The Jack Eichel sweepstakes are far behind us now, with the Vegas Golden Knights being the eventual victor of the months-long saga. Trade rumors swirled for weeks up until the center was sent to Sin City in early November, and among the teams reportedly interested were the Anaheim Ducks.
However, it doesn't appear the Sabres and Ducks were close to a deal, as Buffalo wanted a massive package for the 2015 second overall pick, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
"I heard what the Sabres asked Anaheim for was (Trevor) Zegras, (Jamie) Drysdale, and two first-rounders. Anaheim wasn't willing to do that," Friedman said on Monday's edition of "32 Thoughts."
The Sabres ultimately pried forward Alex Tuch, prospect Peyton Krebs, a top-10-protected first-rounder in 2022, and a 2023 second-rounder away from the Golden Knights in exchange for Eichel.
Friedman also noted that he doesn't know if Anaheim's doctors were ever comfortable with allowing Eichel to undergo his preferred artificial disc replacement surgery to replace the herniated disc in his neck, but since the Ducks were in on Eichel early, their thoughts on the procedure could have changed over time.
Zegras, 20, has already made headlines in his young career thanks to his creativity in the offensive zone. The forward went viral earlier in December after pulling off a ridiculous lacrosse-style assist to teammate Sonny Milano. Zegras has 38 points in 54 games.
Drysdale was taken sixth overall by the Ducks in 2020. The 19-year-old blue-liner has the potential to be a top two-way defenseman. He's accrued 22 points in 56 career contests and has averaged the third-most ice time among all Ducks skaters this season.
