BillsFan4

Been waiting a LONG time to have a QB worth a contract like this!

It’s sooo nice to be getting excited about continuity! What a welcome change. I sure like it a lot better than the days of trying to get excited over the newest Bills coach/QB/coordinator (etc) hoping that they’d finally be the one to turn things around.

No wonder the Sabres don’t want Eichel to have this surgery. Seems like every respected expert recommends against disc replacement for any contact sports. Heck, even Dr. Prusmack (the doctor that Eichel wants to do his surgery) says that he would not recommend ADR for an NFL athlete due to the head on collisions. Dr. Prusmack has been a consultant for the Broncos for 2 decades and in that time never recommended an ADR for any NFL player. He says it’s due to the head on impacts. That in the NHL you want your body to flex when hit. Maybe if he were only talking about NFL linemen he’d have a point. But what about skill players like WR’s? how is an open field hit any different from an open ice hit? I’d argue that an open ice hit is even more vicious because of the speed NHL players reach and because of the hard ice surface (vs. turf/grass).

Learned some interesting things with regards to the surgery Eichel wants. https://buffalospinesurgery.com/dr-andrew-cappuccino The Sabres doctor is a world renowned expert and has done disc replacement surgeries himself. Yet he doesn’t recommend it. This is from a round table discussion with other experts: (discussion not related to Eichel, just disc replacement) not sure why none of the quotes are showing in bold, but you get the point anyway https://musculoskeletalkey.com/spine-and-sports-a-roundtable-discussion/ Spine and Sports: A Roundtable Discussion

🤣 To be honest though, I did not use the search function very well... I tried using the search function on this site and it didn’t pop up. I searched the exact title of this thread too, and it didn’t show. Not sure what I did wrong. I tried a couple different searches. I found it via Google search (kind of by accident). 🤷‍♂️

Was just going to post this video. It’s a good watch. Gets me excited for the season to start. Cant wait until Next Friday for preseason game #1!!

😡 I know it’s negotiations but this makes me furious. They know damn well how much we’ve had to worry about this team moving. For years.

agree about arbitration. I meant if the Sabres approve the disc replacement surgery, would the insurance company still cover the cost of Eichel’s contract if he could not return to play or was injured playing in the NHL (after the surgery). If it would void the injury insurance then the Pegulas would be on the hook for Eichel’s full contract even if he could never play again. Right now, the contract has injury insurance. If Eichel couldn’t play again the Sabres aren’t on the hook for the money owed. Im sure if he has the spinal fusion he would still have that injury insurance on his contract. Would he still have it if he has the replacement? (if Buffalo approved the surgery) As far as letting him have the surgery, I guess it depends on a lot of different things I don’t know the answer to. Do other teams approve of this surgery or are they telling Buffalo they wouldn’t trade for Eichel if he has it? Does it void the medical injury insurance on Eichel’s contract? What is the success rate for “return to sports” for the spinal fusion? Is it 75%? 80? 90? What are the benefits and risks of each? What are the specific reasons the Sabres medical staff doesn’t want him having this surgery? Is the main reason because it hasn’t been done on an NHL player and/or that it would void the injury insurance? I read that there is a small chance that the artificial disc could dislodge and paralyze him. Is that true and if so how high are the odds of it happening? etc etc. Seems like the spinal fusion is the safer bet, but it would also mean that Eichel most likely never return to 100% health. I’ve heard people say about 80% (don’t know if that’s true). So I can honestly see both sides of this argument. But IMO Eichel needs to find a better way to handle this. I have a feeling other teams are just as skeptical about this surgery as the Sabres are. Otherwise, if you think Buffalo is just being stupid here, why not trade for Eichel and let him have the surgery?

Im very curious to know if this surgery would void the injury insurance on Eichel’s contract. I’ve wondered for a while if that’s partly why the Sabres don’t want it done. But I don’t see why Buffalo would be concerned if they plan to trade him right away anyway. Wonder if it has anything to do with other potential trade partners not wanting him to have the surgery either. edit - on 2nd listen, this guy says a number of misleading or conflicting things. He says that spinal fusion has a 25% chance of needing a 2nd surgery within 10 years. Then minutes later said “it’s more likely than not he would need a 2nd procedure with a spinal fusion”. No, there’s a 75% chance he wouldn’t. That’s 3 in 4 patients... He later says that with the fusion Eichel will most likely need at least 3 additional surgeries (because of this 25% risk of needing a 2nd surgery). He then later says spinal fusion has a 70% chance to return to sports. Then minutes later says 80-85%. He also admits that he wouldn’t recommend this surgery for an NFL player because of the impacts they take and how risky it would be, but says in the NHL it’s different because they are on ice. He also says that there are issue with this disc replacement surgery in the NHL CBA and Eichel might not even be able to be cleared to play after having this surgery! He seems more like a salesman than a doctor. I feel like he has a vested interest in having an NHL player get this surgery.

Eichel can sit for 5 years for all I care. Sabres can not cave here. They have to hold strong and not trade him for a crap return. If I were Adams, I’d tell Eichel to knock off the **** Immediately. Tell him he’s hurting his trade value and if he ever actually wants to be traded to STFU. Because he’s not going anywhere until they get proper value and the more he pulls this crap the longer it’ll take. If what the agents said is true and all these doctors are/were in agreement, Why aren’t they going to injury arbitration anyway? Why handle it through the media?

Ahhh so exciting reading this thread! 2 weeks from today we will all be watching Bills preseason football!

this is aggravating if true. I don’t know what the Sabres plan is here, besides save money. Signings so far this offseason: Hayden - $750k Prow - $750k Dell - $750k Anderson - $750k Schuldt - $750k Malone - $750k Davidson - $750k Our 2 most expensive signings of the offseason so far: Pysyk - $900k Hinostroza - $1.05M They should reach the cap floor with the RFA deals, depending on what they do there.

Anderson is 40 and was rumored to be retiring. Guess it was because he wasn’t getting any offers. Kind of shocked he’s signed up for an obvious tank season with Buffalo. Hope he’s still got something left in the tank.

Ok I’m convinced it’s a bot answering their emails. After the last email I asked if it was a bot or a live person I was talking to and said I do not have an active subscription. This is the response I got: Even more aggravated that I’ve been arguing with a bot for days. I have no idea how you talk to an actual live person. I can’t find a phone number for them at all. Honestly, at this point I think I’m done trying to give them my money anyway.

https://kslsports.com/464603/report-jets-likely-wont-budge-on-talks-with-zach-wilson/ ‘Report: Jets Likely Won’t Budge On Talks With Zach Wilson’ Zach Wilson the only Jets player that did not report to training camp. His Jets career is Off to a great start! 🤣

Thing is, it wasn’t for new customers though. The email literally said “come back to the athletic” and “re-subscribe now”. 🤷‍♂️

Guess we added Mark Pysyk.

Thankfully only 2 more years on Okposo. But he’ll probably get re-signed because you know, he’s “proud to wear the Jersey”... (kidding) To be fair they did try to re-sign Ullmark. I’m guessing Buffalo’s offer was higher too since they are set to be significantly under the salary cap floor this season, even with Eichel under contract. They have to spend quite a bit just to hit the bare minimum they have to spend. at this rate they may have to keep Eichel just to make sure they can hit the cap floor 😂 Butcher + 5th for future considerations. NJ clearing some cap space.

🤢🤮 no idea what Buffalo plans at Goalie now. Pretty much everyone’s off the market already. Eh, who needs s goalie when you’re tanking, right? 😂

Well, I finally got an email response. Here’s what it said: I honestly don’t know how else to even try and explain this so they understand. This has to be a bot answering their emails, right?

I don’t really get this from the Sabres POV if this is truly their ask. Krebs I get. I love him. Great young C prospect. He’s one of my favorite rumored prospects in an Eichel trade. But the rest...? Hague (LD, 22yrs old) is a nice piece but he’d be yet another left shot defenseman when we already have pretty good depth at LD (with Dahlin + Powers being the likely top 2 in the future). And Reilly Smith is 30yrs old and 1 year away from UFA. Their 1st will also very likely be near the end of the round. I would be underwhelmed if that was the return. And I don’t understand why Las Vegas wouldn’t make this deal immediately if that was Buffalo’s ask. Im wondering if this is LV’s offer, not Buffalo’s ask. I thought for sure they’d ask for Tuch since he’s from Syracuse and grew up a Sabres fan. He’d be “proud to wear the Jersey” like Kevyn Adams mentioned multiple times. But he’s also a LW, which isn’t exactly a big need right now.

bummer. Was really hoping he’d be back, but realistically knew he was probably gone. I don’t think any free agent with other options is going to choose Buffalo as they enter yet another full-on rebuild. Not unless they’re willing to overpay.