Jack Eichel's career has been hampered by injuries but what could the Vegas Golden Knights superstar reach in a full healthy season?
Jack Eichel's career has been hampered by injuries but what could the Vegas Golden Knights superstar reach in a full healthy season?
Drafted second overall in 2015 by the Buffalo Sabres, Eichel was expected to rival Connor McDavid offensively but that hasn't happened quite yet. This isn't to say Eichel's career has been a failure or he hasn't lived up to his potential. He's developed into one of the league's most dominant two-way players but his offensive output has been the same as of those he's been compared to.
This season the 27-year-old finished with 31 goals and 68 points in 63 games. His points-per-game was at 1.08. His 82-game pace would have been 40 goals and 88 points.
Eichel's career-high in points came in the 2018-19 season where he played in 77 games and finished with 82 points and 54 assists. His career-high in goals and points-per-game came in the following season where he finished with 36 goals in just 68 games. His points-per-game in the 2019-20 season was 1.14 and his 82-game pace would have been 94 points and 43 goals.
If the American-born centre starts the season strong and is healthy throughout the year could he hit either 50 goals or 100 points?
With some roster turnover, the Golden Knights may need to rely on Eichel to carry the load offensively a bit more. He possesses the talent to do so but the consistency to be a 100-point scorer needs to be there.
Eichel also has the ability to do so without sacrificing his defensive game. Auston Matthews finished as a Selke finalist this season and scored 69 goals and 107 points. Aleksander Barkov has been a perennial Selke finalist and winner of the award and he has a career-high of 96 points.
Eichel's career and performances in the playoffs have solidified him as one of the NHL's best but a few seasons of league-leading production will take his career to a new tier.
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