LAS VEGAS — Golden Knights center Jack Eichel said Connor McDavid’s below-market extension to stay with Edmonton has no bearing on his contract talks with Vegas.
McDavid gave the Oilers a hometown discount, signing a two-year, $25 million deal that keeps him in Edmonton through 2028. The three-time MVP could have tried to negotiate for a better deal than the eight-year, $136 million contract for Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov on Sept. 30 that made him the NHL’s highest-paid player ever.
Eichel enters the final season of an eight-year, $80 million deal, and he is expected to command a contract closer to Kaprizov than McDavid, perhaps even richer than what the Wild agreed to pay.
“I don’t have much to say other than we are having conversations and trying to find the right deal and hoping we can get something done,” Eichel’s agent, Pat Brisson, said in a text message.
Eichel said he’s in touch with Brisson every day, but also understands that if a deal gets done, it will be during the season.
“It’s something we’ll continue to work at,” Eichel said. “In my situation, just try to be as good of a player and teammate every night the best I can and help our hockey team win games.”
Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said on the eve of training camp that other players’ contracts will not be taken into consideration when it comes to trying to reach a deal with Eichel.
“I will say what I said in July, Jack is a priority,” McCrimmon said. “We have tremendous regard for the player and what he’s meant to our organization. I think he feels the organization’s been very good for him as well, and we’ll continue to have dialogue.”
Eichel scored a career-high 94 points last season that included a personal-best 66 assists. He and newly acquired Mitch Marner will share the top line with Ivan Barbashev. Marner had 102 points with Toronto, and he agreed to an eight-year, $96 million sign-and-trade deal with Vegas.
“I’m hoping they’re dangerous every time they’re on the ice because they have it in them offensively,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said of the first line. “I know what they can do defensively. There’s never a worry for me who’s the matchup on the other side, and that’s no disrespect to those players. They’ve handled those matchups for years in the league, and now you’ve got two of them on the same line.”
Cassidy heaps praise on forwards
Cassidy coached some of the NHL’s top forwards in Boston before guiding Vegas to the Stanley Cup in 2023.
“This could be the best group in terms of player one to 12 that I could ever coach just because of the depth and how it’s lining up for the Vegas Golden Knights,” Cassidy said. “Other teams have ways they access and that’s not disrespect. … Now we’ve got to get it off the paper and onto the rink looking like it’s supposed to.”
Holtz signs 2-year deal
The Golden Knights signed forward Alexander Holtz to a two-year, $1.675 million contract. He was on a professional tryout agreement.
The 23-year-old played in 53 games last season for the Golden Knights, recording four goals and eight assists.
Read the full article here