End the Suffering and Trade Jack Eichel, Already

Just put us out of our misery, already.

Elliotte Friedman, NHL reporter and insider extraordinaire for Sportsnet, appeared on a Buffalo radio station this morning, and shared that he had heard the desire to part ways was now mutual between Jack Eichel and the Sabres. So, not only does Jack Eichel want a trade out of Buffalo, but the Sabres are "ready to move on" from their star.

And you know what? I couldn't be happier to hear this.

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This has been a long, drawn-out and painful saga between the two parties, and it's seemed as though Eichel has had one foot out the door from the moment he signed a huge extension with Buffalo. Eichel has been on record saying how unhappy he was with how his recent injury has been handled by the team, and made it clear he needed to take some time to weigh his options for the upcoming season.

For Eichel, a move out of Buffalo is a no-brainer. The team has been a virtual cellar-dweller the entire time he's been in the NHL, and have no clear direction for how to improve. In fact, they just won the NHL Draft Lottery. Again. So that's how bad they are.

For the Sabres, believe it or not, this is the right move, too. Right now, you are wasting the talent of a player that has the potential to be a top talent in the league. While you'd love him to realize his potential as a member of the Sabres, the longer you keep him on your poorly-constructed team, the less value he has in a trade. So, unfortunately, you've put yourself in a situation where you have to trade him, and try to recoup as many assets as possible. It's become very clear, a Rebuild 2.0 (3.0? I've lost track) is in order for the Sabres.

The only questions left to answer are these: where does he go, and what do the Sabres get back? Honestly though, who cares right now. Just end this misery.