LAS VEGAS — Jack Eichel has become an indispensable, multifaceted player for the Vegas Golden Knights, contributing across the entire ice.
Fans are accustomed to seeing Eichel excel offensively – starting games, scoring goals himself, setting up teammates, and contributing on the power play. These are well-known aspects of his game.
However, his less-recognized contributions are equally vital. You`ll now find him taking crucial defensive zone faceoffs and playing a significant role on the penalty kill. Coach Bruce Cassidy also relies on Eichel as part of a select group deployed in the final two minutes to either secure a lead or prevent a tying goal.
As a high-profile top-line center, Eichel was the centerpiece of perhaps the most impactful trade in the history of a franchise built on a winning-focused philosophy. Yet, Eichel aimed for something more: transforming into a truly complete center capable of handling any situation on the ice.
Achieving this required earning coach Cassidy`s trust, which stemmed from a crucial realization about his own game.
“When I got here, we had Chandler Stephenson, who is a really good all-around center. You have William Karlsson, who is a really good two-way center,” Eichel explained. “I looked around and thought, `If I want to get significant ice time and be relied upon in critical situations, I need to earn the coach`s trust by becoming more meticulous and accountable defensively.`”
While Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon has consistently adjusted the roster, one constant is the team`s depth of two-way centers across all lines, sometimes even shifting centers to the wing due to this strength.
It`s not that Eichel was incapable defensively earlier in his career, but the second overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft was primarily celebrated for his offensive prowess, tracing back to his collegiate career at Boston University where he won the Hobey Baker Award, and through his six seasons with the Buffalo Sabres.
“I did play on the penalty kill a little bit when I was in Buffalo, but sometimes when you`re on a team that isn`t winning, you can be perceived as a weak defensive forward or a liability,” Eichel commented. “I also believe maturity played a part. It`s about understanding what it takes to win, coming here, having the chance to play within this system with this organization, and being allowed to develop my game and seize that opportunity.”
BACK IN 2015, several labels were attached to Eichel as a draft prospect: future captain, future All-Star, future franchise savior.
However, being the team`s top penalty killer was not among them.
Eichel acknowledges he was part of the penalty kill unit with the Sabres, contributing somewhat, but he never anchored a short-handed unit as the primary center. According to Natural Stat Trick, his highest total short-handed ice time in a single season in Buffalo was just over 53 minutes in his third year.
“It`s about the details, but I think many young players entering the league are still developing,” Eichel explained. “They`re accustomed to controlling the puck for significant periods and heavily relying on their offensive skills. You have to find ways to refine your overall game and become a more complete player.”
His trade to Vegas in November 2021 marked a significant change. He moved from a franchise consistently struggling to win despite talented players to an organization where finishing with 94 points and missing the playoffs by one point (after four straight playoff appearances) was considered “failure.”
That playoff miss prompted the Golden Knights to replace coach Peter DeBoer with Bruce Cassidy, recently let go by the Boston Bruins. In Cassidy, Vegas gained an experienced coach whose defensive principles were fundamental to the Bruins` six consecutive playoff berths.
“It definitely took time,” Karlsson said about adapting to Cassidy`s system. “We weren`t used to it initially. But once you learn it, you react instinctively. You don`t have to overthink because it`s a very effective system. He typically positions the center well, both defensively and for transitioning into the offensive zone. But it demands a lot of defensive attention to detail.”
Eichel made a notable impact in his first full season with Vegas in 2022-23. He led the team with 66 points and was second with 27 goals. He also paced the club with 223 shots on goal and recorded 14 power-play points.
Given McCrimmon`s team construction, Eichel needed to carve out space for more ice time in critical situations within a competitive roster. The Knights already had Karlsson and Stephenson, plus a forward group featuring Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden, Nicolas Roy, Reilly Smith, and Mark Stone. All of them logged more short-handed minutes than Eichel during the 2023 Stanley Cup win.
Nevertheless, Eichel was second on the team in 5-on-5 minutes during that playoff run, behind only Jonathan Marchessault, finishing with six goals and 26 points in 22 games.
How did Eichel demonstrate to Cassidy that he could be trusted in those key moments? Not through words, but by using every practice and game to prove his readiness for those demands.
“If I`m put in a situation and don`t produce a positive outcome for the team, then I won`t get those opportunities again,” Eichel stated. “It`s about earning trust through solid play, collaborating with the coaches on structure and expectations, and then being able to execute on the ice. That`s been a tremendously important factor.”
Even without heavy penalty kill usage in Buffalo, Eichel consistently played significant minutes, averaging over 19 minutes per game in every season there, including four consecutive seasons above 20 minutes.
In his inaugural season under Cassidy in 2022-23, Eichel averaged a career-low 18:46 of ice time in the regular season and 18:59 in the playoffs en route to the championship.
Eichel`s dedication to becoming a more responsible player paved the way for increased ice time in subsequent seasons. There was also an opportunity for someone to absorb more short-handed minutes after Reilly Smith was traded following the 2023 Cup victory.
In 2023-24, Eichel finished with a career-high average ice time of 20:31 per game. He logged 123:48 in short-handed ice time, ranking second among Vegas centers behind Karlsson, and was also second in total power-play ice time. He was seventh in total 5-on-5 ice time, primarily due to missing 19 games.
“We`ve always had good centers, but I think we took a huge step forward when we added Jack,” commented Mark Stone, a two-time Selke Trophy finalist recognizing the game`s top defensive forward. “You go from maybe three guys to four, possibly even five guys. Last year, he really stepped up, and this year he took on even more responsibility from Stephenson.”
THE DEPARTURES OF MARCHESSAULT AND STEPHENSON to free agency – part of an offseason where six players from the 2023 Cup-winning roster left – required the Golden Knights to find internal solutions to fill the void.
Eichel responded by having the best season of his career. His 66 assists and 94 points were both career highs. Some observers believe he would have reached his first 100-point season had he not missed five games.
Furthermore, his usage metrics tell the story. Eichel led all Golden Knights forwards in average ice time (a career-high 20:32 per game), 5-on-5 ice time, and power-play minutes. As for short-handed minutes, he also led all forwards, by a significant margin of 35 minutes over the next closest forward, Brett Howden. He finished second in defensive zone faceoffs taken.
An underlying theme was minimizing mistakes. Vegas finished the regular season with the second-fewest penalty minutes in the NHL, and Eichel was central to this, accumulating only eight penalty minutes himself.
“It helps when you possess the puck frequently,” Stone noted. “He`s effective in the defensive zone, but he spends more time with the puck on his stick than not. He exits the defensive zone quickly, but when you`re that skilled, the opposing team is more focused on avoiding mistakes against you.”
Karlsson described how demanding Cassidy`s system can be physically for centers, in addition to the standard expectations for the position in today`s NHL. He highlighted that the Golden Knights` emphasis on conditioning and strength training prepares their centers for longer shifts if they can`t change.
Stone added that Cassidy`s structure requires centers to do “a lot of skating,” while wingers are tasked with preventing shots from the point and being active higher up the ice.
“He`s managed it well this year,” Karlsson stated. “He`s in Year 3 with Butch and his staff now. It`s becoming second nature to him, and he`s effective. He`s skilled at things like stripping the puck high, being a big, strong player. He reads the game intelligently, so he`s genuinely developing into a 200-foot player.”
During his tenure with the Bruins, Cassidy coached esteemed two-way centers like six-time Selke winner Patrice Bergeron and reliable second-liner David Krejci. Reflecting on them, Cassidy admitted they “probably taught me more than I taught them.”
However, in his discussions with Eichel, Cassidy shared insights from Bergeron and Krejci – specifically, the value they placed on and derived from efficient defensive zone play.
Cassidy noted that he and his staff began observing Eichel`s commitment pay off during their championship season. He has since grown into these responsibilities, evolving into a two-way player now deployable in every situation.
“That`s down to the player,” Cassidy emphasized. “They have to decide if that`s the type of player they want to be because checking isn`t easy. It`s often a mindset, a willingness to put in the work, and he`s done it. He deserves credit for it, and he`s receiving it.”
