Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Is Jack Eichel A Missing Piece For The New York Rangers?

05/10/2021 at 7:34pm EDT

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

I don’t believe the Rangers have any intention of replacing Mika Zibanejad with Jack Eichel next season. It is possible they could add Eichel, whose relationship with the Sabres represents a case study of next-level dysfunction, but no one should make that assumption, either.

The Blueshirts need to import a veteran leader with a track record of NHL team success. There was a reason, former GM Neil Smith said back in the day, that he traded for Oilers and not Sharks. Not only hasn’t one player on the roster won the Stanley Cup, Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba (once as a Jet) are the only guys who have even played in the conference finals.

Eichel, coming off a herniated disk and other assorted ailments, has never played in a playoff game in his six years in the league. Is that necessarily on the 24-year-old team captain? Of course not, but neither does he check the box about veteran leadership or having a successful team résumé.

The Rangers also need a player for their top-six who will set a physical tone and force the opposition to back off. Would Eichel do that?

continued

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by EthrDemon in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Still In It For Bubble Teams In The East - 4 hours ago
Comment by Steeb in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Still In It For Bubble Teams In The East - 5 hours ago