The Vegas Golden Knights are on the doorstep of winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. After winning Game 3, they have a 3-1 series lead and are one win away from winning the Final, which would put a bow on a great season and remarkable playoff run.
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It’s hard not to think of the Golden Knights’ journey to the Cup without Jack Eichel. He’s been one of their best skaters throughout the season, scoring 27 goals and 39 assists, and this playoff run, totaling six goals and a team-high 17 assists. More importantly, his exceptional play in every facet of the game has propelled the Golden Knights throughout the playoffs and allowed them to overwhelm the opposition in each series. The team is carried by the stars, but they aren’t a Cup contender without Eichel centering the top line.
The New York Islanders have a star that can carry them in a similar manner. Bo Horvat is a top-line center and an elite goalscorer who, throughout his career, has shown he can carry a team. He didn’t play to that level in 30 regular season games with the Islanders, but there’s plenty of hope that he will in the upcoming seasons. Eichel’s path to becoming a star with the Golden Knights was a rocky one that Horvat is similarly going through at the moment. However, Eichel has proven that the journey can pay off, especially once a star player settles down.
Eichel’s Journey
Eichel was traded during the 2021-22 season in a blockbuster deal involving the Buffalo Sabres, the team that drafted him with the second overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Initially, it looked like the Sabres won the trade, landing Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, and a first-round pick in exchange for a player who was noticeably frustrated with the organization. For a team looking to kickstart a rebuild, the strong haul was just what they needed, as they got a handful of key players to go along with a young core of emerging stars that included Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, and Dylan Cozens.
Eichel, meanwhile, struggled with the Golden Knights as he was still recovering from an injury that required neck surgery. He scored 14 goals in only 34 games but struggled to form a strong connection with his linemates as the Golden Knights missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The disappointing season raised questions about the team’s roster build and if Eichel was good enough to help the team become a Cup contender.
After a full offseason to recover from the surgery and time to form chemistry with his teammates, Eichel returned to full strength. On top of that, he became the star that the team hoped he’d become when they acquired him, as he’s not only led their offense but he’s also stepped up defensively. His skating ability and puck control have been on full display and have allowed him to speed up the pace or slow things down when needed to allow the Golden Knights to control games.
Now, Eichel is the focal point for the Golden Knights in a Cup run. Jonathan Marchessault leads the offense with 13 goals and 11 assists in the playoffs, but Eichel has been the best skater on the team, using his versatility to his advantage. In the Final, his passing ability has taken over games as he’s assisted five goals to open up the offense and allow his linemates to find open shots near the net.
Horvat Struggled After Trade Deadline
When Horvat was traded during the All-Star break, it was the biggest move of the 2022-23 season. He was traded to the Islanders from the Vancouver Canucks for Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, and a 2023 first-round pick, a similar return that the Sabres received for Eichel. It was the rare instance that Islanders general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello made a splash, and the expectation was that Horvat would become the star to put the team over the top.
Initially, Horvat showed that he could be an elite scorer. In his first four games with his new team, he scored three goals and an assist, notably thriving on the same line as Mathew Barzal, the Islanders’ best skater and passer. However, once Barzal was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and was forced to miss the final 24 games of the season, Horvat fell off.
He was still a great all-around player, helping out defensively, controlling the center of the ice, and winning possession of the puck, but his scoring wasn’t. In the final 26 games of the season, he scored only four goals and struggled to take advantage of his shooting ability. The Islanders acquired a skater to be an elite goalscorer, and he was anything but that. Even in the playoffs, with Barzal back in the lineup, Horvat struggled, scoring only one goal and one assist in the First Round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, which they took in six games. The struggles are concerning since Horvat is not only underachieving but is expected to be the star forward for the foreseeable future, as he signed an eight-year extension shortly after the trade occurred.
The hope and expectation is that Horvat bounces back next season. In a similar vein to Eichel, he will have time to acclimate himself to a new setting and work with the team throughout the offseason. Specifically, he will have a full season to play alongside Barzal and build off the strong connection that was briefly seen for a few games this year. With his shooting ability, he can become the elite player that Lamoriello acquired. And if that’s the case, the Islanders can solidify their place as a playoff team in the Eastern Conference.
Where Horvat & Eichel Differ
Eichel had to recover from an injury and a unique surgery that required time to heal. He not only missed games but wasn’t back to full strength until the start of the 2022-23 season. Horvat, meanwhile, came to the Islanders as a healthy skater and never battled injuries. Instead, he simply struggled. It’s a concern since Horvat can be a player that only thrives in a specific system and alongside a select few players, making the Islanders a team in danger of falling apart, with an overpaid skater playing a big role in the downfall.
There’s also the style of play that favors Eichel and allows him to become a star in the playoffs. He is an elite skater who can do it all and not only help out the offensive in a variety of ways but adapt to the opponent. Horvat is a two-way player, but offensively, he makes his greatest impact as a shooter, making him a more one-dimensional star. In a contract year, he scored 31 goals with the Canucks, and the All-Star caliber season helped him earn a big payday. The question for the Islanders is, if it’s all downhill from there, was the 2022-23 season an outlier, and he’ll only get worse moving forward?
While Horvat differs from Eichel in a few key ways, he’s still in the prime of his career and, at 28 years old, can put together a few more great seasons. Likewise, the Islanders know that Horvat, like Eichel, has a high ceiling. He’s proven that he can carry the offense and help the team win games. If he plays up to his potential, like he’s done in the past, he can propel the Islanders to the Stanley Cup in due time.