Eichel to make Golden Knights debut Wednesday

The wait for Jack Eichel's Vegas Golden Knights debut is almost over.

Eichel will play Wednesday when the Golden Knights take on the Colorado Avalanche, general manager Kelly McCrimmon announced Monday.

In a corresponding move, Vegas placed captain Mark Stone on long term injured reserve. Stone has been battling a recurring back injury and was held out of the lineup last Wednesday against the Calgary Flames.

McCrimmon said Stone has seen six specialists about the lingering issue, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.

"Our number one priority is Mark Stone’s health. It’s clearly not in a place where it needs to be for him to be successful," McCrimmon said.

"It’s not in a place it needs to be for our team. He’s our captain. The man wears his heart on his sleeve every time he puts on our uniform."

McCrimmon added that Eichel has been "well worth" the wait.

Eichel's season debut comes just over three months since Vegas acquired the superstar center in a blockbuster deal with the Buffalo Sabres. The 25-year-old hasn't played in an NHL game since last March. He missed the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign due to a herniated disc in his neck.

After a contentious breakup with the Sabres, the Golden Knights gave Eichel the go-ahead to receive his preferred surgery to address the issue. He underwent artificial disk replacement surgery shortly after Vegas acquired him and he's spent the last few months covering from the procedure.

Eichel slotted in as the Knights' No. 1 center on Monday, just one week after he participated in a full-contact practice for the first time. He'd been skating with his new Vegas teammates since Jan. 11, but the Knights previously held him out of contact drills.

Placing Stone and his $9.5 million cap hit on long-term injured reserve will help alleviate the Golden Knights' cap crunch with Eichel's debut looming, according to CapFriendly.

Eichel has 139 goals and 216 assists in 375 career NHL games. The dynamic forward spent the first six seasons of his career with the Sabres, who selected him second overall in the 2015 draft.

Stone, meanwhile, has eight goals and 20 assists in 28 games this campaign.

The puck drops on Eichel's debut at 10 p.m. ET.