the balls fell differently? (that sounds wrong)

I’m with you 100%

I will preach this gospel to literally anyone who brings it up.

The exact same chance as I believe 9 other teams, and we got mfing Marek Zagrapan....

There were 14 players in that first round who became some sort of quality nhler. And we got a flat dud.

Imagine the lockout team with even the lesser lights in hindsight, doesn’t T.J. Oshie make it a lot easier to dump Max or Kotalik for Briere’s money?

Does Kopitar make the loss of the co-caps irrelevant after winning a cup? He was just under ppg for a bad kings team in 06-07. Does he take Connolly/Roy’s spot during that season to be ppg or better with Vanek and give them the big bodied weapon they needed against Ottawa and eventually Anaheim.

And of course, if the lotto hits for us, and you add Crosby for free, instead of getting nothing....

I mean what does 100 point rookie Crosby do on the run and gun post lockout teams? 120 points?

How many goals can Crosby produce with Vanek on the third line at even strength? Is the answer all of the goals? I think it might be.

Who exactly stops a line of 20 year old Crosby Prime Briere Prime Max?

Who doesn’t get absolutely dominated by a line of Crosby Drury Hecht? Go ahead score on Hecht and Drury and keep up with a hanging Crosby.

I mean the Pens had a great core of young guys that grew together and won a cup. And then had to regroup to win again. But of the teams that had the same odds to win Crosby, the Sabres were in a position like no other. They had a ready made team to win immediately at a contending level, particularly with his addition and at the same time, they had excellent future pieces to fit around him and the cap. The co-caps disaster would have been much more avoidable, if for no other reason than one of those two guys is sticking around to win with an all time great. Letting Vanek go is a real possibility and all those picks coming back to elongate the run with Briere and Crosby as your top stars with excellent depth.

A better what if than 1066 could ever hope to be!

 

[yahhockey]

Wish they gave a price. May be worth the trip to the Sabres Store for locals wanting a signed Eichel jersey.
*edit*
Looks like many were asking and the reply is $189 for the replica and $209 for the authentic.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

You’re confusing his role/usage with his individual play. A player can play a two way game in an offensive role.

Being attached to the hip with Jeff Skinner at ES also explains his zone starts. Skinner is at a whopping 72%. And I also would say Skinner has played a good two way game this year. A 2 way player to me means someone who even when dog tired is pumping his legs to get back and mark his man. Jack has been going gangbusters all year and has earned the 2 way superstar moniker. If he wasnt used so much at ES and the PP I would like to see Jack get some more PK time. I think he can handle 22 a game.

 

[Sabre the Win]

We have had to put up the last few years of people on this site bashing eichel saying he is behind guys like Barzal and Pettersson.

Pettersson came in the league this year and Barzal last year, how many posters can see the future? No way anyone was ever saying that when both were in different leagues while Eichel was in the NHL.

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

 

[brian_griffin]

The 2 strides he makes after getting the puck are insane. There's only a hand full of guys in the league you can accelerate that fast, and even less with that release.

LOL at Gudas backing up and actually shading away from eichel toward the slot instead of trying (if vainly) to force Eichel wide.

If there was a choice between Jack stringing together a run of 10 multi point games or score 10-12 points but be a 2 way player, have Jack score the 10 multi-point games in a row. We'd win far more than we'd lose with that kind of production

I'm greedy. I want both.

 

[1972]

He's great and all but you can't exactly say a guy with 66% OZS is "two-way"

Oh god now a guy can't be two way because zone starts? a guy can start 100% OZS and battle like a dog on the bone and be amazing defensively while putting up points, that's a two way player. A player as gifted as Jack should be starting in the offensive zone as much as possible, that’s no indicative of his two way game.

 

[tsujimoto74]

He's great and all but you can't exactly say a guy with 66% OZS is "two-way"

What about a guy with 62-65%? Because that's what Toews did in 2010-11, 11-12, and 13-14, years in which he finished 2nd, 6th, and 3rd in Selke voting. What about a guy with around 60% offensive zone starts? Because that's about where Bergeron's been hovering since the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak line was put together.

 

[debaser66]

Its strange that people decide to lament for not getting a franchise/1st line center in 2005 in the thread of or own franchise center which would certainly not be here (plus Dahlin) if we would have gotten one 13 years ago.

 

[Gabrielor]

I think jack is having the season I personally dreamed he would. Just stay healthy team.

 

[Myllz]

Couple games old, but man, incredible speed to take away a pass option on a rush.

Bogosian at the red line: OK, you go get him instead.

 

[1972]

I watch way to much hockey and honestly, Jack Eichel has to be on the short list for the hart trophy right now.

 

[OkimLom]

One thing I'm not liking from Jack, is his action of trying to pin guys to the boards. It's now twice that he hit someone from behind into the boards, because he decided to use his stick and arms, that went head first. He's going to need to refrain from doing that as often as he has been, otherwise, he's going to get a reputation from the refs and won't get the benefit of the doubt, and guys will start targeting him in response with questionable hits as well.

Outside of that, I'm okay with Jack's game, though it wouldn't hurt to see continuous improvement defensively, which I'm sure will come with experience.