The Daily Faceoff Show: Will Jack Eichel play in the Olympics?

The saga is finally over and Jack Eichel is now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights.

The word is that Eichel will have his preferred surgery and he could be ready to play in about three months. If that timetable goes as planned, Eichel would hypothetically be able to join the United States at the Olympics in Beijing come February.

In addition to discussing their takes on the BUF-VGK trade, @frank_seravalli and @OvertimeScottB also touched on the possibility of Jack Eichel playing for Team USA in the Olympics this February. pic.twitter.com/fz6UsvHp7z

— DailyFaceoff.com Hockey (@DFOHockey) November 4, 2021

Frank Seravalli and Scott Burnside talked about the possibility of Eichel playing in the Olympics, how it was a part of the trade from the side of his camp, and what it would mean for the Golden Knights.

Seravalli: “Speaking of the timeline, that then brings the question up of the Olympics.

With all this going on, why was it this week that the Eichel camp and Pat Brisson decided to push the Sabres’ buttons, essentially giving them this deadline to really pull the trigger on a trade?

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The Olympics are just over three months away. The initial thought with the Jack Eichel timetable is that he can be skating within eight weeks and potentially playing in the NHL as soon as three months. It’s Nov. 4, that would be Feb. 4, right around the All-Star break, which also happens to be in Vegas, and, could he play in the Olympics?

The thought to this point is that it’s a long shot, but we’re not ready to rule it out.

Burnside: “I talked to somebody who’s familiar with the whole Jack Eichel timetable and described it in a very similar fashion. It’s a long shot that I don’t think anyone is really counting on that, but, I can only assume that it would be critically important to Jack Eichel if he was healthy and able to get back on the ice and play for Team USA.

Think about that roster. A healthy Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, it changes the complexion of that Olympic tournament without any doubt.

To me, the big question is what kind of leeway would the Vegas management and the coaching staff have if Jack Eichel is just back on the ice, having just played a few games, but gets clearance to play. I can only imagine the last thing they want is for Jack Eichel to be in Beijing trying to crush it up with Sidney Crosby and the rest of those teams in the field and for him to have a setback or another injury that impacts their drive to the playoffs.

Would the team forbid him to play? That’s not an ideal way to start a long-term relationship, but I think that’s a factor here.”

You can watch the full episode here…