Kevyn Adams cut right to the chase, addressing the topic on everyone’s mind before he could be asked about it. The general manager doesn’t feel there has been a disconnect between the Buffalo Sabres and their captain, Jack Eichel, over how they’ve handled his season-ending neck injury.
“There has been constant communication,” Adams said on an end-of-season Zoom call this morning. “Constant communication, from myself to Jack, our organization to Jack’s agents, doctors to Jack, doctors to doctors. Some of the communication has been formal, where we’ve all been together, bigger meetings. Some of it’s been phone calls. Some of it’s been Zoom. Some of it has been more kind of one-offs. But it has been constant and continuous communication from the beginning with all parties.”
Adams, whose Sabres finished dead last this season, said Eichel hasn’t asked to be traded.
Eichel, 24, hasn’t played since he herniated a disc in his neck March 7. In his first comments Monday since suffering the injury, he said he felt a “disconnect” with the Sabres and he was a “bit upset about the way things have been handled.”
After the team doctors diagnosed Eichel with a herniated disc, he sought second opinions. Adams said Eichel’s camp has talked about the star center undergoing a surgery “that’s never been done on a National Hockey League player before.”
“Our doctors aren’t comfortable with that,” Adams said.
Eichel said because he’s under contract with the Sabres, they have the final say whether he can have surgery.
Adams said doctors agreed a conservative rehab approach would be Eichel’s best option.
“So what we were discussing and what was mentioned to me and those of us in the organization that were involved was that typically in this situation and their experience is there’s a high probability that through a conservative rehab approach you are able to avoid surgery and you’re able to come back and perform at the top of your game,” he said. “And that is what everybody agreed upon, and that’s the hopes we all still have.”
Adams said Eichel is still in that window.
“What was discussed was kind of a 12-week mark, which takes us to the end of May, early June kind of time frame,” he said. “And that’s where we still are at. So still currently in that conservative rehab process. I think you can all appreciate that everyone wants to avoid any type of a surgery.”
Can the relationship between the Sabres and their best player be repaired? Eichel was noncommittal about his future in Buffalo.
“You’re talking about a young professional athlete that wants to be healthy and wants to play and wants to win,” Adams said. “I don’t want to put words in Jack’s mouth on why he reacted the way he did on Monday, or why there was emotion there. But I’ll flip it around on a positive note to say we want players and people in this organization that are passionate, that want to win, that want to be here, and are excited to put this jersey on and make this city proud.
“I’ve talked to you guys about this before. The disconnect in my mind right now is from our team to our fan base and our city in making the people of this community proud. And I understand what that means. And that’s something that I think about every day. I’m extremely focused on where we go from here and less focused on the past, and the past 10 years. You certainly can learn from it, but I’m focused on solutions, and I’m focused on the proper conversations to point this franchise in the right direction.”
Sorry, not sorry. If Jack says there’s a disconnect and they are keeping him from doing what he thinks is best… then I will accept that and not what mismanagement states.
Being from Buffalo and a 5 decade FAN.. Why on earth would Eichel stay there? I mean such poor overall success and progress. Why waste his most productive years? Move on Jack to a WINNER
Trade Eichel now… Let his new team take on the financial liability if he insists on surgery… On the other hand, if Eichel is willing to release the Sabres of financial liability associated with his surgery if he is unable to play at a sustained level… let him have his surgery… It’s his body… his future…
Let another team deal with this trouble maker