Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Sabres forward Jack Eichel stripped of captaincy, fails physical

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 9/23/21

Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel has been stripped of his captaincy, general manager Kevyn Adams announced Thursday.

“I spoke to Jack two days ago, I spoke to the team yesterday and addressed this, Jack Eichel is no longer the captain of the Buffalo Sabres. From our perspective, the captain is your heartbeat of your team, and we are in a situation where we felt we needed to make that decision.” pic.twitter.com/K0vajWnCR0
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) September 23, 2021

Adams also announced Eichel failed his physical and is unwilling to move forward with neck fusion surgery, according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.

Adams: "Jack's one of the best players in the world, which is why I said getting him healthy, playing, is what we want."
— Lance Lysowski (@LLysowski) September 23, 2021

Eichel's failed physical comes amid a dispute between himself and the franchise over how to handle his herniated disk injury. Some specialists encouraged artificial disc replacement surgery for the star forward. However, the Sabres remain adamant that the fusion surgery is the best option.

The 24-year-old alluded to wanting out of Buffalo in his 2020-21 season-ending media availability, saying he would be willing to play for another franchise. However, it's unclear if a trade will be worked out this year, with Eichel slated to miss the beginning of the 2021-22 season because of his herniated disk.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers remain interested in Eichel.

TSN's Darren Dreger recently said it's possible Eichel gets traded and has the disc replacement surgery "under the blessing of a new club," but there's no guarantee and "it doesn't seem like anything is real close on that front."

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