Eichel landing spot

[Invictus]

Ya, But I can't really see the NMC being a massive issue with Eichel. I think he just wants out. He might reject moves to Arizona, Detroit, CBJ maybe. But to the teams that seem "in it" seem to be good destinations.

Awe why you gotta add Detroit in there. Steve-Y at the helm and that team looks poised for future great things

[Axeman33]

Eichel is following the CBA agreement. He is currently unfit to play and requires surgery. Eichel declining the Sabres' preferred surgery is within his rights under the CBA just as much as the Sabres denying Eichel permission to the surgery he prefers is.

I don't think it IS within his rights. That's what is weird about this clause in the CBA. Well, I mean, if he wants to continue to receive a paycheque he has to follow their rules. If he wants to retire and get his surgery, all the power to him but as I mentioned earlier, Buffalo still owns his NHL rights so if he wants to play hockey in the NHL, it has to go through the Sabres. Here's a link to a write up that covers it pretty well:

https://thehockeywriters.com/sabres-...anger-for-nhl/

Some highlights from that link.

When surgery became the recommended solution, Eichel wanted a CADR implant, but team doctors recommended ACDF. This disc implant surgery has never been performed on an NHL player, which is part of Buffalo’s concern. It has been performed successfully on athletes in other sports, such as MMA fighters, but the Sabres’ well-respected team of physicians believes that ACDF is Eichel’s best option.

The success rates for both surgeries are in the 90 percent range, Dr. Prusmack said.

In terms of informed medical consent, Eichel has the right to accept or refuse treatment options if he has been sufficiently informed about what is being offered. It’s considered unethical to force medical treatment of any kind. Of course, in some cases, patients do not have the legal right to say no to treatment. Persons with an altered mental state, children, those who are a threat to the community, and hockey players under the CBA’s dominion. NHL teams, after all, do have to mitigate risk to their assets.

But through the lens of patient care and postoperative success, Dr. Prusmack disagrees with the Sabres’ doctors and backs Eichel’s claim that CADR surgery would be the most beneficial path. The CBA should uphold Eichel’s right to choose what happens to his body if he has informed consent, Dr. Prusmack said.

“That could violate his human rights to feel that he is coerced to go back to a team or [hypothetically] not being cleared once he gets the artificial disc. As a doctor, I can’t fathom this. I don’t understand why the CBA has some discrepancies here…I mean, ok, so what are we going to do to start… anyone can tell me what surgery I can and can not perform and what surgeries get performed on me, and I don’t have a choice of my body. It’s absurd.”

Khalid Keshavjee from The Win Column recently summed up the CBA rules on medical second opinions. At the end of the day, teams do, in fact, have the final say on what medical procedures a player must undergo if they have an NHL contract.

The CBA gives the team ultimate decision-making power, but players have the right to a second opinion. Eichel, or any other player who wishes to exercise that right, does not have to disclose to the team why they are seeking a second glance.

Here’s how that works: The league has an extensive list of approved doctors who can give a second opinion, and according to the CBA, the team has to pay all expenses associated with that second opinion, including travel. If a player wants a second opinion from a doctor not on the list, that’s allowed, but in some cases, the player may not want to disclose that they are seeking a second opinion, in which case the expense is their own.

As Keshavjee points out, the tricky part is that team doctors are required under the CBA to give that second opinion “serious consideration,” and what that means is vague. If there is still a disagreement, players can take the dispute to a third party who would provide an opinion.

“However,” Keshavjee writes, “there is nothing in the CBA to say that the team doctor can be overruled by the third independent specialist. The problem is that… The whole point of the medical second opinion is that players have the right to understand what will be happening to their bodies from an independent practitioner. This allows them to better understand the situation and what the objectives of that treatment are. This should also theoretically give players more of a say in what happens to their bodies. However, this is not the case given that players cannot opt to have another course of treatment instead.”

It's an interesting case and as I say, I am not a legal expert. I am not sure what options Eichel has here. He can continue to sit out and hope for a trade or he can accept the Sabres Doctors recommendations and go through with the surgery they are recommending. I don't see that happening so his best bet is to wait and hope for a trade. I wonder how him sitting around without getting either surgery is a help to his long term health but I am not a Doctor either. In the end, this just sucks for everyone. Eichel wants surgery and wants to play, Buffalo wants him to have surgery and play or they want fair market value on what they feel he's worth and clearly they aren't getting those offers right now.

This is going to be interesting to see who moves first in this game of chicken.

[PicklePickle]

Why is this on the Sabres and not on Eichel? Eichel knows what's written in the CBA as far as his footing goes when it comes to surgery. If anything, Eichel is just as much to blame. The Sabres have done everything by the book as it's written and agreed upon.

I will always side with the player but yeah in that situation both side are to blame. I meant more like the owner must not like the situation where an allstar player is not making them money with jersey sell, etc

[Blues_fan1000]

Awe why you gotta add Detroit in there. Steve-Y at the helm and that team looks poised for future great things

putting lipstick on a pig

[Axeman33]

I will always side with the player but yeah in that situation both side are to blame. I meant more like the owner must not like the situation where an allstar player is not making them money with jersey sell, etc

I'll side with the player when they are in the right, and I'll side with ownership when they are in the right. Both have blood on their hands here, so to say.

[2014olympicgold]

Awe why you gotta add Detroit in there. Steve-Y at the helm and that team looks poised for future great things

It's more if you had the chance to go anywhere, would Detroit be up there? Especially if you are going from Buffalo, NY are you gonna choose Buffalo, MI lol.

Detroit>Buffalo, but there's a lot of sunny destinations, or bigger cities interested in Eichel lol.

[PicklePickle]

The only thing I don't understand is the Sabres part. Clearly, I think we can all agree, you can't force a guy to have an operation. You can't strap him down and proceed with a neck surgery. So I might be dumb, but what's the end game for the organisation?

Eichel could say: "Ok, Hockey is not as important as the next 70 years of my life, I quit with the 50M I made" and they lose the asset.

Eichel could say: "I'm not changing my mind, I'm not playing" they lose the asset.

Eichel could say: "Ok, I will have the surgery but I want to be traded and I'm not even trainning until I'm somewhere else" they lose on a trade

I just don't get it

[Belexus75]

I'll side with the player when they are in the right, and I'll side with ownership when they are in the right. Both have blood on their hands here, so to say.

not to mention that Eichel has been a "drama queen" long before this injury came around....he has been unhappy for long time and maybe with reasons but his actions about it have not been "kosher" to say the least.

i dont like how this feels in terms of team treating a player only as an asset and not human being....but everything else in on Eichel imo.

[Invictus]

It's more if you had the chance to go anywhere, would Detroit be up there? Especially if you are going from Buffalo, NY are you gonna choose Buffalo, MI lol.

Detroit>Buffalo, but there's a lot of sunny destinations, or bigger cities interested in Eichel lol.

If I'm Eichel, this season is a wash... My focus would be on getting healthy.
My career is still young, and Detroit has a lot of up and coming talent. Should be very exciting to play for that team soon.

I can see from a non hockey perspective (which I wasn't initially thinking about) why you would have them on that list.

[2014olympicgold]

The only thing I don't understand is the Sabres part. Clearly, I think we can all agree, you can't force a guy to have an operation. You can't strap him down and proceed with a neck surgery. So I might be dumb, but what's the end game for the organisation?

Eichel could say: "Ok, Hockey is not as important as the next 70 years of my life, I quit with the 50M I made" and they lose the asset.

Eichel could say: "I'm not changing my mind, I'm not playing" they lose the asset.

Eichel could say: "Ok, I will have the surgery but I want to be traded and I'm not even trainning until I'm somewhere else" they lose on a trade

I just don't get it

Right now I think the end goal is they want to show they aren't being pushed around by players. Originally I think it was they wanted Eichel to have a surgery that limited the risk of instant negatives. They didn't care about Eichel's future health after his current contract and were looking short term return. First I think they didn't want any surgery and just rehab, then the surgery that was safe for their return of value, then it just spiralled into what we have now. There's no future/instant return issues anymore with Eichel and the Sabres, and it's just what they can get with a trade.

If they say "Ok fine, take the surgery you want". They look like they've self sabotaged. If they hold where they are, they at least don't admit they're wrong, and their return of value likely doesn't really change.

[2014olympicgold]

If I'm Eichel, this season is a wash... My focus would be on getting healthy.
My career is still young, and Detroit has a lot of up and coming talent. Should be very exciting to play for that team soon.

I can see from a non hockey perspective (which I wasn't initially thinking about) why you would have them on that list.

Oh ya 100% they look like they're on the up. But so has Buffalo some yrs. If I'm Eichel and I'm in control where I go, Detroit isn't on my list yet. Just because of the other teams out there, and I've been rotting away in a city that is close to Detroit when it comes to "oh ya they look like they can be good'. But Yzerman has built a start. I wouldn't be going to a "Look at what we can be when these players develop, and you get to go see The Pistons and Lions on off nights" city.

[rataylor22]

I don't know about this as an argument. As I'm sure owners/GMs are probably mad that Eichel is doing this because it gives the idea to other players. And if I'm a blood thirsty owner (most are), I see Eichel as an issue because I can't control players like I used to (as bad as that sounds).

If McDavid needs surgery for whatever reason, and he sees something else...McDavid now knows he has a different route than just accepting a surgery he doesn't want. At least that's one angle I see.

McDavid literally ruined his knee and went through an experimental recovery plan based on the advice of his private medical team. Edmonton was highly uncomfortable with it but let him do it anyways. 31 other teams would let Eichel have the surgery he wants.

[2014olympicgold]

McDavid literally ruined his knee and went through an experimental recovery plan based on the advice of his private medical team. Edmonton was highly uncomfortable with it but let him do it anyways. 31 other teams would let Eichel have the surgery he wants.

I didn't mean McDavid LITERALLY. I meant McDavid as in "PlayerX"

[Blues_fan1000]

It also sounds like a trade is closer now than ever and the Calgary Flames appear to be the front-runners. Elias Lindholm is target #1 for the Sabres but at this point, the Flames have said no. Keep an eye on these two teams as some developments in the Eichel trade will be made in the next 10 days.

[2014olympicgold]

"closer than ever" but flames say no lol.

Out of curiosity who said this?