NHL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Jack Eichel Trade, Blackhawks' GM Search

With the 2021-22 NHL season only three weeks old, there's plenty of time for the league's 32 teams to make midseason moves. That's because the trade deadline isn't until March 21. And plenty of deals are sure to take place between now and then.

Although not a lot of games have been played, that hasn't slowed the rumor mill. There's already been plenty of news and speculation regarding moves that teams could make at some point over the next few months as they look to strengthen their rosters and make runs to the playoffs.

Here's some of the latest buzz from around the NHL.

Eichel May Be Traded from Buffalo to Vegas?

As the Buffalo Sabres try to find a potential trade partner for a Jack Eichel deal, the center has yet to play this season. He's been dealing with a neck injury, and a disagreement over which surgery he should get created tension between him and the franchise.

After months of speculation over where the 25-year-old could be playing if his time in Buffalo ended, it seems things are finally trending toward a potential move.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported that the Sabres and the Vegas Golden Knights are "well down the track in discussions of what framework of a Jack Eichel trade would look like." But the two sides are still trying to work out a deal, as Seravalli noted among the "many moving parts" are complications with rosters, salary caps and injuries.

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the talks between Buffalo and Vegas "heated up and cooled" last week, before heating up again on Saturday. It's unclear where things currently stand or if the teams are any closer to an Eichel trade.

The Golden Knights have been among the top teams in the NHL since joining the league as an expansion franchise for the 2017-18 season. But they could use a center for their top line, and Eichel would fill that need if he returns to his typical production when he's healthy.

It's worth noting that Vegas would have to find a way to fit Eichel's salary ($10 million for each of the next five seasons) onto its roster, and as Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal pointed out, it may require the Golden Knights and Sabres to find a third team for the trade.

But for now, Eichel remains out and these discussions may or may not be continuing. If he ends up going to Vegas, though, he could take its offense to another level.

Blackhawks Putting Together List of GM Candidates

The Chicago Blackhawks are in search of a new general manager after Stan Bowman resigned last week. And according to Steve Simmons of the Ottawa Sun, the team is in the process of putting together a list of candidates for the position.

Simmons reported that the front-runner to become the new GM is Eddie Olczyk, with one of the reasons being that he is "hugely popular as a television commentator." He became the color commentator for Blackhawks broadcasts during the 2006-07 season.

The 55-year-old had a lengthy stint as a broadcaster with NBC before joining TNT this season. He had a 16-year playing career in the NHL (which included five seasons with Chicago) and served as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins for 113 games over two seasons from 2003-05.

While Olczyk has never been a front-office executive in the NHL, he has ties to the Blackhawks' organization, so it could end up being a fit for both sides. But it will be interesting to see how he'd fare leading the franchise's hockey operations.

For now, Kyle Davidson is serving as Chicago's interim GM. He was previously the assistant general manager of hockey administration.

The Blackhawks will be looking to hire an executive who can lead them to success, as they've missed the playoffs three of the past four seasons, including the 2020-21 campaign.