Jack Eichel, formerly of the Buffalo Sabres, has drawn parallels between his own difficult exit from Buffalo and Mitch Marner’s recent departure from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both players have now landed with the Vegas Golden Knights, where they are expected to begin new chapters in their careers amid high expectations surrounding the Mitch Marner Vegas fresh start.
Eichel, who currently holds an $80 million contract, left Buffalo amid tensions over how his on-ice injury was handled, leading to a trade to Vegas in November 2021. Similarly, Marner was traded to Vegas last week following frustration over Toronto’s playoff struggles. Despite being one of Toronto’s all-time leading scorers with 741 points over 657 games, Marner faced criticism for his postseason performances before the move.
Reflecting on Marner’s transition to the Golden Knights, Eichel expressed empathy, relating his own experience adapting to a new city and team after leaving Buffalo.
“Having gone through the situation of leaving an organization in the city and having a fresh start in Vegas, I think I can relate, to a point, to some of the things he’s going through,” Eichel said. (via phone call on Tuesday to The Hockey News)
“I think he’s obviously had his own situation, and however that ended, I’m sure he’s super excited to have a fresh start and be in a place like Vegas,and I know he’ll excel.”
Eichel also mentioned his anticipation to build a rapport with Marner and looks forward to playing alongside him as teammates in Vegas.
Coach Cassidy Reflects on Combining Marner and Eichel on the Ice
Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy addressed the potential of pairing Marner with Eichel but noted that it is still early in the process to decide if they will share a line. He emphasized that player chemistry will be key in line configurations.
“There needs to be chemistry, first of all,” Cassidy said on the Leaf Morning Take podcast. “And there might be some automatically, and there might be none, you never know.”
Both Marner and Eichel are primarily playmakers, which raises the question of whether one will take on more of a goal-scoring role if they are placed together. Cassidy highlighted that with other skilled centers such as Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl, and William Karlsson available, he has multiple options for crafting effective offensive lines.
Still, the combined talent of Eichel and Marner suggests they are likely to share ice time at some point during the season, making their chemistry a fascinating storyline to follow as the Golden Knights look to strengthen their offensive power.