BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres have reached an agreement to sign their franchise player, Jack Eichel, to an NHL-maximum eight-year, $80 million contract.
The team announced the signing on its twitter account on Tuesday night in a deal reached two days before Buffalo hosts the Montreal Canadiens in the season opener.
Eichel is entering the final year of his three-year entry level contract and only eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer.
The deal was reached after talks had cooled for much of the past six weeks.
Eichel has previously said he's open to playing this season without an extension after negotiations cooled over the past six weeks. Though both sides have discussed signing an eight-year deal, they have had difficulty agreeing on the deal's value.
Eichel was the second player selected in the 2015 draft, one spot behind Edmonton's Connor McDavid. The Oilers' captain signed an eight-year, $100 million contract extension in July, making him the NHL's top-paid player on a per-season basis.
In averaging $10 million per season, Eichel ties Los Angeles Kings star Anze Kopitar on the NHL list of annual average salaries.
___
For more AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey
John Wawrow, The Associated Press
