Jack Eichel wants to stay with the Vegas Golden Knights.
He made that very clear at Wednesday’s NHL/NHLPA North American Player Tour in Las Vegas.
"It's no secret that I like it here in Vegas," Eichel said. "It's a great organization. I really enjoy living here and being a part of this community."
While such sentiments might suggest a straightforward path to a contract extension, the reality is more complex. Were the process simple, general manager Kelly McCrimmon would have secured an agreement already. The principal obstacle is that the Golden Knights are presently unable to re-sign Eichel due to salary cap constraints.
Cap Issues
The Golden Knights confront a projected salary cap commitment of $103.14 million against a ceiling of $95.5 million for the 2025–26 season, meaning they are over the cap by approximately $7.64 million. This complicates their efforts to re-sign Eichel, who is entering the final year of his contract and positioned for a substantial extension. Nonetheless, several avenues exist to mitigate issues with the cap.
The first move is to place defenseman Alex Pietrangelo on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) due to severe hip injuries, a move that would free roughly $8.8 million in cap space over the ensuing two seasons. Pietrangelo is slated to undergo bilateral femur reconstruction—a procedure that has no guarantee of success. It is plausible that his career is essentially over.
A second avenue for generating cap space is to allow players with expiring contracts, such as Colton Sissons and Reilly Smith, to depart via free agency. Further relief is anticipated with the projected increase of the salary cap to $104 million for the 2026–27 season, which will provide additional clap flexibility.
Nonetheless, at present, the Golden Knights remain unable to re-sign Jack Eichel. Eichel originally inked his current contract on October 3, 2017, while still a member of the Buffalo Sabres, the franchise that drafted him, with the deal taking effect in the 2018–19 season. Just over four years later, he was traded to Vegas, along with a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, in exchange for forwards Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch.
The 28-year-old center recorded a career-high 94 points last season, comprising 28 goals and 66 assists across 77 games. Eichel elaborated to reporters on the reasoning behind wanting to stay with the Golden Knights.
"As a player, it's a very competitive environment," Eichel said. "The organization does a good job of taking care of their players and our goal is to win the Stanley Cup every year, and that's a great thing."
At some point, it’ll be time for the organization to step up and re-sign him. Because they do need him.