Two promising updates on the return of Jack Eichel.

It will be years before we know the full ramifications of the trade that sent Buffalo Sabres superstar forward Jack Eichel to the Las Vegas Golden Knights, and by extension it will be years before we can properly assess who came out on top in this deal.

Thankfully though, if you're a fan of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, you won't have to wait nearly as long to see what your end of the trade looks like. We are now hearing some very promising reports regarding Eichel's recovery from his controversial neck surgery, reports that suggest he could be alongside his teammates before the year ends.

The first report came courtesy of ESPN's John Buccigross. Buccigross reports that Eichel has now been cleared for everything except contact, something that would appear to indicate that Eichel has already started to prepare for his eventual return. Of course how this particular surgery will hold up in the face of the physicality found in a National Hockey League game was a major point of concern for the Buffalo Sabres, a concern that may have led to this entire fiasco, so it will also be an important part of Eichel's recovery.

It may not be very long before Eichel gets that clearance as well however, with the biggest update regarding the star forward coming courtesy of ESPN's Emily Kaplan. According to Kaplan, Eichel is expected to join his fellow Las Vegas Golden Knights teammates "in around" 3 weeks time. That time frame would have him joining the team before the end of the calendar year, a very promising sign for both Eichel and this new form of surgery.

Eichel is currently not in Las Vegas, according to Kaplan he has been skating and rehabbing in North Carolina during this period, but that is set to change quickly if her timing is correct on this one.

Eichel has not played a single game this season as a result of the neck injury, but was coming off a decent season of 2 goals and 16 assists for 18 points in 21 games on a very bad Buffalo Sabres team last season.