We’re nine days out from the start of the 2026-27 regular season, and Jack Eichel is still the name that sits at the center of everything in Vegas. That makes sense. He wears No. 9, and he’s become the Golden Knights’ franchise face after putting his stamp all over the organization, including the single-season points record with 94 in 2024-25.
For Vegas, the trade that brought him in from Buffalo looks even bigger in hindsight. General manager Kelly McCrimmon moved quickly when the team needed a true game-changing center, and the Golden Knights landed the Olympic gold medalist after Eichel’s situation with the Sabres had grown messy. He wanted artificial cervical disc replacement surgery, Buffalo would not agree, and the stalemate pushed him to ask for a change of scenery.
The deal itself sent Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a protected 2022 first-round pick and a conditional 2023 second-round pick to the Sabres, while Vegas also received a third-round pick. In the end, only one side really walked away feeling good about it.
Buffalo fans were left bitter as Eichel kept producing for his new team. Every goal and assist seemed to rub salt in the wound, and it only got worse when he hoisted Lord Stanley. Meanwhile, Sabres fans were still waiting through a stretch that kept them out of the playoffs until the 2025-26 season.
The numbers from Eichel’s time in Vegas tell part of the story. He set the franchise’s single-season assists mark with 66 in 2024-25, and he is the only Golden Knights player with 90 or more points in back-to-back seasons. But his value goes well beyond the stat sheet.
Vegas needed a center who could drive the game, dictate tempo and give the offense an actual engine. That kind of player matters against teams like the Montreal Canadiens and the Dallas Stars, and it’s the same kind of impact stars such as Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid bring to their teams. Eichel has grown into that role for the Golden Knights.
He has also delivered when the games got bigger. During the 2023 Stanley Cup run, he finished with six goals and 20 assists and came within inches of winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. If Jonathan Marchessault had not put together such a strong playoff run that year, the trophy likely would have gone to Eichel.
That’s the real reason his arrival changed everything for Vegas. The Golden Knights did not just add a star. They got the kind of center every contender needs, the kind who can tilt a series and reshape a franchise.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Prospect Made A Real Camp Statement In Preseason Opener
The Golden Knights opened their preseason slate with a 4-2 win over the Kings, and while the game had the usual September rust, there were enough encouraging signs to make it feel meaningful. Vegas looked organized enough defensively, killed penalties well and got a steady start from Adin Hill, which is exactly the kind of foundation a coach wants to see before the games start counting.
Jackson Hallum made the kind of first impression that gets noticed quickly in camp, scoring the game-winner and showing the speed and offensive pop that have to stand out for a young player trying to carve out a place. In a preseason opener filled with familiar tuning-up moments, his performance gave the Knights something a little more interesting to track as camp moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Got A Telling Prospect Answer In Saturdays Win
Adin Hills preseason work on Saturday gave the Golden Knights another useful data point as they continue sorting out both their crease and their young talent. Hill turned aside 17 of 19 shots in a 4-2 win over the Kings, while a pair of prospects helped supply some of the offense. Jackson Hallum and Viliam Kmec each chipped in key goals, a reminder that these exhibition games are as much about evaluating depth as they are about the final score.
Trevor Connelly was involved as well, putting three shots on goal without finding the scoresheet, which still offered a look at how the organizations prospects are handling NHL-adjacent pace and pressure. For Vegas, nights like this matter because they test more than just the veteran pieces. They also show which young players are starting to force attention, and which ones still need more runway before they can push into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights May Have Found A New Fourth-Line Edge
Marc Gatcomb made a noticeable impression in the Golden Knights preseason game against the Kings, and it was the kind of shift-by-shift impact that tends to matter more in Vegas than box-score noise. He picked up a point, but just as importantly, he brought the physical edge fans associate with a reliable fourth-line role, leaning into battles along the boards and making himself felt in a game where depth players were trying to stand out.
For a team that moved on from Keegan Kolesar, that type of profile suddenly has a little more significance. Gatcombs contract and his style of play give the Golden Knights something they can use at the bottom of the lineup, especially if he keeps showing he can combine toughness with enough production to stay in the mix. [Read more 🡒]