News from Sabers general manager Kevin Adams regarding Jack Eichel was not unexpected. It wasn’t good either.
Eichel, the team captain and one of the best crosses in the league, has failed his physique, and he doesn’t want – and won’t have – the team-favored fusion surgery, Adams said . He’s going to the wounded reserve.
âWe were hoping, as we worked in the offseason, to avoid surgery,â Adams said. âCertainly no injuries, but especially this one when dealing with the neck. It would have been the best of times. Unfortunately, yesterday Jack didn’t get his physique done.
“At this point, Jack is not willing to go ahead with what our doctors suggest, fusion surgery, so we will continue to look for solutions.”
Eichel was also stripped of his post as captain.
The situation is as complicated as it was earlier this year. Eichel preferred surgery to treat the herniated disc in his neck; the team preferred another. The operation still hasn’t happened, a trade still hasn’t happened, and now he’s drawn into a new season, with ramifications for the player, the team and, oh by the way, the team. American Olympic. What a disaster.
From a more functional point of view, Eichel’s $ 10 million will be factored into the salary cap as long as he is in the injured reserve.
(Photo: Patrick McDermott / NHLI via Getty Images)