Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams said he talked to every team in the NHL during the process of attempting to trade Jack Eichel and one point was clear, “We felt strongly, we were not going to compromise on what we needed as a return.”
Thursday morning, the Sabres ended an eight-month saga with their former captain by acquiring Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, a top-10 protected 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick from the Vegas Golden Knights. Buffalo also sent a third-round pick to Vegas.
“We’ve talked to everybody in the league at different times,” Adams told reporters. “It got more serious at times and at different time discussions broke down. We were not going to be backed into a corner and make a deal that was not right for us regardless of any external pressure. Peyton Krebs is someone we had targeted and we got him. That was realy, really important to us. A lot of conversations we had along the way, things would break down when we were asking for certain types of things.”
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Adams said some conversations were “surface level,” others were focused on the medical issues that Eichel is facing with neck surgery and others were more serious, but Adams said the idea of the Sabres retaining any of Eichel’s salary was a non-starter.
Adams refuted an ESPN report from Wednesday night that suggested a deal with Calgary involving Matthew Tkachuk was on the table.
“It was not accurate in terms of players that were being tossed around,” Adams said. “It’s an unfortunate thing when those types of reports go out.
“As we went through this process, this was our focus with Vegas and to get the players we got and the extra pieces. We’re excited for obvious reasons and ready to move this franchise forward.”
Adams said Krebs and Tuch represent players who are consistent with Adams’ vision to turn around the Sabres.
“It was about developing our young core and both of these players fit into our young core moving forward,” Adams said. “Alex is a young player who is proven and productive with high character and is under contract this year and another four. He wants to be part of the solution. He was unbelievable in my conversation with him and how excited he is. He said this was a dream come true to be a Buffalo Sabre. …
“(Krebs) has a lot of what we were looking for, in his on-ice approach, off-ice approach, character leadership qualities. We’re thrilled about both of them. These two players in particular and these type of players are players that we can move forward with for many years.”
Adams said he had a lengthy conversation with Eichel after the deal was completed.
“I will keep the details private, but I care about Jack Eichel as a person,” Adams said. “I wish him nothing but the best moving forward. This has been a really, really challenging situation for everyone involved. I wished him the best of luck. I want nothing more than for Jack to get healthy and do what he loves and that’s play the game. We had a good talk … We agreed to connect down the road again at some point. I want to make sure to publicly wish him well.”
