WAITING GAME CONTINUES FOR EICHEL

TORONTO, ON — As we sit one month away from the start of NHL training camps, summer cocktails in hand, there remains no pathway to a resolution in Buffalo involving Sabres captain Jack Eichel.

Multiple sources have confirmed that Eichel has still not undergone surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck, and it’s looking likely that he will not be medically cleared and available for the start of the regular-season – regardless of what team he’s on.

On July 30, Eichel’s agents Peter Fish and Peter Donatelli issued a statement voicing their discontent with the way the Sabres have handled their client’s situation.

In that statement, Eichel’s agents “fully anticipated a trade by the start of the NHL free agency period” on July 28, and sources have told me the 24-year-old has not waivered from his stance on proceeding with Artificial Disc Replacement surgery.

Now, it looks like a move may not occur until closer to the start of training camp in roughly four weeks. If you’re Eichel and his agents, that’s yet another ‘optimistic’ timeframe you’re holding on to.

This may explain Eichel’s unamused face emoji tweet this past week. He remains disappointed and frustrated as this unresolved matter continues to drag on.

In the grand scheme of things, not having Eichel available for the start of the season shouldn’t really deter a team from trading for him. Sure, a rival GM might argue for a lower price, but Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has held firm this whole time.

Eichel turns 25 on Oct. 28 and has five years left on his contract. If you’re acquiring Eichel, you’re paying for those five years (at least). If he misses the first month or two of this 2021-22 campaign, so be it.

The Anaheim Ducks, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames continue to be linked to Eichel. I’m sure other clubs have reached out to see if the price has dropped. At this point, it’s difficult to pinpoint which teams are still truly in the mix, but it continues to sound like the Sabres’ preference is to send him out west. Ultimately, it will come down to maximizing the return.

There are those around the League who believe some teams are comfortable with the surgery Eichel prefers. That may ease any concerns in trading for him, but the price tag still hasn’t changed. The Sabres want roughly four key assets in exchange for Eichel, a combination of young NHL-proven/ready talent and top prospects and a first-round draft pick.

Speculation picked up a few weeks ago over the possibility of the Sabres retaining a portion of Eichel’s $10 million annual cap hit. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen, but I can’t imagine Buffalo’s ownership being comfortable paying a mid-20s superstar to play on another club.

It’s the dog days of summer and it doesn’t sound like we are any closer to an Eichel trade than we were a month ago. Will this ordeal end in similar fashion to when the Ottawa Senators dealt defenceman Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks prior before camps got underway? We’re about four weeks away from finding out.