Vegas Golden Knights

Jack Eichel Named as Golden Knights Nominee for Masterton Trophy

Published

2 years ago

April 25, 2022

Jack Eichel goal Vegas Golden Knights (Photo- Vegas Golden Knights via Twitter)

The NHL and the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) have announced the list of Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominees for the 2021-22 season. This award goes to “the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game.”

The list will be narrowed down to three nominees and then be awarded at the NHL Awards in between games three and four of the Stanley Cup Final. Jack Eichel is the nominee for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Eichel was acquired by the Golden Knights on November 4th from the Buffalo Sabres in a blockbuster trade. One of the main reasons why Eichel wanted out of Buffalo was because of his neck injury that limited him to just 21 games in the 2020-21 NHL season.

After arriving in Las Vegas, Eichel had artificial disk replacement surgery on November 12th. He was the first NHL player to ever have the surgery. After a slow recovery, Eichel played his first game with the Golden Knights on February 16th. He has 12 goals, 9 assists, and 21 points in 31 games with the VGK.

Eichel’s determination to get the surgery that he felt right for his own body, even if it meant sitting out the rest of the season is admirable. It has clearly worked out for him as he is better off in Las Vegas for the time being. The Sabres also got two quality players back in Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs.

Arguments could be made for Evgenii Dadonov after the voided trade, Ben Hutton for being a late free-agency signing, or Nolan Patrick and Alec Martinez for their injury struggles this season. But only one nominee gets named per team.

The Golden Knights have two players on their active roster that have won the Masterton Trophy in years past. Max Pacioretty won it with the Montreal Canadiens in 2011-12 and Robin Lehner won it in 2018-19 with the New York Islanders.