Jack Eichel heard the boos loud and clear from Buffalo fans in his return to KeyBank Center on Thursday night.

“This is the loudest I’ve ever heard this place, ever. It only took 7 years and me leaving for them to get into the game,” the Golden Knights center told reporters after a 3-1 loss to Buffalo.

Eichel, 25, played his first game against the Sabres — the team that drafted him No. 2 overall in 2015 — since being traded to Vegas last November, and his return was the furthest thing from a warm welcome.

Fans greeted the former Buffalo captain with loud boos and lewd signs. One Sabres fan held up a sign near the glass that read, “Thanks for nothing Eichel.”

Buffalo had a season-high crowd of 12,437 show up for Eichel’s return, and they roared every time he touched the puck — and only got louder when he missed a shot.

Eichel and the Sabres engaged in a months-long standoff over how to treat a herniated disc, which soured the relationship between the franchise and its star player. The rocky exit led to his trade to Vegas, where he’s notched three goals and seven points in 11 games.

The Buffalo faithful didn’t seem too impressed with his recovery — at the end of the Thursday’s game, a fan tossed an Eichel Sabres jersey onto the ice..

“They must just be booing me because they wish I was still here,” he told reporters. “I don’t know. It is what it is.”

After the loss, Eichel was happy to put the return behind him.

“I’m pretty happy it’s over. Just move on,” he said. “It’s not an easy game to play in by any means. I’m not going to stand here and say it was. It’s frustrating. We wanted to get a win here and we didn’t.”

Eichel admitted that he was “trying not to watch” the video tribute the Sabres played, which showed his charitable efforts, before the game.

“I’ll take a look at it another time,” he said. “In a game situation, I didn’t want to get emotional, especially when you start involving some of the kids and some of the things I did in the community, that hits home with me. But I appreciate the tribute and it’s nice some people were here cheering for me.”

Eichel will get the last laugh: His former team will miss the playoffs for an 11th straight season, while he’s on track to get his first taste of the postseason.