Knights’ key question: What can Jack Eichel do for an encore?
There might not have been a scarier sight for NHL defenses last postseason than Jack Eichel barreling through the neutral zone with a full head of steam.
It seemed every time the Golden Knights center came charging through the blue line, head up, surveying his options, a scoring chance for him or a teammate was soon to follow. He set up two of the Knights’ first three goals in the Stanley Cup clincher by making a play off the rush and added a third primary assist.
Eichel finished with six goals and 20 assists in 22 games in his first postseason. He won the Stanley Cup and was runner-up for the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP.
Any questions about the 2015 second overall pick’s ability to contribute to a winning club were extinguished in one fell swoop. Eichel will instead face a different one this season: What’s next?
“Obviously, I want to stay healthy,” he said. “That’s a big thing. Try to be in the lineup more times than not. You know, and the other thing is obviously just producing and continuing to work on my defensive side of the game. Those are the two big things.”
Eichel’s talent always has been easy to identify.
He glides around the ice without looking as if he’s breaking a sweat. He dangles and dances with the puck as if opponents aren’t even there. He blasts shots into the net before goalies know where he’s aiming.
When coach Bruce Cassidy took over the Knights last season, he wanted more from Eichel. He asked him to commit to being a 200-foot player. To use the skills that help him rack up points to also help keep the puck out of the Knights’ net.
The playoffs ended up being the coming-out party for the new, complete version of Eichel. He led the postseason in scoring while posting a plus-13 rating at five-on-five. In the finals alone, he had eight assists in five games.
“I thought I was doing a lot of good things, helping our team win,” Eichel said.
The 26-year-old’s challenge is figuring out how to follow that up.
Luckily for him, Cassidy has some ideas.
He sees areas of growth for Eichel on both special teams units. He wants Eichel to take charge more on the power play and make sure the Knights are moving the puck fast to keep defenses on their heels. The team was ranked 18th on the man advantage last season, so there’s room to improve.
Cassidy also might give Eichel more of a look on the penalty kill with left wing Reilly Smith, one of the best short-handed players in the NHL, getting traded to Pittsburgh in the offseason.
“Special team’s an area that we’re going to talk to Jack,” Cassidy said. “I think five-on-five, he checks as well as anybody. His offensive game is good.”
Eichel himself just wants to be more available.
He’s dealt with numerous injuries in the past two seasons, such as the herniated disk in his neck that led to his trade to the Knights in the first place. He also dealt with a lower-body injury last season that caused him to miss 13 of 14 games at one point.
Eichel’s tendency to miss time — he’s played more than 68 games twice in eight seasons — is one reason he’s received Hart Memorial Trophy votes for league MVP just once in his career.
His play in the postseason showed he has what it takes to be in the conversation this season. It’s going to be hard to top what he did for the Knights last summer, but that isn’t going to stop him from trying.
“I’ve always been such a believer that playoffs make your players better,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “And as we sit here today, if I go back 12 months, I could name a handful of players that are much better players today than they were as we started last season. First among them would be Jack Eichel.”
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on X.