Jack Eichel thought he might be going to the Colorado Avalanche

In a just-posted interview by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman with just-traded center Jack Eichel, the newest member of the Vegas Golden Knights talked about how, over the summer, he thought he might be going to the Colorado Avalanche.

Check it out:

"There was a short time where I was like, 'Wow, I really think it's a possibility I'm going to go to Colorado.'"@jackeichel discussed with @FriedgeHNIC about what other teams he thought he could be traded to, including the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche. pic.twitter.com/vLUymSPmis

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 4, 2021

Back in May, I speculated about the Avs making an Eichel deal. I just don’t think the Avs were willing to give as much as the Sabres might have wanted, and a deal just didn’t happen.

But it’s interesting that Eichel said that he thought it might happen. My thoughts on the deal: Hey, it sucks that Eichel is now in the Western Conference, from an Avs perspective. But at least he’s not in the same division. The earliest the Avs could ever play the Golden Knights in the playoffs, under the current format, would be in the conference finals.

And, Vegas gave up quite a bit too, I think. I really like Alex Tuch as a player, and Peyton Krebs is a real good prospect. Plus, Vegas gave up two high draft picks. Eichel is an elite talent when he’s healthy. But he’s having a fairly serious neck surgery (the one he wants now, with an artificial disc). Plus, you don’t think some team/guy isn’t going to target that neck at some point?

Yes, they will. That’s hockey.