Rangers fans are taking a Jack Eichel trade into their own hands. Well, at least they're trying to, anyway.
Ryan Mead of Blueshirts Breakaway, a well-known Rangers podcast, posted this to his Twitter on Monday:
Rangers fans put up billboard near Buffalo Sabres' arena demanding Jack Eichel trade
#FreeJack can now be seen on I-190 next to KeyBank Arena
Buffalo,
— Ryan Mead (@OhRyanMead) August 16, 2021
The time has come.
Starting today for the next two weeks in honor of our 300th episode:
Blueshirts Breakaway has purchased a billboard on I-190 next to the Buffalo Sabres KeyBank Arena demanding an Eichel trade.
We all want this Jack Eichel saga to end.#FreeJack pic.twitter.com/RNVQToorFK
It's a play-on words for the billboard next to KeyBank Arena in Buffalo, as the "pain in the neck" is a reference to Eichel's neck injury that kept him out most of the 2020 season for the Sabres. Eichel has also made it abundantly clear he wants out of Buffalo.
The latest report on the Rangers' front on all of this came from USA TODAY's Vince Mercogliano, who reported president and GM Chris Drury was unlikely to budge on adding certain players to a package for the highly-touted center.
No one knows what that initially offered package from New York was, though the New York Post's Larry Brooks reported the Sabres wanting "at least four pieces that would be equivalent of first-rounders."
Before that, the Rangers had "preliminary talks" with the Sabres a while ago about the trade, but nothing -- with any team for that matter -- has gotten to an advanced stage.
Still, many believe Eichel will be wearing a new sweater next season. The Rangers have the young talent to make a trade with Buffalo and there's an immediate need for a scorer like Eichel who could take New York to the next level.
He has $50 million remaining on his contract over the next five years.
And fans like Mead are trying their best to make the blockbuster trade happen on Interstate-190.