Just the facts, Jack. Sometimes they say it best.
Jack Eichel is the most important player on the Vegas Golden Knights roster and now he’s on a VGK contract for the next nine years.
Trading for Eichel was one of the most important moments in Golden Knights history and extending him for eight more seasons at $13.5 million is another major signpost in team history.
The deal marks commitment from both the player and the organization. It’s fair from both perspectives and a win-win. Eichel gets paid but doesn’t leave the team bereft of salary cap space.
Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon swung one of the biggest trades in recent NHL history when he acquired Eichel in 2021. Less than two years later the Golden Knights captured the Stanley Cup propelled by Eichel’s elite two-way play.
New Extension (Signed October 8, 2025)
- On October 8, 2025, Eichel and the Golden Knights agreed to a new 8-year extension valued at $108 million.
- The average annual value (AAV) of the new deal is $13.5 million per season.
Current / Expiring Contract
- Eichel was under an 8-year, $80 million contract (signed originally with Buffalo) that carried a $10 million cap hit.
- That contract runs through the 2025-26 season, which means the 2025-26 campaign is the final year under that deal.
- On July 1, 2025, Eichel became eligible to sign an extension with Vegas.
The Trade
The Vegas Golden Knights traded for Jack Eichel on November 4, 2021.
In that blockbuster deal with the Buffalo Sabres, Vegas acquired:
- Jack Eichel,
- and a 2023 third-round pick.
In exchange, Buffalo received:
- Alex Tuch,
- Peyton Krebs,
- a 2022 first-round pick,
- a 2023 second-round pick.
There is a calmness to Eichel that belies the fire burning just beneath the surface. He glides through the neutral zone like he’s late for nothing, yet every motion hums with purpose. The puck follows him, defenders back off, and teammates read the ice differently when No. 9 has it on his stick.
For Vegas, Eichel isn’t just their top center. He’s their identity in evolution.
When the franchise was born, it was built on hunger — castoffs and chip-on-the-shoulder types clawing for respect. But eight years later, Vegas has matured into a powerhouse. It has a Cup banner, a decorated captain in Mark Stone, a core that’s been through everything. In that context, Eichel represents something deeper — the elite talent who chose to make Vegas home, and then delivered on the promise.
And now he’s here for another eight seasons.
His 2022-23 playoff run was the validation moment: 20 points in 21 games, controlling series with his pace, breaking down defensive schemes that usually frustrate lesser men. Then came the Cup — and the image that lingers — Eichel with a half-smile and full beard, skating with the chalice in a moment he had been waiting for his entire career and most of his life. It was redemption and arrival all at once.
Now, with Mitch Marner riding shotgun and Stone anchoring the other wing or line, Eichel is the hinge that everything swings on. Vegas runs through him. When he’s on, the Knights feel inevitable. When he’s not, you can sense the entire bench searching for that pulse.
Ask around the room, and you’ll hear it: Eichel isn’t the loudest voice, but when he speaks, guys listen. His leadership isn’t bark and bluster; it’s detail. He studies video like a coach, practices like a rookie, and performs like a franchise player who understands the responsibility that title brings.
McCrimmon says the Golden Knights are in the winning business. He’ll also tell you Eichel is all about winning.
We’ve seen the action put to those words. Eichel bends his game to what Vegas needs on a given night or playoff series. Need him to score? He will. Defend? Check. Create? Done.
Eichel doesn’t just want to be great — he wants the group to be great with him.
Eichel means belief. He means expectation. He means the Vegas Golden Knights can look in the mirror before the puck drops and say, with conviction, “It could be us again.”
