Sources: Jack Eichel, Golden Knights reach 8-year extension - ESPN

Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights have agreed to an eight-year extension that carries a $13.5 million average annual value, sources told ESPN.

The agreement came just hours before the Golden Knights open their season Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Kings in Las Vegas.

Eichel's camp and the Golden Knights intensified talks as training camp opened, with both sides fixated on getting a long-term deal secured ahead of the season.

Eichel, 28, was entering the final year of an eight-year deal that carried a $10 million cap hit, which he originally signed with the Buffalo Sabres, who drafted him.

Buffalo traded Eichel to the Golden Knights in 2021.

The American-born center helped Vegas win its first Stanley Cup in 2023, after scoring 26 points in 22 games during the playoff run. Eichel is already one of the six players named to Team USA for the 2026 Olympics in Milan.

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The Golden Knights are expected to be Stanley Cup contenders, especially after adding winger Mitch Marner this summer. Eichel and Marner are expected to play together on Vegas' top line in its opener against the Kings.

The agreement takes another big name off the list of what could have been a star-studded free agent class next summer. Connor McDavid re-signed for a two-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers earlier in the week, and Kirill Kaprizov inked an eight-year deal with the Minnesota Wild ahead of the season.