On Nov. 4, 2021, a trade between the Vegas Golden Knights and Buffalo Sabres helped cement the Golden Knights’ place as a perennial Stanley Cup contender.
The Golden Knights acquired star centre Jack Eichel from the Sabres, along with a 2023 third-round pick, in exchange for forwards Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-round pick.
Eichel was 24 years old at the time and had been held out of hockey activities for nine months due to a herniated disc in his neck.
The 6-foot-2 centre was drafted second overall in the 2015 draft by the Sabres just ahead of superstar centre Connor McDavid who went first-overall to the Edmonton Oilers.
Eichel played six seasons in Buffalo, recording 139 goals and 355 points in 375 career games.
He was named captain of the Sabres in October of 2018 and was on the fourth season of an eight-year, $80 million contract that carried an annual cap hit of $10 million.
The Sabres had missed the playoffs each of their past 10 seasons entering the 2021-22 campaign, which eventually ballooned to an NHL record of 14 seasons that ended in 2025-26.
While Eichel was very vocal about his displeasure about losing, a divorce with the team appeared to be on the horizon due to a difference of opinion on how to deal with Eichel’s injury.
Eichel wanted to undergo a disc replacement surgery, but the Sabres waffled at the idea because no NHL player had ever undergone that procedure before.
The conflict eventually led to the trade, and Eichel missed another four months after getting the surgery he wanted. He had 14 goals and 25 points in 34 games that season as the Golden Knights missed the playoffs for the only time in franchise history.
The 2022-23 season was a banner year for the Golden Knights as they finished first in the Pacific Division with a 51-22-9 record. Eichel returned to being a point-per-game player, recording 27 goals and 66 points in 67 games.
Eichel then led the playoffs in scoring with six goals and 26 points in 22 games as the Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers in five games to win their first Stanley Cup in only their sixth season. Eichel finished second to Jonathan Marchessault in Conn Smythe voting as playoff MVP.
In parts of six seasons in Vegas, Eichel has 134 goals and 365 points in 332 games. He also registered two goals and 22 points in 22 playoff games last season as the Golden Knights returned to the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Carolina Hurricanes.
This season, Eichel is tied for seventh in league scoring with seven goals and 22 points in 17 games entering Wednesday’s action as the Golden Knights sit second in the Pacific Division with a 10-5-2 record.
The Chelmsford, Mass., native continued to star on the international stage helping the United States win gold at Milano Cortina 2026, the country’s first in men’s hockey since 1980. He also helped his country to a second-place finish at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Also, as part of the trade, the Golden Knights drafted 2024 Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League MVP Mathieu Cataford. Cataford had 31 goals and 75 points with the Halifax Mooseheads the year he was drafted and proceeded to register 40 goals and 90 points in 65 games the following season to win MVP.
He had three goals and 13 points in 59 games with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights as part of his first season of professional hockey last season. This season he has an assist in 10 games.
Core pieces for Sabres
In return for Eichel, the Sabres received Tuch, Krebs, and two draft picks.
The Sabres used Vegas’ 2022 first-round pick to select Noah Ostlund 16th overall, while they traded the 2023 second-round pick as part of a deal with the Minnesota Wild to acquire forward Jordan Greenway.
The Sabres continued to struggle to make the playoffs after the Eichel trade, never finishing higher than fifth place in the Atlantic Division until the 2025-26 campaign.
Tuch broke out as a scoring winger in his first full season in Buffalo in 2022-23, scoring a career-high 36 goals and 79 points in 74 games.
He maintained his scoring pace, highlighted with 33 goals and 66 points last season as the Sabres won the Atlantic Division and made the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign. He added four goals and seven points in the playoffs before his team was eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round.
In five seasons in Buffalo, Tuch registered 139 goals and 309 games in 360 career games.
The Sabres traded Tuch to the Washington Capitals last off-season as part of a sign-and-trade where they received forward David Kampf and a 2026 third-round pick. Tuch went on to sign an eight-year, $84 million contract with the Capitals.
Krebs and Ostlund remain in the Sabres organization, serving as depth to a team that is looking for their second straight playoff appearance.
Krebs had a career-high 12 goals and 39 points in 82 games last season, and head coach Lindy Ruff had used him all throughout their lineup. He had two goals and six points in the playoffs.
The 25-year-old centre has seven assists in 14 games this season and spent time as the team’s No.1 centre.
Ostlund wrapped up his rookie season in 2025-26, recording 11 goals and 27 points but only appeared in three playoff games due to injury.
He signed an eight-year, $52.8 million contract extension in the off-season and has four goals and nine points in 14 games this season while spending time on the team’s top power-play unit.