He topped 20 goals in each of his first five seasons and enjoyed a breakout year in 2019-20, when he had a career-best 36 goals in 68 games before the season was abruptly canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sabres doctors favored Eichel having fusion surgery and opposed the disk replacement procedure because it has never been conducted on an NHL player.Įichel was the Sabres’ highest-paid player and is in the fourth year of an eight-year, $80m contract.
The length of the dispute also essentially eliminates Eichel’s chance to represent the United States at the Winter Olympics, which will be held in Beijing in February. Though Eichel remains sidelined, the Golden Knights addressed their biggest long-term need in landing a top-line center by trading forward Alex Tuch, rookie center Peyton Krebs and two draft picks to the Sabres.Įichel is expected to have the disk replacement surgery he preferred, though the recovery timetable means he’ll likely miss most if not all of the remainder of the season.
