Mere days after the Edmonton Oilers locked up Connor McDavid, the Vegas Golden Knights signed the No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft.
According to The Athletic, the Golden Knights signed superstar, Stanley Cup-winning center Jack Eichel to an eight-year, $108 million contract — setting a franchise record with a $13.5 million annual-average value that runs through 2034.
Eichel, who not long ago was perceived as damaged goods by the Buffalo Sabres — who drafted him one pick after the Oilers selected McDavid — has lived up to his pre-draft hype since the Golden Knights acquired him in 2021.
Eichel could have become a free agent July 1, 2026 yet now is likely to finish his career with the Golden Knights. He has 253 points in 241 games since Vegas traded Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs and two draft picks on Nov. 4, 2021.
Plus, Eichel helped the Golden Knights finally get over the hump and win the Stanley Cup in 2023 — after five years of near misses.
Jack Eichel Will Be The NHL’s Third-Highest-Paid Player When His Extension Kicks In
There was fear that Kirill Kaprizov’s $17 million contract extension, which like Eichel’s will kick in in 2026, would explode the superstar-player contract market.
Yet, with McDavid’s two-year, $12.5 million contract extension, and now Eichel’s $13.5 AAV over the next eight years, that does not seem to be the case.
Still, Eichel will be paid as one of the NHL’s best players, which is fitting because he is a superstar in the league. He’s coming off a franchise-record 94-point season — he finished fifth in both Hart Trophy and Selke Trophy voting — and helped the Golden Knights finish atop the Pacific Division.
Despite joining the Golden Knights in their fifth season of existence, Eichel already ranks fifth in franchise history in goals (100), sixth in points (253) and tied for seventh in plus/minus (plus-65) with Alec Martinez.
Plus, he’s sixth in franchise history in postseason points (43), which is especially remarkable for a player that exited Buffalo without playing a game.
With Eichel Signed, The Golden Knights’ New Core Is In Tact
The Golden Knights have found a seemingly wizard-like level of cap maneuvering over their now-nine-season existence.
Yet, they have somehow found a way to reshuffle their core from the Golden Misfits era to a superstar-laden roster — that includes forwards Eichel, Mitch Marner and Tomas Hertl, plus defensemen Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin — without any pain of a lengthy rebuilding process.
With Eichel signed, Vegas has 12 players locked in through the end of the 2028 season, including each of its top-four defenders, plus a combination of depth and star talent.
That means the Golden Knights’ star-laden core is still in win-now mode — even though they have been eliminated by the Oilers in each of the past two postseasons.
But they also will have financial flexibility when the cap rises north of $115 million after the 2027-28 season, when both McDavid and California-born, Arizona-raised center Auston Matthews hit unrestricted free agency — who was Marner’s running mate with the Toronto Maple Leafs until this off-season.
There’s a thought that should terrify every rival club around the league.
Stars don’t necessarily equal Stanley Cups, which is why Vegas has only won one in its existence. But general manager Kelly McCrimmon, owner Bill Foley and the Golden Knights organization are doing whatever they can to ensure Vegas remains a championship-caliber team for years to come.
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