Eichel’s Wow Moment (and the Darkest Timeline)

We really, really needed this didn’t we?

Did Eichel just put this puck THROUGH the net??? @MatthewWGR @JeremyWGR @pham1717 #SabresDevCamp pic.twitter.com/FAnyouOo9h

— SabreTalk.com (@SabreTalk) July 12, 2015

After hearing all through June and July that McDavid is the Real Deal – it was great for Sabres fans to get some viral video of their own.

But does it really matter in the long run? And do we need Eichel to be the Sabre Savior?

Tim Murray has done much, much more than make a no-brainer pick last month. Over the last year, he has amassed more young talent than True Detective has plot points. Reinhart, Kane, Lehner, O’Reilly, and yes, Eichel – are all now part of the Sabres young core and any one of them could emerge as the next man to flood the Eastern shores of Lake Erie with Chinese knock-off jerseys bearing his name.

Yes, many fans have fallen in love with the idea of Buffalo having the next NHL icon, whose name we could point to during every visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame. But, the reality is – it’s all about The Cup. If Buffalo happens to win a Stanley Cup or two over the next decade and hockey heads end up saying Eichel never reached his potential – will we really care?

Sabres fans know hockey is a team sport and sadly the days of one man dominating a game or an entire professional league are largely over – save LeBron James and the NBA.We will never see another Gretzkyesque 200-point season. We will never have another Teemu-and-Mogilny run for the record books. And we know this, man.

Regier’s and Murray’s scorched-Earth tactics may have led Sabres fans to a post-apocalyptic hellscape, but we haven’t been there for so long we’re praying for a savior. We aren’t the hordes of Mad Max -- looking up to a singular Jack Eichel for a few drops of water. The two-headed Drury-Briere juggernaut that tore through the post-lockout NHL is still fresh in our minds. We see local boy Pat Kane win cup after cup and realize the Blackhawks are still Jonathan Toews’ team. We know that salvation can come from multiple and often unexpected places.

That being said – kick back and loop that Eichel goal a few dozen times. Then, realize there are 6 or 7 other Sabres capable of delivering moments just like that.

All this adds up to a season that fans can sit back and enjoy… or can they???

Just what is The Darkest Timeline for this team? A parabolic rise and fall? Career-ending injuries? A T-Pegs sex tape?

Are we truly out of the desert after wandering for just two years? Or is this just the beginning…