Jack Eichel continues to be one of the best forwards in the league for the Vegas Golden Knights. He has been a key part of the franchise, even helping them win the Stanley Cup back in 2023, and has been in solid form since then.
But when the NHL Network released its list of the best centers in the league last week, Eichel was surprisingly low on the pecking order. And one former forward from the Maple Leafs might have his own take on why this might have happened.
What Did Former Maple Leafs Forward Say About Jack Eichel’s NHL Ranking?
Since being traded to the Vegas Knights in 2021, Eichel has continued to be one of their best forwards. And this past season, he even hit the milestone of his best season with 94 points in 77 games. So when the NHL released its rankings for the top 20 centers, the fans were shocked.
While most expected Eichel to be in the top five, he just missed the spot, with the top five taken by Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Aleksander Barkov, and Sidney Crosby. And former Maple Leafs player Jay Rosehill might know why.
On the recent episode of the “Leafs Morning Take,” Rosehill joined co-host Zack Philips regarding Auston Matthews’ spot on the list at #7. He mentioned that, looking at the players ahead of Matthews, they can’t possibly put him ahead of them.
He mentioned, “If you look at the guys that are ahead of him [Auston Matthews] in the actual ranking, it’s like, ‘Oh my god, you like, are we putting him above a Crosby? Are we putting him above Draisaitl? Let’s be honest, those are the best players in the world.”
Rosehill believes that, looking at the kind of season guys like Barkov, Draisaitl, and McDavid had, it is hard to put Matthews ahead of them. But he doesn’t believe that Eichel belongs to the same pecking order.
He continued, “The one guy I looked at is Jack Eichel. I understand he’s got a cup, but it’s not like he won the Masters, like it was a purely individual effort.” Rosehill believes that he was simply on a team that won the cup.
“Not every guy who’s ever gotten a cup and a ring is this incredible force that needs to be in a, you know what I mean,” Rosehill said. He continued, “Guys are on the cup teams, so… you’re in the right place, you’re at the right time, you’re a piece of it. I get it.”
This is surprising considering that Eichel has been great for the Golden Knights since he joined them. Not to mention, rumors suggest that his contract extension next summer could be one of the biggest contracts the NHL has seen.
But Rosehill also mentioned, “But then you look at Eichel, and you know he’s mid-90s for points this year. You know he could crest a hundred, which took Marner a long time to do. So it’s tough with those lists.” While he believes that Eichel was placed a bit too high, he still felt that with his stats, it made sense.
Star with 5 career NHL goals!?!?
Rosehill acts and talks like he was worth something in his time. Guy’s not even Evander Kane level