Jack Eichel Trade Rumors: Golden Knights, Flames Finalists for Sabres Star

The Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly the finalists in pursuit of a trade for Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported the update Tuesday night and noted the talks are at the "1-yard line":

Eichel and the Sabres have been engaged in an extended standoff about what type of surgery he should receive to overcome a neck injury suffered last season.

The 25-year-old former Boston University standout has pushed for an artificial disk replacement his camp believes will give him a better quality of life moving forward, while the organization prefers a traditional disk fusion since the artificial disk surgery hasn't been performed on an active NHL player.

Based on the league's collective bargaining agreement, the team gets the final call on medical procedures, so Eichel has remained sidelined waiting for a possible trade.

Kaplan said both the Flames and Golden Knights are willing to allow Eichel to get the artificial disk replacement, which would come with a "minimum" of three months recovery time before he'd be cleared to play.

The timeline is important because the second overall pick in the 2015 draft would be a lock for Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing if healthy. The Americans' first game is set for Feb. 10 against the host nation of China, and the tournament runs through Feb. 20.

It seems unlikely the team that ultimately acquires Eichel would want his first action to come in the Olympics after being out since March, though.

Even if a trade isn't finalized in the next few days, it's hard to imagine a scenario where the dynamic center plays again for the Sabres given the longstanding dispute about the neck procedure and the team's overall lack of success since it drafted him.

Eichel, who's under contract through 2025-26 as part of his eight-year, $80 million deal, has done his part, scoring 355 points (139 goals and 216 assists) in 375 games for the Sabres. Alas, the franchise hasn't been able to put enough talent around him over the past six years to climb up the standings.

While the sides are almost definitely about to head their separate ways, there's still pressure on Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams to deliver a sizable return package for the three-time All-Star to help jump-start the latest rebuilding effort after several failed attempts over the past decade.

Once healthy, Eichel would immediately take over as the No. 1 center in either Calgary or Vegas, and with more talent around him, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him rank among the scoring leaders next season when he has a chance to play a full schedule.