Jack Eichel is a Stanley Cup champion and it's something that likely wouldn't have happened if he had remained with his former club, the Buffalo Sabres, for quite a while.
Eichel's split from the Buffalo Sabres was a messy one to say the least. The 26-year-old wanted to have a surgery on his neck that was never done to a player before who was able to return to NHL action. So on the Sabres side, they were concerned and denied Eichel having the surgery.
In 2021, Eichel was forced to miss the start of the season after the Sabres denied him the surgery and some reports suggest that if they allowed him to have it back earlier in the summer or even in the spring, that he would have been good to go for opening night.
Ultimately, the Sabres traded Eichel to the Golden Knights for a haul, including Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, among other assets. Eichel is loving life right now and thriving in Vegas, finishing the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 26 points in 22 games.