The New York Rangers Jack Eichel dream is dead... again. Technically it was dead a first time when he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights from the Buffalo Sabres, and life was given to it with the prospect of Eichel potentially becoming a free agent next summer. But it is now dead again, and most likely buried, following Eichel's long-term pact with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Jack Eichel 8 x $13.5M extension in Vegas
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 8, 2025
The New York Rangers hired head coach Mike Sullivan to be part of a culture change with the hopes that his Stanley Cup experience can guide the team to their first title in over 30 years. They also brought back David Quinn to be an assistant coach, and you'd be lying if they didn't hope that having both on the bench would help in their pursuit of bringing Eichel back to New York state. Quinn coached Jack Eichel in college, and the two had success together.
When the Rangers acquired J.T. Miller, he took the top center spot after Mika Zibanejad moved to the wing. Vincent Trocheck slotted behind him as the No. 2 center, and then there were a couple of different players who spent time in the middle on the third and fourth lines. The Miller move always felt like a precursor to another transaction because he is 32 years old, and his best hockey is likely behind him. In many ways he's an ideal second liner, and Trocheck at $5.625 million would make a great third liner.
Eichel in many ways would have been a perfect fit, and someone who would have raised the ceiling and floor of the Blueshirts by bringing value on the top line and pushing others down in the lineup. The Vegas pivot is coming off a career year in which he scored 28 goals and added 66 assists for 94 points in 77 games. Since joining the Golden Knights he's scored100 goals and added 153 helpers for 253 points in 241 regular season games, and he's averaged over a point per game in the playoffs with a line of 10-33-43 in 40 playoff games.
With Eichel off the market officially, President and General Manager Chris Drury will need to go back to the drawing board. Following Connor McDavid's extension in Edmonton, the Rangers are down another potential option. The Rangers will need to figure something out, because the roster as constructed isn't built to contend with a team like the Florida Panthers, a back-to-back Cup winning squad that is running back it's 2024-25 squad.