Refreshed Eichel Motivated to Surpass Expectations in 2022-23
VGK center spoke with Insider Gary Lawless ahead of his first full season in Vegas
"I don't even think about it anymore," said Eichel, fresh off a summer of training which included time with NHL fitness guru Andy O'Brien as well as a stint at the respected BioSteel camp. "I'm glad I got the procedure that I got. I've said this before, but I think in any situation you want to try and avoid surgery. But, in my case I didn't have the option, so I had to do something. Of the two, this was the one that I felt better with. Everything has worked out since then, two or three guys in the NHL have gotten it. So, I know other guys have gotten the opportunity to do it as well and are hopefully pushing the envelope open."
The Golden Knights traded for Eichel on Nov. 4, 2021. A week later, he underwent artificial disc replacement (ADR) surgery. On Feb. 16, more than 11 months since his last NHL game, Eichel made his debut with the Golden Knights.
The 25-year-old saw action in 34 games scoring 14 goals and 25 points. Along the way he broke a thumb which limited his ability to take faceoffs and shoot the puck as well as any other skill movements.
The Golden Knights missed the playoffs and Eichel didn't live up the standard he's set for himself as one of the most dynamic players in the game.
"I don't know, it's tough to put a number on where I was. At the end of the day, I was good enough to be playing, right? I think anybody who has been through a major surgery - that was my first one - you obviously fix the problem, the mechanical issue you fix it, but you don't just feel like yourself again," said Eichel, minutes after skating with his teammates at City National Arena. "You compensate and there are a lot of things you need to unwind to get back to feeling like yourself. That takes a lot of time. You see it with guys who get surgery, they get back and they're not always themselves right away. I had a lot of time off, I was good enough to play, I felt good. I was confident, I wasn't putting myself in a bad position and I was just excited, I wanted to play, I wanted to get back. That was the fastest I possibly could have come back. But you don't just take a year off and then come back and things go right back to the way you were before. I feel good now."
It's not as simple as, "how Jack goes, so go the Golden Knights." But he's a huge piece for Vegas and if he does have a monster season, the VGK just might be right there with him.
So Eichel's health is paramount for the Golden Knights heading into a season which, following missing the playoffs last spring, is of critical importance to this group of players as they pursue a Stanley Cup.
"I always say, I never think you're 100% when you're playing professional sports. I think it's pretty tough to always be at 100%. There's always something you're dealing with, you're ailing. It's just the punishment from what we do to our bodies but I'm as close to 100% as I've been in a long time, I feel like myself for the first time in a while."
Eichel was the second pick overall in the 2015 NHL Draft and was an immediate impact player in the league totaling 24 goals and 56 points as a rookie with the Buffalo Sabres. Eichel continued to improve and in his last two full seasons with the Sabres he put up 82 and 78 point campaigns, respectively and averaging well over a point-per-game. In the pandemic shortened season of 20-21, Eichel played in just 21 games and scoring two goals before his neck injury forced him to shut things down.
What ensued was a messy divorce. The player wanted one medical treatment, the team wanted him to undergo another. Ultimately, Eichel was traded and Vegas management gave him the green light to undergo ADR surgery.
Here's Jack on Jack:
Q: NHL Network ranked you as the 41st player in the world, when I think of Jack Eichel, I don't think of No. 41.
Jack: Me neither. Obviously, I haven't put a lot on tape over the last two years so I'm not going to argue with that. Do I think I'm the 41st best player in the NHL? No, but I don't care about their rankings.
Q: What did you do this summer?
Jack: I went back to Boston, trained, traveled. Went to a couple of weddings and spent some time with family. I work with Andy O'Brien there. It was a good summer. Last summer was my first time working with him and we were pretty limited in what I could do with my neck and the way it was. But now, not having any limitations, it was just nice to be able to attack the summer a little bit differently. We had a good plan going in, I feel like we accomplished a lot this summer and I'm pretty confident with where I'm at now.
Q: Were you at the BioSteel camp? How'd you feel, who was there?
Jack: I was. It was great. Our team was, to name a few guys, [Nathan] MacKinnon, [Patrick] Kane, [Taylor] Hall, [Kyle] Okposo, [Connor] McDavid, [Sidney] Crosby, [Noah] Hanifin, and Cale Makar. There were a lot of good players there. It was a good week of competing; it was a lot of fun.
Q: Do you measure yourself against those guys when you're at the camp?
Jack: Yeah, I think you always do. I think everyone competes and works in the summer and you want to show what you've been working on. I think that's a good opportunity to do it. It's always a little frustrating to get on the ice with McDavid in those situations, he's just head-and-shoulders, he's so damn good. If you try to compare yourself with him it's a little tough, but other than that I think it's a great opportunity to try and measure yourself up against some of the better players in the world.
Q: Phil Kessel came in the league in '06-07 and since that time he's ranked top ten in both goals and points. What does Phil Kessel mean to you? Is he one of the guys you looked up to?
Jack: Yeah, of course. As a U.S. born player and growing up, he's a guy that went through the national program, went to college, was a high draft pick, went to Boston. He's obviously a guy I've watched a lot, he's played in the Olympics, won Stanley Cups, he's got I think 399 goals now. Everybody knows about his Ironman streak, how many games he's played in a row. He's had a hell of a career, something that I've watched. It's obviously really cool to have him around in the locker room now and get to know him a bit. He should bring a good element of experience and skill. We're happy to have him.
Q: Are you looking forward to playing on the power play with him?
Jack: Yeah, that's one of the things he's known for is his power play capability. I was talking to some guys in Pittsburgh, and they said that was something that stood out to them, just how dynamic he was on the power play and how much he helped their unit, especially some of the guys they had out there. A lot of things went through Phil, so I think that says a lot about him.
Q: Are you comfortable here now? Do you always have someone to hang with now if you want?
Jack: Yeah, I am. I think whenever you go into a new situation it can be somewhat of a curve getting comfortable and feeling yourself. But I think that takes time and it's not just something that happens overnight. It's an awesome group of guys in there and the more time you spend with them the more comfortable you get, the more you build relationships with them, they get to know you and you get to know them.
Q: Where does this thought come from that you're not a team guy?
Jack: It's probably just the fact that I haven't had any success with winning, that's the only thing I can think of. I'm a competitive guy, it's funny the way that narratives change. I think a lot of it comes from that people didn't really like the way I handled the situation I had in Buffalo. Being the captain and the way that things ended, it was a bit messy. But it's funny the way the narrative changes quickly. The narrative was great a couple of years ago and now it's "he's not a team guy." If anybody actually wants to know, just go and ask the guys I played with, the guys in Buffalo that I played with. That means a lot to me when guys reach out and they have nice things to say. The people in Buffalo obviously have a little bit of a bone to pick with me. But if you ask guys on their team when I played there, I don't think you'd have anybody say a bad word. I think the same here. I care. I want to win, I think I work pretty hard.
Q: I'm sure when you were drafted by Buffalo, your dream was, 'I'm going to be one of the best players in the world and we're going to win Stanley Cups.' It doesn't happen and you get traded to Vegas. But, do you think everything happens for a reason? Now you're here in Vegas. Do you feel this is the right place for you?
Jack: Yeah, I couldn't be happier here. This is like heaven on earth here for me. Being able to play here for this organization, with this group. It's a lot of fun, it's fun coming to the rink every day, it's fun being around the guys, it's fun working on your game. I've just been really enjoying things here. I think we have a really good team and we have an organization that really wants to win. I just feel very fortunate to be here. Obviously, I went through a lot the last few years and yeah, I think things happen for a reason. I'm thankful that the team brought me in and it's been a great situation so far.
