Avalanche divisional rival already facing cruel twist concerning dynamic duo
Photo credit: Hockey Patrol
Colorado Avalanche divisional rival, the Vegas Golden Knights, are already grappling with a harsh and unexpected setback involving their dynamic duo of Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner, raising questions about the team's immediate prospects.
Marner became a Golden Knight when Vegas acquired him via a blockbuster trade, pairing him with Eichel to form the team's highly anticipated dynamic duo.
Avalanche divisional rival already facing cruel twist concerning Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner.
Dave Benson from Heavy.com writes that it's enough to have Golden Knights fans celebrating wildly along the Vegas Strip, imagining nightly highlight-reel goals and top-tier offensive performances, much like Toronto fans experienced with the iconic Marner-Matthews duo.
"But somebody may want to remind Vegas fan base of how that turned out. Because in a bit of an unfortunate twist, the deal that brought these two superstars together could ultimately be what forces them to be separated a year from now." -Benson
In Daily Faceoff's NHL Mailbag, analyst Anthony Di Marco suggested Eichel could hit the 2026 free agent market, noting Marner's big contract might make keeping him too costly for the Golden Knights.
«Eventually something is going to have to give in Vegas. Yes, Eichel likely isn't the guy the Knights eventually bring the hammer down on, but after signing Mitch Marner to a major contract with an AAV of $12 million, can they really afford to hand out a major deal to another forward?
With the rising salary cap, there is reason to believe that Eichel's AAV could soar past the $12.6 million benchmark the Colorado Avalanche set with Nathan MacKinnon, which has since been exceeded by the Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews and Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl as fellow centers.» -Di Marco
With the rising salary cap, there is reason to believe that Eichel's AAV could soar past the $12.6 million benchmark the Colorado Avalanche set with Nathan MacKinnon, which has since been exceeded by the Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews and Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl as fellow centers.» -Di Marco
Eiche's $10 million AAV contract runs through 2025-26. At 29, a Stanley Cup winner, he'll hit free agency for the first time, potentially commanding up to $14 million annually.
"With that kind of number, it's not hard to see how Eichel could price himself out of the desert. The irony, of course, is that Vegas finally found the kind of elite running mate that Eichel hadn't truly had since his college days at Boston University, only to risk losing him because of that very move." -Benson
Marner and Eichel form a fearsome duo capable of swinging a playoff series in just a few shifts. Yet, if Di Marco is correct, their time together might be more of a one-act performance than a long-running show.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 23 | 33 ANSWERS Avalanche divisional rival already facing cruel twist concerning dynamic duo Will Jack Eichel re-sign in Vegas when his contract is up at the end of next season? | ||
| yes | 18 | 54.5 % |
| no | 15 | 45.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
