The Jack Eichel situation continues to drag on with no resolution one way or the other. The injured forward failed his physical last week and was stripped of the Buffalo Sabres captaincy, but he’s still not moving forward on either surgery that would potentially get him playing again at some point this season. There has been almost no information coming out of the Sabres camp on what they intend to do with Eichel (other than move him to injured reserve, where he is now listed), but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes enough is enough. On his latest 31 Thoughts podcast, Friedman suggests it is time for the league to step in:
I think the NHL has to step in, I do. I understand that the NHL wants to protect the rules of the CBA, I get that. But at the end of the day I don’t think that it is a good look for your league when you have a star player like this and a team that can’t agree on this. This player, who is a star player who can drive a franchise, is in some way held back from playing because they can’t agree on a surgery.
I think this is one thing that the NHL can do. If Jack Eichel agrees–and I think Jack Eichel would agree–everyone should be able to see his medicals. St. Louis and Tarasenko, anyone could have seen the medicals. If anyone has seen [Eichel’s] medicals aside from the Sabres, I don’t know it.
Friedman, like other reporters who have been following this story, can’t confidently confirm that no other team has seen any of Eichel’s medicals, but the shroud surrounding them is still making this an extremely difficult situation to resolve. It’s hard to trade a player making $10MM even when healthy, but the lack of information certainly makes this one seem impossible. Co-host Jeff Marek suggests that with opening day coming in short order, we could already be approaching a lost season for Eichel given the impasse the two sides have reached.
One other thing that Friedman mentions is the possibility of a tolled contract, meaning that this year wouldn’t count if Eichel sits out the year under a team suspension. It would mean his contract would be extended through the 2026-27 season, though that outcome does not seem likely at this point.
A few days ago, Nick Kypreos of Line Movement tweeted that Eichel had made it clear he would go anywhere, though he doesn’t have control over that anyway. His no-movement clause does not come into play until the fifth year of his contract. Kypreos added that at least one of the interested teams would want the Sabres to add conditions to any draft picks involved, based on his games played and scoring totals after surgery.
The Sabres start the regular season on October 14, and it is not at all clear whether this situation will be resolved by then.
So according to Friedman a player can agree to a max length $10mil+ per contract & then use a injury or whatever reason of his choosing force his way out of town regardless of the compensation his current team might receive?
All Eichel had to do was agree to a 4 year or less extension & this situation would have never played out.
Or Eichel and Buffalo can both agree to terminate the contract which let’s be honest both will not! Buffalo will get nothing in return for a franchise player and Eichel will be giving up a ton of money.
How do people still miss the point
At this point,terminate the contract,so long as the NHL PA gets their cut.
And if that were the case,make it the norm,for one week any club and player can agree to the burp,but cannot sign back with that club or be traded back to it in 1 year. Also,the player is not a free agent,meaning the club has to be compensated by an arbitrator.
@fljay73 – You know, we’ve been on this merry-go-round before. Eichel’s contract has nothing to do with the injury. The team is trying to force him to have disc fusion surgery, against his will, and against his doctor’s opinion. The excuse of “it’s never been done on an NHL-er” is bogus. If this were about something trivial like refusing to report to Rochester for remedial back-checking work, then we could say Eichel is in the wrong. This is about his health, and Buffalo clearly has no interest in Eichel’s long term well-being. The success rates of the surgery are not based on the size of the contract.
He wants to go to the Rangers. They have 9 mil in cap space. Kim Pegula is the one who’s pulling the Strings on the GM
@Al Hirschen – Pegula Puppeteering again? {insert shocked-face emoji here} One of the few teams, NYR, that might not have to be put through hoops to make a deal happen, even though so many are suggesting he ends up on the West Coast, somewhere. #SetJackFree
You are assuming there is more than 1 team that also accepts the disk replacement surgery & wants to acquire him (so unless Team A B & C wants Eichel & is ok with disk replacement surgery) that will give Buffalo more than pennies on the dollar.
Eichel is a franchise caliber #1C & he agreed to a max length contract. Just like Mitts stated in a recent after scrimmage interview the team currently in camp does not really care what the outside media really thinks of the Sabres. Eichel could have signed a shorter length extension & he did not so he helped put himself into this situation. I feel the exact same way as Mitts when it comes to your reasoning. GMKA wants a fair return package on Eichel & he will not budge until he gets it. In the case of the surgery if a team that wants Eichel does not have a issue with the disk replacement surgery then they can make GMKA happy, acquire Eichel & let him have that disk replacement surgery. It’s really that simple of a solution.
@fljay73 – No, I am not assuming anything. And why we can’t get you off this pre-occupation with the contract is a mystery. The injury is the primary concern. This contract “should” be insured by Buffalo, one way, or another. I don’t profess to be in the know about the grimy details, though. Eichel has the final say as to his health. It appears, by some stuff reportedly in the CBA, that players are obliged to follow team doctors’ directives (per the buffalohockeybeat.com article). Therein lies the rub. This isn’t some run-of-the-mill surgery, it’s more serious. There are a number of ways a trade could be worked out, with Jack’s choice of surgery on the front end or the back end. The trading team can’t go into it blindly, but would need some conditions attached. It appears that Buffalo isn’t keen on that, else something might have been worked out, already. And, Eichel’s contract is a larger-than-normal obstacle due to the flat cap, not because of his injury. That is what I mean by “conditions attached” for other teams. Buffalo can’t get full value, or really anything close, until Jack’s health is proven, one way, or another. I would expect one or more teams’ GMs and team doctors would be privately consulting with Dr. Prusmack to get as much information as they can about the procedure. It isn’t voodoo, it’s proven medical science.
So a team that acquires him will probably need to reach a deal with Buffalo on the LTIR money. Either surgery has Eichel out for all this season and the lesser known surgery for contact sports Eichel wants may mean he is out part of next year too. So who acquires him to be on the hook for 10-15 million in LTIR money?! My guess is Buffalo will have to agree to cover a good chunk to get any return in a trade.
And who acquires him knowing many surgeons have told NFL players to never play again after neck disc surgeries? They are not trouble or risk free.
If Eichel never plays again he will end up with likely 25 million from this in total payout. That’s almost as much as he made playing on the first three years of his lucrative Sabres contract
Actually, the disc replacement surgery has a quicker turnaround time.
The doctor said that if he had gotten the surgery in June, he would have been ready for training camp.
Disc replacement has a recovery time of approximately 6 to 8 weeks. This season wouldn’t be lost
link to buffalohockeybeat.com
The Sabres seem to be out to lunch here.
They could have just let him have the surgery he wanted and he would come back sooner. Its his neck.
If it doesn’t work then it was his call and he goes on LTIR for another 4 yrs after this.
It’s almost like they think Eichel would opt for a surgery that would cause him more harm than good….just doesn’t make sense to me.
@Ducey – That article just restates what we heard, originally on “31 Thoughts.” It isn’t redundant, but needed reinforcement. “The Sabres seem to be out to lunch here.” – You are currently the leader for best quote of the season right now. Congrats. I have my work cut out for me to equal that. Absolute truth, there. The organization won’t get it until this potentially ends up in court. Maybe Bettman will chime in with another ill-advised “Any publicity is better than no publicity.”
Yea & the owner then has to pay him $10mil per for the next 5 years.
It really just feels petty from Buffalo’s side. I mean it us no wonder nobody signs there as a free agent. At least the city is a beacon of culture.
There are pros and cons to both.
Between this and the John Vogl back pat of an article, I’ve seen a lot of people who want to be the good guy with the Sabres’ money.
Eichel signed a contract. The PA signed a CBA.
Should the Sabres have to pay Eichel $50 million to not play again if the surgery ends his career?
Also, for the record, the Sabres are not stopping him from having the surgery he prefers. They are stopping him from having the surgery he prefers while acting as his $50 million insurance policy. Eichel could retire and get the surgery and no one can stop him.
I doubt this happens because neither side would want to set the precedent, but the NHL and the PA could agree to end the guarantee of his contract, allowing the Sabres to retain his rights if he comes back but let them off the hook if he does not. But, even if both sides would agree to this (they wouldn’t) would Eichel give up the money?
If Eichel has the surgery the Sabres want he is out all this year and gets 10 million LTIR money. If Eichel gets the more experimental surgery he would prefer he is likely out all of this year and part of next year and could get 15 Million LTIR money ( 1.5 seasons). In either case this is the minimum payout Eichel will get in relation to his surgery.
There will definitely be orthopedic surgeons with either surgery, who will suggest that a player who gets either neck surgery should not necessarily play NHL hockey again. This has happened fairly often to NFL players. If Eichel ends up not playing again there likely will be law suits related to what compensation he would receive on top of what I note above. Regardless there would be some additional payout.
You can expect if Eichel has either surgery, but for whatever medical outcomes and recommendations he does not play again he will likely walk away with at least 25 million IMO. That’s a big payout to simply walk away and preserve health
Doctors said in June that if he had gotten the surgery then, he would’ve been ready for training camp. How would him getting it now put him out for a year and a half?
Eichel is probably laughing at the Sabres and the NHL. If he never plays again he will receive a load of cash under LTIR. He doesn’t need to play hockey again, he will walk away a very wealthy man. I assume the Eichel camp has surgeons who are recommending the surgery and that he give consideration to not playing again.
Here are the Sabres options:
1. Pay Eichel indefinately not to play while getting no return for him.
2. Allow Eichel to get the surgery he wants and then at least have a chance of getting a return for him.
3. He gets the surgery he wants and it goes badly and they’re stuck paying his contract while he’s on LTIR.
How do the Sabres win here if they continue with the stance they’ve taken?
It’s a simple thing, if you apply Occam’s Razor: both sides have decided that this is the hill they plan to die on, everyone’s egos are in it, everyone is badly overestimating the strength of their hand, no one’s giving way, and I doubt anyone can make them do so.
And the poor long-suffering Buffalo fans are the casualties in this tong war.
Seeing as how its Eichels long term health. Literally every single other person can shove off. The fans wont hafta deal with the aftermath of either surgery and the team only will while hes under their control. So the fans and the rich white duudes that still wanna feel like they own people can get bent over a barrel on this.
Oh sure. This reminds me of the howling of protest on forums when Alexei Yashin was holding out, and How He Was Screwing The Fans! Well, says I, this was his life and his career, and all he owed the Senators was to play for pay. He wasn’t playing, they weren’t paying him, done deal. It isn’t as if any of us fans (who aren’t serving in the military) are prohibited from quitting our jobs if we want.
He can retire and no one will “own” him. He can get any surgery he likes.
Nothing the “fans and the rich white duudes” can do about it.
How do the Sabres win?
When it comes to the medical field there is different options & experts that will offer their opinons, services or new techniques.
Eichel decided to accept a max length contract of 8 years at $10mil per.
If Eichel understood the rights of the team under the CBA he could have signed for 4 years or less & he would not be in this situation right now with 5 years of a contract left.
The Sabres are basing their desired medical procedure on their own doctors & experts (& possibly their insurance company & owner).
Allowing the NHL to intervene into a situation that is under a year old would be setting a bad precedent & can start opening a can of worms into other stalemates & interfere with the ratified CBA.
Solutions…..
Eichel has the fusion surgery & can be traded by the deadline or sooner.
Eichel’s agent can broker a deal between the Sabres & a interested club to acquire Eichel & satisfy the Sabres asking price while allowing the disk replacement surgery to occur as part of the trade conditions.
But if trade conditions are part of a trade package they have to go both ways. Examples….
If Eichel fails to play enough games over the next 2 to 3 seasons a future 1st round draft pick (or other draft picks) never goes to Buffalo.
But if Eichel has career years in points, goals or assists more draft picks can go Buffalo’s way over the next 2 to 3 seasons.
I do not feel sorry for Eichel since he could have taken a shorter length contract extension. The Sabres have every right to enforce their rights under the CBA.
But if teams continue to want to pay pennies on the dollar no Eichel trade will be happening anytime soon.