Is the news of Jack Eichel returning to Buffalo for a pre-training camp physical good news? Well, I guess that depends on where you stand with the whole “Eichel vs the Sabres” drama. For those of you who want the Sabres to keep their captain, then this may be a step in the right direction. But for people who want him gone, you may have to wait a bit longer. But regardless of where you stand, the Buffalo Sabres seem to be content with keeping him in Buffalo.
As reported by the Associated Press, Eichel plans to be in Buffalo for the beginning of camp. Eichel making this decision basically shows that he cares enough about the Sabres that he does not want to be suspended, as the penalty for missing the team’s pre-training camp physicals and not showing up for camp could be suspension.
Players will be undergoing physicals on Wednesday, as training camp opens for Buffalo on Thursday. If Eichel were to fail his physical, he could wind up finding himself on injured reserve. With the discussion on whether or not Eichel will receive surgery for his herniated disk he suffered last season still ongoing, Eichel will not be healthy for the beginning of camp or the beginning of the season.
It may come as a bit of a surprise to some that Eichel is making the effort to return to Buffalo before camp. If he truly did not care about the Sabres and never wanted to play for them again, then he probably would have been content taking the suspension. This at least shows that he is giving some effort.
This will definitely not put an end to the Eichel trade rumors, but they may seem to die down for a while as the season is about to start. Once Eichel gets cleared to return to hockey activity, whenever that may be, you can bet on the trade rumors heating up again. Especially with his no-trade clause kicking in after this season.