[News] Jack Eichel Surgery And Comeback Thread

[Buff]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

Nobody cares about Eichel anymore. The trade is done. We didn’t get him. Let’s focus on the future.

Glad we have you to speak for everybody.

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Why on Earth would any Flames fan now care about the recovery of yet another generational talent on another rival team in our division? Even the "are we getting him" stuff had already progressed to whatever comes after the dead horse beating stage. Zero interest in what happens to him now.

Besides, you just need to wait until the off season SNET documentary for all the juicy details about his recovery.

Why would Flames fans care about anything related to hockey? I mean we're all Flames fans and only Flames fans. Forget about hockey. Who cares about hockey? It isn't the Flames.

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by Macman

Should Pierre Lebrun and Darren Dreger also not be talking about it then? It's really no different than other stories about the NHL that get posted here. Yeah I get there's been a lot of threads about Jack here but this is post trade.

I also don't think Eichel was really interested in playing here of all places. The Flames do play the Knights in March so it's possible he could be back in action by then.

Are the 2 people you mentioned Flames fans?.., Well, that might explain why the topic doesn't bother them? What do you think? To be honest, when you posted the OP I thought maybe you were an oiler. It seemed like the type of thread that might rub some the wrong way. Then when they did post their disproval you defended the idea.

Also if you don't think Eichel was interested in playing for the Flames why start a thread gauging Flames fan interest in him? Do you have sources or is this just your opinion. Are you personally interested in following his progress and now surprised others might not be?

Common sense tells us most fans are probably disappointed and want to move on so ultimately what makes you think this would be a good discusion?

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Surgery is done. Expected to make a full recovery.

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by Buff

Glad we have you to speak for everybody.



Why would Flames fans care about anything related to hockey? I mean we're all Flames fans and only Flames fans. Forget about hockey. Who cares about hockey? It isn't the Flames.

It’s weird to care enough about Eichel’s surgery and recovery that you think an entire thread to discuss it is necessary.

OP also mentioned all the recent Eichel talk, which IMO is now irrelevant that the trade is done.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

It’s weird to care enough about Eichel’s surgery and recovery that you think an entire thread to discuss it is necessary.

OP also mentioned all the recent Eichel talk, which IMO is now irrelevant that the trade is done.

Maybe he'll lose $10 mil in a month on high limit Baccarat and demand a trade out of Vegas?

[AT77]

Not trading for Eichel will haunt us forever.

Mark my words, he will be a bonafide #1C and a 100 point + player once healthy next season. Top 5 in prime center in the league along with McDavid, MacKinnon, Matthews, and Draisatil.

[2macinnis2]

The more time has gone by and the more I’ve had time to consider the hockey side (underwhelming trade return) and medical side (potentially significant pathology), the more I lean that spine surgeons around the league had some consensus that Eichel likely does not have a long injury-free career ahead of him.

There are 31 teams that could have used the guy, and I’d be surprised if surgeons from the vast majority of those teams didn’t weigh in.

Happy to discuss further from the medical (cervical spine) side, that is if anyone is interested…

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

We'll never know and we'll never be able to fully evaluate because we don't know what they offered.
Part of the reason why Krebs was important to Buffalo is because he projects to be a centre in the NHL. If that was important to the Sabres, the Flames had little to offer. I'm not sure if Zary projects to be a centre or winger at the NHL level.

But I think the fan perception that "offers can be beat" by throwing in more stuff is fundamentally flawed.

You really think Krebs as part of the offer couldn’t be beat? That seems really hard to believe. Draft picks are currency as are players and prospects frsnkly.

I was with you in Krebs being valuable but not to the point that he would be irreplaceable in a trade.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by AT77

Not trading for Eichel will haunt us forever.

Mark my words, he will be a bonafide #1C and a 100 point + player once healthy next season. Top 5 in prime center in the league along with McDavid, MacKinnon, Matthews, and Draisatil.

I mean he wasn't that before so it would be quite the comeback next season

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

You really think Krebs as part of the offer couldn’t be beat? That seems really hard to believe. Draft picks are currency as are players and prospects frsnkly.

I was with you in Krebs being valuable but not to the point that he would be irreplaceable in a trade.

I don’t believe it could be easily beat including by any pick or prospect the Flames have

[2macinnis2]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I don’t believe it could be easily beat including by any pick or prospect the Flames have

Yeah but another team could have very easily beaten that offer. Why didn’t they? Young elite #1 center. Something amiss right?

[Flamesfan05]

Not figuring out how to turn Tkachuk into Eichel was a huge mistake

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by 2macinnis2

Yeah but another team could have very easily beaten that offer. Why didn’t they? Young elite #1 center. Something amiss right?

Not sure why you are implying. That there was some sort of conspiracy to send him to Vegas
I think it comes down to few teams having the cap space and willing to give up their top prospects
If Anaheim had offered Drysdale, Mctavish or Zegras he would have gone there
If LA offers byfield he would have gone there
I think the best prospect offer was Krebs and that’s why he went there

[2macinnis2]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Not sure why you are implying. That there was some sort of conspiracy to send him to Vegas
I think it comes down to few teams having the cap space and willing to give up their top prospects
If Anaheim had offered Drysdale, Mctavish or Zegras he would have gone there
If LA offers byfield he would have gone there
I think the best prospect offer was Krebs and that’s why he went there

Look I see people with degenerative cervical spine disease every day and have done hundreds of surgeries comparable to the one Eichel had done. Of those, the majority of patients have more than one problem with their spines and unfortunately most don’t return to their 100% baseline (which for those who aren’t pro athletes, is an acceptable result usually). There are some who have very good looking spines except one problem, and if that were Eichel, I think more teams would have been in the fray.

I think when you can’t even get a non-lottery protected first rounder for a player that is arguably better than the majority of #1 overall picks from the last decade, it speaks volumes about what how his medical condition was weighed by those in the know. If I were the Flames neurosurgeon, and I was brought films of a player with a truly ‘bad neck,’ I would be clear in telling the team the likelihood of the player having a long, pain and injury free career is probably low. I think that’s why the return for Buffalo was so bad.

Of course, like everyone else not in the know, I’m just putting out my best educated guess.

One last point… on ADR. That procedure is also generally a better fit for patients with good looking necks but one disc herniation. I wonder if some of the Sabres hesitation was that the anatomy wasn’t ideal for the procedure, which if it is the case, is a really bad sign for his long term prognosis.

[Knightslayer]

Buffalo playing great without Eichel. Maybe good not having a captain that doesn't only care about points.

[1qqaaz]

Why does this thread exist, all it does is bring pain and sorrow to my soul.

[djsFlames]

I wish Eichel well in his recovery, but dear Lord, why does this thread even exist.

There's some real masochists in here.

[2macinnis2]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

I wish Eichel well in his recovery, but dear Lord, why does this thread even exist.

There's some real masochists in here.

It became a major storyline for the season, and for this GM, once their interest was declared. Considering the clear need for a #1 C, it would have been a storyline regardless. How this plays out is an (the?) elephant in the room. If he returns and plays to his potential and has a long and successful career, there is going to be a lot of egg on faces, not just in Calgary.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I don’t believe it could be easily beat including by any pick or prospect the Flames have

So Krebs is more valuable than any combination of player/pick/prospect in the Flames organization? Maybe we’ll just disagree there. Or maybe you’re right that just Buffalo absolutely coveted this guy as an uber elite prospect.

Not that the Flames should have paid any price. The status quo is like an old pair of shoes that are still comfortable.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

So Krebs is more valuable than any combination of player/pick/prospect in the Flames organization? Maybe we’ll just disagree there. Or maybe you’re right that just Buffalo absolutely coveted this guy as an uber elite prospect.

Not that the Flames should have paid any price. The status quo is like an old pair of shoes that are still comfortable.

Didn’t say any combination of picks or prospects
But I think it would have required a dramatic overpay