3rd team was ready to jump in to help Vegas in Eichel trade!

Before Jack Eichel was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights early on Thursday morning, there was doubt that the Western team could pull the transaction off without help.

That’s right, many reporters and insiders believe the Golden Knights would need to make this a three-way trade in order to get some help to squeeze Eichel in their salary cap space. Earlier this week, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman had explained that Vegas could need the help of a team with cap space, like the Arizona Coyotes, to absorb some of Eichel’s annual $10 million pay check.

But the Golden Knights managed to make the move on their own, acquiring Eichel and a third-rounder by parting ways with Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a future first-round draft pick and a future second-rounder.

However, Pierre LeBrun has revealed on last night’s Insider Trading on TSN that the Coyotes were ready and willing to jump in the transaction and help Vegas land Eichel in a three-way trade:

“Arizona tried several times to get in on this trade. Not to get Jack Eichel of course, but to be a third team to help with the salary cap implications like they’ve done in the past in order to get a draft pick. But it turns out Vegas could swing it on their own.”

Unfortunately for Arizona, it was left out of the blockbuster trade and did not land a draft pick that could have been useful in the Coyotes’ rebuild. But we bet the Golden Knights are glad they made the numbers work to land a top centre like Eichel.