Sabres news: Eichel will likely not be ready by camp
As the Jack Eichel saga continues in Buffalo, David Pagnotta of thefourthperiod.com has reported that Eichel will likely not be ready by the beginning of training camp or probably the season, whether he be in a Buffalo Sabres jersey or any other team that may still try and trade for him. He still has not had surgery on his neck and he is not back to full strength yet so he is not ready to be a full participant in any contact drills or play.
A pause in the summer break for a Jack Eichel update. Still no surgery means, by all accounts, he won't be ready for the start of camp or the season. More here in a quick piece: https://t.co/G9IqhWpBe6
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) August 22, 2021
This news breaking just adds to the case that it seems increasingly unlikely that Eichel will be traded before next season starts. Something that seemed impossible at the beginning of the offseason may come true in Buffalo.
There are still teams being linked to Eichel. Pagnotta mentions that the Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Calgary Flames are linked to Jack.
If the Sabres are more concerned with the return they get rather than sending Jack somewhere where he wouldn’t play the Sabres a lot, then the Rangers may be the best option for a trade. They have so much quality, young, NHL-ready talent that the Sabres could get in a trade that could help kickstart their rebuild. But if Buffalo just wants to send him as far away as possible if they decide to trade him, teams like Vegas, Calgary, or Anaheim all make sense.
Who is likely to have the most goals for the Sabres next season?. dark. Next
But it will likely be a combination of both factors. Kevyn Adams has already shown that he refuses to take less than what he thinks Eichel is worth, even though Jack does not want to be in Buffalo anymore. But he also does not want to send him to a team that will face the Sabres numerous times per year and give Jack the chance to directly impact the Sabres’ season in a bunch of games each year.