Eichel talks about blockbuster trade to Vegas and how everything went sour in Buffalo

In case you somehow, someway missed this morning's blockbuster trade the Buffalo Sabres have traded former captain Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights along with a 3rd round pick in exchange for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a 1st round pick and a 2nd round pick.

Check it out:

The Eichel trade had been speculated and reported on ad naseum for months now after Eichel himself requested a trade from Sabres GM Kevyn Adams this past offseason. 

In an exclusive one on one interview with Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman following the trade, Eichel outlined his reasons for wanting out of Buffalo and admitted that his disagreement with the team's medical staff over a necessary neck surgery was only part of his decision to leave town. Eichel openly admits that the idea of yet another losing season with the Sabres was too much for him to tolerate and that it was at that point early in the 2020 offseason that he requested a trade. Flash forward to this past offseason though and it became the team wouldn't allow him to have the surgery that he wanted, that only exacerbated the issues he had with his club. At that point, he knew he had to get out of Buffalo

From Eichel himself:

And while trade talks have been going on for months now, it's only been in the past 24 hours that things had gotten to the point where it looked like a deal was imminent. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams reportedly received an offer from Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving yesterday that included star forward Matthew Tkachuk and a package of 1st round picks. That report was either inaccurate or Adams and the Sabres simply weren't enticed enough by Treliving's offer. It was at that point that Adams turned his focus to Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon and hammered out the details of this blockbuster deal and finally consummated the long rumoured deal between the two clubs.

Still, Eichel thought that he may have ended up as a member of the Colorado Avalanche or the Minnesota Wild. Eichel says that plenty of teams were in the mix. 

More from Eichel:

What's done is done and now Eichel is a member of the Golden Knights. So... what is he most looking forward to?