Golden Knights Gm Sends Clear Message On Jack Eichel Contract

The Vegas Golden Knights fell short of another Stanley Cup run, being eliminated in the second round by the Edmonton Oilers. Despite Vegas holding home-ice advantage, the Oilers made quick work of them, winning the series in six games.

Now entering the offseason, the Golden Knights have some work to do. But one of the more important pieces of business is the contract status of star Jack Eichel.

Eichel will be entering the final year of his deal and can enter free agency next year. However, Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon is hoping not to allow that to happen.

“The guy is a tremendous player," McCrimmon said. "He's one of the top guys in the NHL. He's got great character and great leadership. You see night in and night out what he does for our team. So that will be a really important piece of business for us. I sure hope to keep Jack in our organization. Jack loves it here. I hope we can find common ground and keep him a Golden Knight.”

Eichel is coming off a great season for Vegas, scoring 28 goals and 66 assists. The star is one of the main reasons why the Golden Knights grabbed the Pacific Division title, and the team will do what it can to keep him around long-term.

“We'll work on those players first, make some decisions there, or have a discussion with them and with agents,” McCrimmon said. “We're going to do everything we can to improve our team in the next six or seven weeks.”

If the Golden Knights can agree on a new deal with Eichel, it would keep this core together. Eichel seems to enjoy playing in Vegas, but at the end of the day, money tends to talk in these situations.

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