It’s been a long three months filled with rumors, innuendo and straight-up fantasy. It’s easy for the facts to be obscured or forgotten.
So here are two indisputable facts:
The Sabres are building around players who want to be in Buffalo.
Jack Eichel wants to be somewhere else.
That’s it. The rest is just noise.
While general manager Kevyn Adams says he’s OK with Eichel still being in Buffalo when training camp starts, it’s not going to happen. He knows it. Eichel knows it. The NHL knows it.
“Our expectation is that Jack is going to be traded in the near future,” Eichel’s agents told Elliotte Friedman on Sunday night, “and all of our discussions have been centered around that issue.”
The last half of the quote is more important than the first. Adams talked with Eichel’s agents at least twice Saturday. The chats were not about when camp starts or whether Eichel should bring a hacky sack to the team picnic.
All discussions have centered around trading Eichel.
The captain’s landing spot and the return for Buffalo still need to be worked out. While a deal didn’t happen during draft weekend, talks did. The Athletic’s Michael Russo learned the Sabres are asking for four assets that are the equivalent of first-round picks.
