Photo: Jeffrey Barnes/ AP

Young Sabres center Jack Eichel missed 21 games with an ankle injury, eventually finishing this season with 24 goals and 33 assists, good for 57 points in 61 games. That’s a 0.934 points per game average, which was 11th in the NHL this season, just behind Leon Draisaitl’s 0.939. As infinitesimal as that 0.005 margin was, it will cost Eichel $2 million.


Cap Friendly noticed the razor-thin margin this morning, and the Associated Press later confirmed that Eichel had a clause in his contract guaranteeing a $2 million bonus if he finished in the top 10. Draisaitl was trailing Eichel heading into the final game of the season, but Eichel didn’t score or notch an assist while Draisaitl had both a goal and an assist.

Eichel didn’t mention the near-miss, but he lit into his Sabres teammates this morning, and doesn’t appear happy with how his season ended at all.