BALL IS BACK IN BUFFALO’S COURT

TORONTO, ON — There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t hear about or am asked about Jack Eichel. Fans, NHL players, agents, team reps, media members. Everyone wants to know when he will be traded. And if you’re frustrated or annoyed a deal hasn’t happened yet, just imagine how Eichel feels.

Truthfully, there isn’t any substantially new, ground-breaking bit of information to report. And if you’re still reading after that sentence, I will share the only update I really have.

Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News worded the current situation perfectly when he wrote, “everything is going on. And nothing is going on.”

The Buffalo Sabres have been engaged in constant trade dialogue for the last seven-to-ten days. But Jack still woke up a Sabre this morning. So, what’s going on? Are the Vegas Golden Knights and Calgary Flames the only legit contenders left, as many have reported?

I’m sure there are other teams lurking in the weeds, but it certainly sounds like Vegas and Calgary are the frontrunners. In fact, according to a well-placed source, I was told Tuesday evening the Knights believe they have tabled what they consider to be their best package for Eichel, and it is now squarely in the hands of Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.

The Sabres can either accept the deal, try to (once again) counter, or decline and go with another team’s offer.

As far as the latest or newest tidbit out there, that’s all I’ve got.

I supposed that’s somewhat substantial. If the Knights believe they have their best foot forward, there isn’t much else they can do but hope the Sabres accept and follow through with the trade call.

I know multiple Golden Knights players are very curious how this plays out. After being visibly outmatched by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, thanks to several key injuries, there is cause for concern. The team may get captain Mark Stone back as early as the end of next week, from what I’m hearing, and that will help. But Max Pacioretty and William Karlsson aren’t expected back until next month, and Alex Tuch is still recovering from off-season shoulder surgery and his timeline puts him at a late-January return.

It is unclear what Vegas’ package looks like, and the same can be said for Calgary’s. It’s pointless to speculate – we’ve all been doing that since the summer.

People around the League believed on Friday and Saturday that serious traction had been made. Everyone, from Eichel to the Pegulas, is still waiting.

Adams has a decision to make: a) Accept the Vegas deal; b) Accept the Calgary deal; c) Accept the deal from that lurking team; or d) decline them all and drag this out even more.

Until then...

WHAT THE DUCK?

A friendly reminder to temper your expectations when scrolling through the internet. Hard, I know.

On Saturday, Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg could no longer be found on Anaheim’s roster page on its website. That led to wild speculation that he was on the verge of being traded.

While I tried to share the disappearance was simply an error, Twitter wasn’t having it. Oh well. We found out the next day that Silfverberg had been added to the NHL’s COVID protocol. A little overreaction, a rarity in social media.

When I reached out to a contact with the Ducks about the matter, he laughed and suggested the team isn’t interested in trading Silfverberg, who has two more years left on his contract after this season and owns a 12-team no-trade list.

Silfverberg, 31, is well liked in the room and is held in high regard among management, so moving him any time soon seems unlikely. But that hour of panic for nothing, but at least you now know where the Ducks stand with this player.