The move that we’ve all been waiting for finally happened on Thursday. Jack Eichel was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, and draft picks. The impact of this trade in the short term is minimal. Eichel will have his surgery next week and will be out at least three months. Tuch is out for at least a couple more months with his shoulder surgery, and Krebs was sent down to Rochester for now. Long term, this could be big for all parties involved. First off, if Eichel comes back and gets to play with Stone, he’ll have the best linemate he’s ever had. We’ve seen this upside before, and now it’s only a matter of getting healthy. This will be a big hit for Chandler Stephenson down the line. Tuch will finally get consistent top six minutes once he returns. With his shot rate, I could see him becoming a hold at the end of this season or next season. Krebs will also end up a top six player, although the time line is a bit more iffy. For fantasy purposes, it’s a bit rough that he’s a poor finisher, but every other part of his game is above average or higher, so I still suspect he’ll be a hold in due time. All in all, I hoped for a slightly better return for Eichel, but given the injury and how long this dragged out, I can’t complain about getting a couple top six players and what should end up a middling first round pick. Let’s hit on a few other things around the league to bring people up to date:
Bowen Byram put on a show on Wednesday night scoring two goals and adding an assist with six shots against the Blue Jackets. The Avs were missing Makar in this game which obviously was a big factor, but Byram has shown enough to be a hold in all formats for the time being. It’s nice to see Nazem Kadri play well for Colorado too as he dished three assists and remains at a point per game. Additionally for the Avs, Devon Toews is supposed to return to the lineup on Saturday. He should be owned in all formats.
Cole Sillinger also had a big game with two goals and an assist plus five shots. The first round pick has had a great start to his career with 3+2 in nine games with three shots per game and solid PIM. I have him as an elite streamer now that he’s sticking in Columbus. Welcome to the Razzball Database Cole! Also in Columbus, Jake Bean scored twice playing over 25 minutes. The consistency isn’t there yet to warrant a spot in 12’ers, but I do like Bean’s long term upside.
Filip Forsberg is week to week with an upper body injury. Poor guy just can’t stay healthy.
Sidney Crosby tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms. That could put Crosby out for five games. Jeff Carter gets a big boost in the short term.
More coming shortly. Sorry for delay
