Sabres Plan Could Be to “Punt Eichel Situation to Another Team”

During his most recent show, Elliotte Friedman said on 31 Thoughts that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Buffalo Sabres decided to move forward Jack Eichel in a trade this offseason. Specifically, he noted, “It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Sabres answer to this is to potentially punt the situation to another team.”

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"It just seemed to be a kind of a shrug of the shoulders last night from #Sabres fans."@ByTimGraham weighs in on the team's draft lottery win, and Jack Eichel's future w/ the club @ScottyMacThinks @mikezigomanis. ⤵️https://t.co/xZEux7gQ9F

— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) June 3, 2021

Friedman cited that the Sabres and Eichel have huge issues of mistrust going on and that the two sides are not at all on the same page when it comes to how he wants to handle his injury. The NHL insider adds that any team that acquires Jack Eichel has to be cool with how he goes about recovering and rehabbing/surgery and there’s some speculation teams that have inquired about Eichel’s availability are asking if the player is willing to bend to a new team because he wants to make a good impression?

Friedman did admit, “Again, this is me talking, nobody is telling me this, I wonder if this is a deal that happens sooner rather than later for that reason.”

Friedman cited examples where other teams have had the same concerns the Sabres are having now. He mentions the Edmonton Oilers were not terribly comfortable with how Connor McDavid handled his knee injury, but they put their trust in McDavid’s people. He also notes that when Sidney Crosby was dealing with his concussion, he did a lot of things with a chiropractor that medical professionals didn’t like. That bothered the Penguins.

Both teams stood by their player because their player was a key asset to their team and they wanted to show they trusted their number one assets. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams recently confirmed they are still not comfortable with Eichel’s process and how he wants to go with an unproven surgery. It sounds like, eventually, that will be the undoing in this relationship.

Friedman was also on The Instigators show and said: “I’ve heard that the Sabres have gone to the league to ask what their rights are and I’ve heard that Eichel (or his agent) has gone to the players’ association to determine what their rights are”

Does Another Team Want This Problem?

If Friedman is right and other teams worry about how their players want to handle their own injuries, it’s fair to argue that more than just the Sabres would be uncomfortable with Eichel’s process if put in Buffalo’s shoes. But, would these teams do what the Oilers and Penguins did, or would they likely send Eichel elsewhere, like it appears the Sabres may do?

And, if you’re the team acquiring Eichel, how much of the trade depends on how trusting you are of the player to make the right decision? It’s a huge risk to part with major assets and invest big money in Eichel if you don’t know he’s taking the right path.

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