Jack Eichel injury update: Buffalo Sabres star out for rest of season

The Buffalo Sabres won’t be getting their captain Jack Eichel back this season.

This season has been yet another nightmare for Buffalo Sabres fans. It’s been nine seasons since the last time the Sabres made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and this season will make it a long 10 years. They had some high hopes going into this season, but they quickly went to shambles thanks to an injury to Jack Eichel.

It was already a foregone conclusion, but the Sabres won’t be getting their captain back for the rest of the 2020-21 season. He reportedly has a herniated disc in his neck but is expected to be ready to play at the start of the 2021-22 season. In 21 games this season, Eichel has two goals and 16 assists for 18 points.

The Sabres are in last place in the NHL with the fewest points (27), the lowest point percentage (.321), have scored the third-fewest goals per game and have allowed the third-most goals per game. Bringing back Eichel wouldn’t have made much sense. Why even bother? Let Eichel rehab and return at 100 percent because this season isn’t worth salvaging.

The clock is ticking for Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres

This offseason is going to be a critical one for the Sabres. Eichel has yet to demand a trade, but one has to imagine he’s pretty darn close to doing so. He is one of the NHL’s premier centers, yet hasn’t played in a postseason game yet. Eichel has not been shy about his hatred for losing, so it’s fair to question how much more losing he’ll be able to take.

Eichel has an expensive contract, as he commands a $10 million cap hit and has five years remaining on his deal. And most importantly, he has a full no-movement clause that kicks in at the start of the 2022 offseason.

As the Sabres experienced with Taylor Hall, a no-movement clause effectively kills any leverage a team has when trading a player. So after the start of the 2022 offseason, if Eichel wants to play for, say, the Boston Bruins, guess what? The Sabres don’t really have much leverage, which means they wouldn’t get nearly as strong of a return.

It will be fascinating to watch how the Sabres handle this offseason. This summer could be Buffalo’s last chance to prove to their captain they can build a winning team around him.