Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has announced that the team will be stripping forward Jack Eichel of his captaincy effective immediately. Speaking to reporters at a Thursday press conference, Adams revealed that Eichel had failed his physical ahead of training camp and that the two sides were still not in agreement on how to best move forward with his injured neck.
Speaking candidly on the situation, Adams said “Unfortunately, yesterday, Jack did not pass his physical…To this point, Jack is not willing to move forward with the fusion surgery that our doctors are suggesting.” Eichel has been out since March with a herniated disk in his neck.
Only 24 years old, the gifted centre will likely begin the season on injured reserve, but has apparently not budged in his request to be traded from Buffalo. Now entering year 4 of an 8yr/$80M contract, Eichel will have a full no movement clause kick in next summer which could put the onus on the Sabres to make a deal sooner rather than later.
Aside from Buffalo’s poor play which has been a point of contention between the organization and their former captain, Elliotte Friedman reports that Eichel’s camp is “declining a fusion and Sabres not interested in disc surgery. (Adams also backed team doctors)”. The two sides have been at odds over how best to treat the injury since it was first diagnosed.
Nearly every NHL team has inquired about Eichel’s availability at this point, with 2nd year GM Kevyn Adams not finding any offers to his liking thus far. With Eichel still on the shelf however, one has to wonder how much longer the Sabres can continue to shop around, as any teams with playoff aspirations are likely to turn their attention elsewhere the longer this drags on. Whoever acquires the American sniper’s services will still have to oversee a surgery and recovery period, with no guarantee Eichel will suit up at any point this season.
Adams claims to have the full support of the Sabres franchise, including owners Terry and Kim Pegula, yet one need only turn to social media to see how quickly the team is losing fan support as negotiations continue to idle in neutral.
Earlier this week Buffalo signed their other blue chip prospect Rasmus Dahlin to a 3yr/$18M extension, locking up a core piece of their rebuild. But with time running out before the puck drops on the regular season, the staring contest between Adams and Eichel’s agent Pat Brisson is a massive distraction for an extremely young team.
The Sabres open up the preseason on September 28th with a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Their regular season kicks off with a home opener on Oct 14th against the Montreal Canadiens.