Oilers' Connor McDavid vs. Sabres' Jack Eichel Part I: Four things to know

For the first time as NHL players, Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid will square off. They won't be rivals like Crosby and Ovechkin, but they'll forever be linked.

How often would a post-trade deadline game between the worst team in the Western Conference and second-to-worst team in the Eastern Conference be one of the most exciting games on the NHL schedule? Almost never would be the answer, but Tuesday night’s game between the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres will be must-see.

The game itself may not be great, but it will feature two of the most intriguing new talents in the NHL today and two players that will be linked as long as they play in the league. Oilers rookie Connor McDavid, the first overall selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, and No. 2 pick Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabres will square off for the first time as NHL foes.

The McDavid vs. Eichel “rivalry” is going to end up being more about hype than substance. The two teams play in opposite conferences, leaving games between the two few and far between, unlike the great 1-on-1 rivalry that preceded them between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. But these players will be linked after the buildup to their draft year and the importance to their respective rebuilding teams.

Already, one thing is true for both of these youngsters. These two players have breathed life into franchises that were starving for something, anything positive. They aren’t helping in the standings yet, but they’ve offered hope and optimism not seen in years in either proud hockey city.

The Oilers are in perpetual rebuild mode, but McDavid is the first “sure thing” to help get them out of it, assuming management does its job. Eichel swooped in and became an immediate face for Sabres fans to tie their franchise to. Having lost Ryan Miller, Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek and many others since their resurgent years in the mid-2000s, and overtly tanking last offseason, getting Eichel moved that light at the end of the tunnel a little closer.

Since this is the first time the two are meeting, I thought it would be good to take a quick look at the history of these two players, where they’re at now and where they’re going next.

Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid aren't rivals, but they'll forever be linked.(USATSI)

1. It’s not a rivalry, but these two will always be part of each other’s narrative

The particulars of this “head-to-head” are interesting. These two players might play the same position and have somewhat similar long-term projections, but it is in the ways they are dissimilar that make this matchup and their mutual standing in the hockey world more fun.

First you’ve got Canada vs. USA, with McDavid a good Ontario boy and Eichel being the pride of North Chelmsford, Mass. Now both are even playing on opposite sides of the border. McDavid played major junior in Canada, Eichel was an All-American and MVP in college hockey. McDavid is the understated, aw shucks type, while Eichel carries himself with a little more bravado and confidence behind a microphone.

Their differences are going to be what makes watching them grow as player so fun. It’s the same kind of thing with Crosby and Ovechkin. Those two couldn’t be more different and even if the animosity between them was trumped up -- like it has been between McDavid and Eichel -- those Capitals-Penguins games were (and are) must-see affairs.

On top of that, no matter how much McDavid and Eichel downplay it, they will be each other’s measuring stick for the first few years of their career.  Each is part of the fabric of the other's overall NHL story.

Not only that, but together they could prove vastly important to the league as a whole. The thing about the Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry is that it gave the league the kind of stars it hadn't seen since Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. It's way too early to say the same for McDavid and Eichel, but that's the kind of potential they may possess. If they reach that potential, they're going to have significant roles in the future of the game.

2. The two are living up to the hype that led into this season

One of the best things about tonight’s game is that the two players involved have generally lived up to the expectations set forth for them. Had McDavid not been injured and missed nearly three months of action, there’s a high likelihood he’d be leading the rookie scoring race even with Chicago Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin running away with the scoring crown now.

McDavid is averaging over a point per game with 29 in 27 contests for the Oilers, an 82-game pace of 88 points. He had 17 points in the month of February alone and was just named the Rookie of the Month. Despite his long absence, there’s a chance McDavid could still pick up some Calder votes still.

Eichel, meanwhile, has had bouts with inconsistency, but has generally been very good for the Sabres. He has 41 points in 63 games so far this year and head coach Dan Bylsma has been leaning on his 19-year-old forward pretty heavily. His ice time has started dropping ever so slightly, and his production went up. That has been key to his development and keeping him fresh in his first NHL season. Eichel is now third among all rookies and has a case to be a Calder finalist himself.

Both have already hit the highlight reels a few times this season, too. It's not even all about scoring. Both are making incredible plays that kids their age don’t often make. To see where they are now, it's difficult to fathom just how good they can be in a few years. YouTube might need new servers with all the must-see goals these guys will score over their careers.

3. Previous meetings between these two have been compelling

Going back to 2013, Eichel and McDavid have lined up on the ice for opposite teams three times in their careers. All of them came in international competitions for USA and Canada.

It started back in 2013, when Eichel and McDavid squared off at the World Under-17 Challenge in what may have been the most exciting game between the two to date.

USA earned a 6-5 win over Canada-Ontario in a shootout, with Eichel scoring twice in a comeback and McDavid registering a goal and two assists. The buzz about these two really seemed to start there and only progressed as they got older.

The next time they met up in the gold-medal game at the World U18 Championship, McDavid was the top-line center for Canada as they won gold. Neither McDavid or Eichel got on the scoresheet, but McDavid managed to take MVP honors in that tournament despite being two years too young for it.

The most recent meeting came in the 2015 World Junior Championship. McDavid scored a goal as Canada won 3-2 in the preliminary round before going on to win the tournament.

So McDavid is 2-1 against Eichel so far in big games. Now they take it to the NHL stage for the first time.

4. These two guys will probably be teammates in September

There’s good reason to believe both Eichel and McDavid will be among the first 16 players named to “Team North America” for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey when rosters are unveiled Wednesday. That’s the team of players 23 and younger from the U.S. and Canada that will be competing as one of eight teams in the tournament in September.

McDavid vs. Eichel will become McDavid and Eichel. They probably won’t play together much, but the fact that they will share the same jersey and compete alongside each other is definitely going to be interesting. It’s also probably going to be the only time we ever see them on the same team, barring some dramatic change in All-Star Game format (which is always possible) or some weird trade later in their careers.

Team North America GM Peter Chiarelli should have a good seat if he travels with the Oilers to Buffalo, before naming his preliminary roster Wednesday.

The game itself doesn't mean much in terms of standings and maybe it won't be remembered much at all, but this isn't going to be the last time an Oilers and Sabres game brings a little extra excitement for NHL fans.