Report: Jack Eichel was almost traded on Friday

According to a report from ESPN NHL insider Emily Kaplan, disgruntled Buffalo Sabres star Jack Eichel was almost traded last week before things fell apart on Friday afternoon.

From Kaplan:

Behind the scenes the NHL and the NHLPA are working to push things along, they don't like this stalemate. Jack Eichel is now sharing his medicals with teams and I was told as of Thursday that there was serious optimism that a trade was imminent and everyone felt really good about it and that it was gonna happen. And then on Friday things went quiet. So where we stand now is that there are still five teams in on Jack Eichel and those are teams that believe they can fit his $10 million salary into their cap situation, maybe that means moving contracts or whatever. All of those teams though have agreed though that Jack Eichel will get the disc surgery that he wants.

Emily Kaplan - ESPN

Here's the full comments from Kaplan:

I'm speculating here, but based on previous reports I have to believe that the teams involved are the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets and his hometown Boston Bruins. While the New York Rangers appeared to be frontrunners in the offseason, there are reports that they've moved away from negotiations and are now not interested in acquiring Eichel.

Wherever Eichel ends up, I just hope that a trade goes down sooner rather than later. As Kaplan reports, Eichel will still need 3-4 months recovery post-surgery and well... that means he'll miss a significant portion of the season even if he's traded today. The fact of the matter is that the Sabres aren't doing themselves or anyone else any favors by dragging this out into the season. The suitors are going to dwindle down to nothing and the Sabres will be forced to take whatever they can get for Eichel when he inevitably goes from being a prized acquisition to damaged goods. 

Here's hoping that Kaplan's reporting is spot on and that Eichel actually is close to being moved. Stay tuned, Sabres fans.