Insider Says Jack Eichel Extension Could Top Marner's Deal

A potential Jack Eichel extension could surpass Mitch Marner's deal

The Vegas Golden Knights are said to be working on an extension for top-line center Jack Eichel. He became eligible as of July 1, as he's getting set to enter the final season of his eight-year, $80 million ($10M AAV) contract.

It would seem to be incumbent on the Golden Knights to get something done sooner rather than later, as Eichel is about to join forces with Mitch Marner, one of the premier playmaking wizards in hockey. It would stand to reason, if he stays healthy, that Eichel is due for an even better season than his career-best 94 points from this past year with Marner playing alongside him. Just ask Auston Matthews what that's like.

And according to insider Elliotte Friedman on his recent 32 Thoughts podcast, not only is GM Kelly McCrimmon already working on something with Eichel, the numbers for that contract are starting to come into view—and they could top that of Eichel's newest teammate.

Vegas have already begun to tackle how it will look with Jack Eichel; I assume it's going to be over Marner's number.

Marner's "numbers" are $96 million (in total) and $12 million (in AAV). That's the deal he received from the Golden Knights on his new eight-year contract in the sign-and-trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

How much could Jack Eichel earn on his next contract?

Could Eichel be the 8th player in NHL history to crack the $100 million mark? From Friedman's projection, that could very well be the case, though the insider admits the possibility that they could just match Marner's number for Eichel. He adds that the team quite likely has already gone to their star center, even before the Marner trade, and put it all on the line for him.

I find it very hard to believe that the Golden Knights wouldn't have gone to Eichel and said, 'Look, you're worth eleventy-billion dollars, but we can get Mitch Marner... You're worth whatever you want, but we gotta make this work and you can win here, and we can all win more together.' And I think that'll work with Eichel... I just think Vegas is too proactive and too smart, not to have tackled this already.

Eichel, in four seasons with Vegas, is better than a point-per-game, with 100 goals and 253 points in 241 games, with a +65 rating. And let's not forget that Stanley Cup championship in 2023, in which he recorded 26 points in their 22-game playoff run.