Jack Eichel Signs Million-Dollar Extension with the Golden Knights
Jack Eichel has secured his future with the Vegas Golden Knights by signing an eight-year contract extension, the team announced on Wednesday. The deal has an average annual value of $13.5 million. The signing was finalized hours before the start of the Golden Knights’ season, who faced the Los Angeles Kings in Las Vegas. Negotiations intensified during training camp, with both sides focused on securing a long-term agreement before the season began. The extension will come into effect in the 2026-27 season, and Eichel will be 38 years old at the end of the contract. With this agreement, he is positioned as the third player with the highest average annual value in the league, surpassed by Kirill Kaprizov (17 million dollars) and Leon Draisaitl (14 million dollars). Eichel, 28 years old, was about to finish the last year of an eight-year contract with a salary cap hit of $10 million, a deal he originally signed with the Buffalo Sabres, the team that drafted him. In 2021, Buffalo traded Eichel to the Golden Knights. This agreement stemmed from his desire to undergo an artificial disc replacement (ADR) to correct a neck injury, a procedure that had never been performed on an NHL player and was therefore considered risky. Eichel’s agent, Pat Brisson, facilitated the trade. The Golden Knights allowed Eichel to undergo the surgery, which was a success, so much so that several other NHL players have had it done. The American center contributed to Vegas winning its first Stanley Cup in 2023, scoring 26 points in 22 games during the postseason.Eichel is one of the six players already selected to represent the United States at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Games. The Golden Knights are expected to be Stanley Cup contenders, especially after the addition of winger Mitch Marner this summer. Eichel and Marner are anticipated to play together on Vegas’s top forward line in their first game against the Kings. This agreement reduces the list of potential star free agents for next summer.“About four years ago, Jack underwent the first ADR surgery for an active NHL player,” Brisson commented on Wednesday. “He’s a pioneer. Vegas stepped in and helped make the process happen. Since then, they’ve won the Cup. It’s a great place for him, and he’s very happy with the decision.”
Pat Brisson
