Professional athletes have to keep up with the Joneses because their job requires them to. When your livelihood depends on your body being in peak condition, you, of course, will carefully monitor anything going into it, be it food or nutritional supplements or medicines or a surgeon’s scalpel. However, their health is at risk every time they take part in an event. This is especially true if they are involved in contact sports. It’s not about whether athletes will sustain injuries, it is more about when and how serious they are. Then again, the question of getting back on track after an injury can be a difficult one. Jack Eichel is a former Buffalo Sabres player and now a Vegas Golden Knights center.
Eichel is one of hockey’s legitimate superstars, a center who can not only make plays with the best of them but finish the job. In his six years playing (he has yet to enter a game this year for reasons we’ll go into in a bit), Eichel has produced at a near point a game clip, with 139 goals and 216 assists in 375 games. This is a remarkable stat considering the terrible record Buffalo has had over the years. This team was last in the playoffs back in 2011, and they have not had a winning season since 2013. That’s bad.
In March, Eichel sustained a herniated disk in his neck. He was unable to play in 21 Sabres games. To repair the injury, he would require surgery. This was the point where things got, shall we just say, more complicated.
A player who sustains serious injuries in NHL play must make the final decisions about the treatment. Eichel was to undergo neck fusion surgery by the Sabres. Eichel requested disc replacement surgery. Buffalo refused to allow its star player to be the first ever in league history. They said no. The other side refused. Eichel wanted to get out to go to a team willing to perform the procedure he requested. After much acrimony between everyone involved, the Sabres eventually agreed to send Eichel to Buffalo’s Golden Knights. Buffalo received two players as well as two draft picks. Eichel had a very Vegas reception and was able to have his surgery. His return to the ice is anticipated in three months.
The trade on Vegas’ part is standard operational procedure for the Golden Knights, who since entering the league have made winning the Stanley Cup every year their sole goal, and we’ll worry about tomorrow approximately three weeks after never. Vegas is a good team, and sometimes they are very good. But, it has never been strong enough to win the Stanley Cup. This season has so far been poor by Golden Knights standards, with the team only one game above .500 and struggling mightily on defense (gee, guys, maybe you shouldn’t have traded Marc-Andre Fleury). Eichel can help if he returns when expected and immediately regains his scoring touch. It is still a questionable if Eichel will alone be able to make the Stanley Cup come to Sin City in a league where Connor McDavid has been blazing and where the Edmonton Oilers have been roaring away. One also has to wonder if Eichel’s choice of surgical repair is wise. I hope so.
About Post Author
