[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

That’s where I’m at. Even if Eichel doesn’t work out, we at least gave it a shot for 5 seasons with him at helm. The core right now is not the core that is going to get us a championship.

That is extremely short-sighted. You don't make a trade that is going to cost you four first round assets for a player that is going to be here for only five years. You make a trade of that level of a player that is going to be a franchise anchor for a decade or more.

You make the trade of Tkachuk, Monahan, Zary, and a 1st you have taken an immediate production hit that you have to recover from within. You're giving up 120-140 points of production for a player that produces 80-90, if he stays healthy. He's not a player that has shown the ability to make players around him better and have significant a production bump playing with him, so to replace the lost production you have to replace the lost body. You've just shipped out two of the best assets most likely to step up and fill that gap.

There's the rub of making these deals where you try and build around a player. They take time. It takes 3-5 years for a player to develop, step in, and really contribute in the NHL. Unless you are drafting really early, that is a pretty consistent cycle. So count on those gaps taking time to be filled, which eats into Eichel's contract and opportunity window. What I find really interesting is the narrative that Eichel is being brought in to play with Gaudreau. What happens when Gaudreau leaves at the end of next season? Who is left to play with?

I don’t expect him to re-sign here either. He would be the best center we’ve had in a long time.

Then you don't make the deal. Five years is not enough to do anything, especially the state of the development system.

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Even if he’s not a franchise player, and he is, Jack Eichel is going to have the premium trade value for the duration of his contract.

I just don't see Eichel as a franchise player. If he were a franchise player the Sabres would not be having conversations about moving him. I think what we're seeing in Buffalo is proof that he isn't a franchise player. The Sabres have spent the money on some talent to surround Eichel and he has not gone to the next level and the team continues to flounder. Eichel has not made any of the players around him better. The team doesn't get better. Doesn't sound like a franchise player to me in any shape or form.

Any team that trades for him assumes a lot of risk. Right now Eichel's lack of performance can be blamed on the "Buffalo effect." But if he goes to the next team and still doesn't perform like the "franchise player" that some (few) are call him, his value will indeed plummet. At that point you have a $10M player who should be paid like a $6-7M player. Trade value will be non-existent. That is the risk with a player like this. He's paid like a franchise player, but he doesn't perform like one and doesn't elevate his team. There are way too many red flags with this guy. Add his contract, lack of performance, inability to make his team better, and the short window of owning his rights, I don't see any reason to gut the franchise to get him. This is a guy who has yet to play a meaningful game in professional career.