Vegas’ Stanley Cup Odds At +1100 After Trading for Jack Eichel

• The Stanley Cup odds of the Vegas Golden Knights lengthened to +1100 following Thursday’s trade for Jack Eichel
• Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres saw their Stanley Cup odds shorten to +15000
• See the full details of the Jack Eichel trade, along with a Stanley Cup odds update for both teams

After the conclusion of the Jack Eichel saga with his trade Thursday to the Vegas Golden Knights from the Buffalo Sabres, one question must be asked – is it possible for a deal to work out badly for both teams?

Certainly, oddsmakers aren’t showing that they’re impressed with what the deal is doing for the Golden Knights. There are currently betting lines as long as +1000 on the Stanley Cup odds with a Golden Knights squad that features Jack Eichel.

Prior to the deal, the average odds on Vegas winning the Cup across the leading sportsbooks was +967.

The betting line shortened on the Sabres, going from +18000 to +15000. Still, trading away your best player generally isn’t viewed as a method of getting closer to winning a championship.

2022 Stanley Cup Odds

Odds as of November 4th at FanDuel

Details Of Jack Eichel to Vegas

The Golden Knights get Jack Eichel. He was the second player chosen in the 2015 NHL entry draft. Eichel netted a career-high 36 goals in 2019-20, his most recent full NHL campaign.

🚨 OFFICIAL 🚨

The Golden Knights have acquired Jack Eichel and a conditional pick from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, and two conditional picks.

JACK EICHEL IS A GOLDEN KNIGHT!!! #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/T8hLG2BcZI

— x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 4, 2021

Vegas will also receive a 2023 third-round draft pick in the package. Buffalo is receiving forwards Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-round draft pick and a 2023 third-round choice.

Eichel’s Uncertain Status Impacting Vegas’ Stanley Cup Odds

The genesis of the acrimony that led to this split between the Sabres and their former captain is a disagreement over how to treat the back injury that ended Eichel’s 2021 season.

The Sabres were seeking that Eichel undergo fusion surgery. Eichel instead sought an operation for an artificial disk replacement. No active professional athlete has ever undergone such a procedure.

Jack Eichel will now be allowed to get the surgery that will help him not be in pain every day so that’s pretty rad.

— Mike Stephens (@mikeystephens81) November 4, 2021

With the deal done, expectations are that Eichel will be going under the knife for artificial disk replacement surgery as soon as later this week. The best-case scenario is that he won’t be playing any hockey for at least three months. Vegas’ NHL Playoffs odds are listed at -400 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Sabres Assigned NHL’s Longest Stanley Cup Betting Line

The long-held theory on making trades is that the winner of the deal is the team that ends up with the best player. Certainly in this case, that’s Vegas by a country mile.

The good news is that Buffalo’s Stanley Cup odds are shortening. On the other hand, at +15000 the Sabres are sharing the longest odds on the board with three teams, including the Arizona Coyotes, who haven’t won a game yet this season.

Initial reaction to reported Eichel trade, which is still pending NHL call: GMKA got a first and a top prospect. Which has been the goal all along. There's always a lot of rumor in these situations. Hard to say at this moment what was fact and what was fiction. #Sabres

— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) November 4, 2021

Tuch, one of the players coming to the Sabres, is also out of action until January following shoulder surgery. The keys for Buffalo will be the development of Krebs, the 17th player chosen in the 2019 draft, and who they get with that 2022 first-round pick.

Based on Buffalo’s recent history of talent assessment, that’s not a comforting thought for Sabres fans.

Vegas Heading for Cap Nightmare After Acquiring Eichel

From a pure hockey standpoint, this move makes sense for Vegas. They didn’t have a legit #1 center. Eichel gives them that.

However, as of today, the worst job in sports isn’t catcher for the javelin team. It’s capologist for the Golden Knights. The addition of Eichel’s annual salary of $10 million gives them 11 players with a cap hit of at least $5 million. Next season, they already have $78.74 million of the NHL’s $81-million salary cap committed to 11 players.

Vegas first-round picks all time:

Cody Glass traded for Nolan Patrick

Nick Suzuki part of trade for Max Pacioretty

Erik Brannstrom part of trade for Mark Stone

2018 1st traded for Tomas Tatar

Peyton Krebs part of trade for Jack Eichel

Brendan Brisson
Zach Dean

— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) November 4, 2021

Considering Eichel’s tenuous health situation, it’s difficult to say right now that this deal helps Vegas win the 2021-22 Stanley Cup. Assessing the cap hell the Golden Knights are entering, how it helps them win in the future is also problematic.