Eichel Reaches 700. Craig Likes What He Sees Around It.

Jack Eichel hit 700 career points in Vegas' 5-2 opening win over Chicago, and the milestone landed cleanly — a number that reflects a career rebuilt after the neck surgery that once threatened to derail it entirely. New head coach Ryan Craig called him an elite 200-foot player, which is the kind of specific praise that tells you something about how Craig intends to use him.

The win itself matters beyond the milestone. Vegas spent most of last season unable to close — 16-27 in one-goal games was the number that defined the 2025-26 collapse. A 5-2 result is not a close game. That margin suggests the Knights executed with some authority in their first look under Craig, which is exactly what the new staff needed out of the gate.

Eichel shared the spotlight, per the reporting, which is also worth noting. A team that leaned heavily on him and Marner last season — and then lost Dorofeyev's 19 goals in the offseason — needs contributions distributed across the lineup. One game is one game, but Craig's framing of Eichel as a two-way anchor rather than a pure offensive engine hints at the tactical reset the organization has been promising since Tortorella was let go in July.

The questions from September haven't gone away — depth at center behind Eichel, the back half of the defense, whether Hart can carry the goaltending load over 82 games. But Vegas opened 1-0 and got a landmark night from its best player. That's a reasonable place to start.