According to a report from the Associated Press, the Buffalo Sabres are nearing a resolution with team captain Jack Eichel and his agents on a treatment plan for a herniated disk in his neck.
In a text sent from Eichel's agent Peter Fish on Thursday, he said of a treatment plan, "We are communicating with the team and are heading towards a resolution."
Eichel has been dealing with his herniated disk since suffering the injury in a game against the New York Islanders back on March 7. The team elected to take a rest and rehab approach with the injury, while Eichel wants to undergo surgery to repair the damage done to his neck.
When asked about the idea of surgery in the past, general manager Kevyn Adams has said the team and its medical personnel does not feel comfortable with the type of surgery Eichel wants to have. When asked about it again on Thursday, Adams' approach has not changed.
"As I've said many times before, I'm certainly not a doctor. Our stance hasn't changed in where we're at. It's in the hands of the medical experts," Adams said.
Adams did mention on Thursday he has had recent talks with Eichel's agents, which included a "great conversation" on Wednesday.
Eichel has been the epicenter of trade talk in Buffalo ever since he expressed some frustrations with the team at his end-of-season conference call back in May. At the time, Eichel said there's been some "disconnect" between him and the organization with the way his neck injury was being handled.
The 24-year-old center has been nearly a point per-game player in his six-year career with the Sabres, putting up 355 points 139+216) in 375 games. However, this past season got off to a rough start with injuries, and Eichel was only able to score two goals and add 16 assists for 18 points in 21 games played.
Eichel is under contract with the Sabres for five more years with an annual cap hit of $10 million. He has a no-movement clause in his contract that kicks in at the start of the 2022-23 season next summer.
Stay tuned for the latest on this developing story...