Jack Eichel Agrees To 8-Year, $80 Million Extension With Sabres

Jack Eichel was a successful hockey player in college, and now he has landed a big deal after two years in the NHL.

Jack Eichel contract extension news

The former Boston University center — who bill be 21 later this month — agreed to an eight-year, $80 million contract extension with the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.

The $10 million average annual value of Eichel’s deal ties the Sabres star with Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar for sixth on the NHL’s list of average annual salaries, per Spotrac.com.

Eichel — who called his first two NHL seasons “mediocre” when he arrived at training camp last month — was entering the final year of his three-year contract and was only eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan recently interviewed Eichel and asked him what he would like to do if he hadn’t become a professional hockey player. The center gave an interesting answer.

“I would still be in college, but I wouldn’t be at BU,” the 20-year-old said with a smile. “I wasn’t a bad student in high school, but I probably wasn’t smart enough to go to BU. I probably would have gone to a school out west in California, or the South. I always thought it would be cool to be in the CIA or Homeland Security. It’s obviously kind of scary, but if you watch enough shows about it, you get curious enough.”

Kaplan added that she believes Eichel — the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft — will be a powerful asset to Buffalo.

In his only season at BU in 2014-2015, Eichel became only the second freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award as NCAA hockey’s MVP. He had a team-best 57 points with the Sabres last season and also led the squad with 24 goals as a rookie. Eichel missed the first 21 contests last campaign with a sprained left ankle.

The Sabres underwent some coaching and front office changes this offseason. Buffalo fired both general manager Tim Murray and coach Dan Bylsma, and replaced them with GM Jason Botterill and coach Phil Housley.

Buffalo missed the playoffs last year to stretch the franchise’s longest postseason drought to six years. The team also acquired winger Jason Pominville in a trade with the Minnesota Wild in June.

The Sabres will host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday for their season opener.

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 03: Jack Eichel #15 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on January 3, 2017 in New York City. The Sabres defeated the Rangers 4-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)