The Sharks are going to have to deal with another star on their biggest rival.
The Vegas Golden Knights are acquiring the center Jack Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres in a massive trade, the team announced Thursday.
Eichel himself seems pumped about the news.
TSN's Darren Dreger first reported the deal Thursday morning.
Here are the terms of the deal, per Dreger:
San Jose Sharks
Vegas receives: Jack Eichel and a 2023 third-round pick
Buffalo receives: Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 third-round pick.
Krebs, 20, is a talented young center who is already playing at the NHL level after Vegas drafted him 17th overall in 2019. Tuch, a Boston College alum, is a sturdy winger who has scored at least 15 goals in three of his first four seasons.
The Golden Knights had some competition for Eichel, as the Calgary Flames reportedly offered Buffalo star winger Matthew Tkachuk, two draft picks and two prospects.
Instead, Eichel is heading to Vegas, where he won't see the ice for about four months due to upcoming disc replacement surgery, Dreger reports.
The Sharks now have Eichel to deal with in their division and in the Western Conference playoff race. The Sharks don't face the Knights until March 1, where there is a chance Eichel could be back playing.
The Sharks (6-3-0) currently are four points ahead of the Knights (4-5-0) in the Pacific Division. Even though the season is young, it seems likely that these fierce rivals once again will be battling it out throughout the season as they eye the playoffs.