Ladies and gentlemen, I have some horrible news. Jack Eichel only produced one goal last week for the Vegas Golden Knights. I know it's the worst news possible. But it happened last week, as the Golden Knights continue to lag.
Let's cut to the chase since it was another silent week for Eichel. The Olympic gold medalist is on track for 39 goals and 73 assists this season. That's good for 112 points, which would blow past the century mark. However, there is some concern within the Realm.
Perhaps the slowdown is caused by the wear and tear from constantly being in the hockey spotlight. First, it was the 4 Nations Faceoff, where he came close to winning the tournament for the United States. Then, it was the 2026 Winter Olympics, where the United States won it all. The result? A broken-down Eichel that sputtered on the goal-scoring front en route to the Stanley Cup Final.
Granted, he hasn't been known for putting up absurd numbers on the goal-scoring front. However, you can't deny that Eichel burying pucks into the net would help Vegas in many ways. For one, you don't have a certain Russian winger in Las Vegas anymore. He has four goals and five assists to start the season with the New York Rangers.
Second, the Golden Knights have sputtered offensively. They've only scored more than two goals once in the past five games, leaving plenty of room for improvement. Thus, we're in the current predicament of watching history being put on hold for yet another season.
Is there anybody else on the Vegas Golden Knights that could take the place of Jack Eichel on the 100+ point pursuit?
Realistically, the only other Golden Knight to even consider in this conversation is Mark Stone. He's projected to barely miss the century mark with 95 points (50 goals and 45 assists). He'll need an explosive game or two to hit the century mark or even surpass it.
People are going to ask about Mitch Marner here. "Well, what about the former Maple Leafs star? He scored 102 points in 2024-25." Well, he's projected to score 84 points this season (11 goals and 73 assists). If Marner was to hit the century mark again, that means the goals must pick up. Fortunately, it's early in the season and the Canadian Olympian has plenty of time to put up monster numbers.
Therefore, the focus is solely on Eichel to get the job done. However, he has a challenging four-game swing in the Eastern Conference. We're talking about the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Buffalo Sabres, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Boston Bruins. That won't be easy, especially if Jeremy Swayman starts in net for Boston.
The good news? Eichel's done well against the bulk of these teams. He has 26 points (eight goals and 18 assists) against the Red Wings, 24 points (nine goals and 15 assists) against the Boston Bruins, and nine points (six goals and three assists) against the Sabres (seven games). That should be terrific news for an Olympic gold medalist looking to rebound.
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