Sabres GM believes Jack Eichel will succeed in NHL: 'He's legit'

Tim Murray's confidence in Jack Eichel is abundant.

The Buffalo Sabres general manager, who drafted the Boston University star with the second overall pick of the NHL Draft and signed him to an entry-level contract Wednesday, believes the youngster will succeed in the big time, and do so with flying colors.

"The accolades that he’s had for the last couple years and a lot of people paying attention to him, I’m not sure I could have kept an even keel at that age," Murray told John Vogl of the Buffalo News. "That really impresses me about him. The fact that he talks about he still has to make our team and things like that, nothing’s a given to him or his family. I think that bodes well for us certainly as an organization, and I think it bodes well for him when he does get another level of success at the NHL level.

"You can see in kids pretty quickly if they’re legit or not, and I believe that he’s legit."

Eichel will get some help proving his legitimacy after Murray acquired Ryan O'Reilly from the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, but the GM believes Eichel's character traits will help him prosper best, even when times are tough.

"He’s going to have some nights where things don’t go his way," Murray said. "It’s how he handles that and how our coaching staff helps him with that. If he stays positive on those nights, I think there’ll be fewer and fewer as we go along."

Eichel finished with 26 goals and 45 assists in 40 games last season for Boston U, and is expected to be the saving grace for a Buffalo franchise that completed last season with the NHL's worst record.