Star rookie Eichel loves his new life in Buffalo
No. 2 pick will be key contributor to rejuvenating moribund Sabres
BUFFALO, N.Y.— When practice is over, or the game is done, Jack Eichel can go home and be a kid.
Home is Matt Moulson’s house, where the 18-year-old Eichel plays — ball hockey, tag, whatever — with Moulson’s two children.
“I guess he’s eldest son now,” jokes Moulson, the veteran Sabre. “He’s got a great heart off the ice. He was accepted into the family right away. My wife loves him, my kids love him.”
It’s good for Eichel not to have to cook or clean or do laundry, and to share a ride and to learn the basics of being a pro from Moulson, who once took in John Tavares when the two were teammates with the Islanders.
“It’s been good, being about to go home and mess around,” said Eichel. “He’s got two kids. They’re always doing something.”
Eichel has enough work cut out for him at the rink.
He is the franchise — the centrepiece of a team that is on the rise, in a city where jobs and pride are returning in equal parts.
By the time his career is done, the hockey-centric, $200-million HarborCenter village that has popped up around the First Niagara Centre may well end up being called the House that Jack Built.
“Our team is taking a lot of pride in helping rejuvenate this city and rejuvenate this franchise,” said Eichel. “This is the next chapter for us, the next chapter for our organization, personnel. We’re headed in the right direction.”
While destined to be a No. 1 centre through his career, Eichel is slated to be the No. 2 centre this season behind Ryan O’Reilly on a team that is expected to challenge for a playoff spot. Dan Bylsma, who won a Stanley Cup guiding the Penguins, is in as the new head coach.
Ex-Leaf Cody Franson helps bolster the blue line and the Sabres are taking a chance with Evander Kane, who gets a new opportunity after being chased out of Winnipeg with the baggage of being selfish.
“Buffalo is the place to be right now,” said Franson. “I’m really excited to be a part of it.”
The years of losing in Buffalo appear to be over. The Sabres finished last overall and managed to miss out on the Connor McDavid lottery draft pick. But Eichel is far more than a consolation prize, performing through the exhibition season as well as advertised.
“You come in as a young kid, he’s got a lot of things people say about him, pressure that he’s been dealing with a long time,” said Moulson. “He’s got some skill that you don’t see come around very often.
“He’s only going to get better the more he learns, the more he can figure out what he can do at this level. You see his confidence growing. He’s going to be a big part of our success now and down the road.”
“You see his confidence growing. He’s going to be a big part of our success now and down the road.” SABRES’ MATT MOULSON