Quote:
Originally Posted by Toonage
There is a time limit on this. Its really in their best interests to let him choose his surgery, prove he can play and then be shopped to 31 other teams. All this posturing is wildly detrimental to both sides.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
The other thing I don't get is if you are going to trade him anyways, then why not just let him get the surgery that he wants. You'd have to think it'd be easier to trade Eichel post-surgery once he's been cleared as healthy, than trying to trade him with the surgery still pending.
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My understanding is that the surgery that Eichel wants is better for him long term but has some risks that he might not be able to play. The fusion surgery is pretty much guaranteed to work but is not good for the player long term. If they let him get the replacement surgery and he can't play then it's still due to a hockey injury and the Sabres are on the hook for 5 years x 10 million. If he gets the fusion surgery he will likely need to get fused again multiple times later in life. Messy situation for sure. No guarantee that the team trading for him would be willing to risk the replacement surgery either.
I do seem to remember the doctor in the interview saying that if the replacement surgery doesn't work that they could still do the fusion as a last resort but that would keep him out longer. At this point it's silly because he could have had it done and they would know by now.
They should just take the reduced value and let the player move on with his life, they are really damaging their reputation here.