Eric Stephens, in his Q&A on The Athletic, fielded an overwhelming number of questions about the Ducks trading for Jack Eichel.
The Ducks, along with the Wild, seem to be among the consensus favorites to land Eichel, so it’s no surprise that Eichel was the focus of Ducks’ fans questions.
Like most, Stephens believes the Ducks will do what’s in their power to land Eichel without giving up young NHLers Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale. He can see the third overall pick in this July’s draft being in play, however. He also notes that the Ducks may try to unload salary in such a trade, to help alleviate some of the cap pressures Eichel’s $10 million cap hit would create. Adam Henrique, signed though 2023-24 with a $5.825 million cap hit, would fit that bill.
The chances that just the #3 pick and Henrique (who would be a concession for Buffalo) would be enough for Buffalo are near negligible. The Ducks would assuredly need to add a young NHLer (Troy Terry, Sam Steel, Isac Lundestrom?) and/or additional picks and prospects to entice the Sabres to trade Eichel their way.
