Player Report Card: Jack Eichel

Season Stats: 67 GP | 25 G | 39 A | 64 PTS

Age: 21

Contract Status: Signed through 2025-26, $10,000,000 AAV

Jack Eichel can continue his point-per-game scoring pace for his entire Buffalo Sabres career and still won’t win over some cynics who will point at that $10million cap hit, so why even bother starting that argument.

Instead, let’s talk about how even on an offensively-challenged Buffalo team Eichel continues to rack up the points and is developing leadership skills that will serve him well in years to come. He has mostly handled the press well, though his irritation at some pesky local news journalists has been clearly observed.

This was unfortunately another season where he picked up an injury – high ankle sprain – that started raising (unfair?) questions about his durability, but there was no doubt when on the ice and in his element he is one of the smartest and fastest players on the ice.

All season long he found a rotating cast of wingers on his line as Phil Housley tried to put his best players with him, worst players with him and everything in between. In the end, he did well, but fans will be left asking what he can really achieve when the Sabres get better at playing possession hockey.

Season Grade: B+

There’s two clear season highlights for Eichel, take your pick whether you prefer seeing the Jack the Sniper or Jack the Deliverer.

Here he is scoring his first career hat trick –

And here he is dishing up five assists –

What grade would you give Jack Eichel this season?

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