Jack Eichel, Golden Knights Reportedly Agree to 8-Year Contract Extension

The Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly recommitting to Jack Eichel as the face of their franchise.

The Golden Knights and Eichel have agreed to a "long term" extension, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported Wednesday. TSN's Darren Dreger reported the contract is an eight-year, $13.5 million AAV deal.

Eichel was previously set to hit free agency next spring after the expiration of the eight-year, $80 million deal he signed in 2017 with the Buffalo Sabres.

The 28-year-old could have decided to put himself on course to test the open market after proving himself to be one of the best two-way centers in the NHL last season.

Eichel is instead recommitting to Vegas after ranking eighth among all NHL skaters with a career-high 94 points (28 goals, 66 assists) in 77 games of the 2024-25 regular season.

He went on to lead the Golden Knights in the playoffs with 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 11 games before Vegas was eliminated in the second round by the Edmonton Oilers.

After the Golden Knights' elimination, general manager Kelly McCrimmon praised Eichel as "one of the top guys in the NHL."

"He's got great character and great leadership. You see night in and night out what he does for our team," McCrimmon told reporters.

Multiple Knights wingers who spent significant time on Eichel's line last season, including Victor Olofsson and Tanner Pearson, left in free agency this summer. The Golden Knights upgraded by adding superstar winger Mitch Marner as a potential linemate.

Eichel, the No. 2 pick behind Connor McDavid in the 2015 draft, played six seasons for the Sabres before he was traded to the Golden Knights in November 2021.

Shortly after the trade, Eichel underwent neck surgery from which no NHL player had previously made a comeback. He returned to the ice in February 2022 and helped bring the franchise's first Stanley Cup to Las Vegas in 2023.

With Marner ready for his Vegas debut and Eichel locked in for the long term, the Golden Knights will hope to make another championship push in the near future.