Unsurprisingly, Jack Eichel did not pass his physical on Wednesday. But the tremor that shook the hockey world was because of the Buffalo Sabres stripping him off the team's captaincy.
Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams offered a brief explanation on why the team has decided to take away the “C” on the center's uniform, per The Athletic.
Jack Eichel is no longer the captain of the Buffalo Sabres and requires surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck, general manager Kevyn Adams said Thursday at training camp.
“I feel the captain is the heartbeat of your team,” Adams said. “I felt that we needed to address that.”
Eichel and the Sabres have not been seeing eye to eye for months now over how he should push forward in treating his injured neck. Eichel wants a replacement procedure, which Buffalo would not give him permission to undergo. Instead, the Sabres want Eichel to have a fusion surgery that he has adamantly refused.
Eichel last played in March 2021 against the New York Islanders wherein he got absorbed a hit that hurt his neck. He will be on the injured reserve by the start of the 2021-22 NHL season in October and should continue to hear his name in trade rumors.
Follow Us
Subscribe