Quoting: MadLin27
Fair. The point is when trading for a player like Eichel you have to overpay.
I agree, but when a franchise player leaves, it is because there is some sort of a dead-end situation (contract negociation, trade request because the teams want to rebuild, etc.)
So if Eichel leaves, it is because he and the Sabres are not on the same page. Therefore, Buffalo doesn't COMPLETELY have a full leverage here.
Take the Karlsson trade as a comparative. Karlsson is not worth as much as Eichel, but still. He was arguably a top5 D in the league when he was traded and Eichel a top 5 C in the league too. So for a massive trade like that, then you can assume there is 2-3 primary pieces. For Ott, it was the a 2020 1st and Josh Norris. The rest was complementary pieces.
So for Eichel, there is probably 2-3 primary pieces. Certainly one of KK/Caufield/Suzuki as a starter. Certainly a 1st round pick, I assume it will be in 2021 or 2022. Certainly another top quality prospect (one of Romanov, Primeau or Poehling perhaps?). And for sure a roster player and complementary pieces like 2nd rd and all.
To be realistic, a trade needs to have a slighty chance to happen, and for that, you need to put a context with it, and take similar trades as a reference.