Star center Jack Eichel said there’s a “disconnect” between himself and the Buffalo Sabres over how his neck injury was handled this season, leaving his future with the franchise very much unsettled.
Eichel missed the Sabres’ final 33 games of the season due to a herniated disk in his neck, an injury he suffered in a game against the New York Islanders. At the time, the Sabres announced that their captain was “expected to be healthy and ready to play at the beginning of the 2021-22 season.”
But in yesterday’s postseason media availability, the injured Sabres captain wouldn’t say if his next NHL season would be in Buffalo, citing the way the team handled his injury. Eichel is signed through the 2025-26 season, with an average annual value of $10 million. He has a full no-movement clause that kicks in after next season.