According to three sources today, Jack Eichel will be getting surgery soon and will be out until December.

But which surgery is he getting? That is still very much being held under wraps as of now. As I am sure you know, the Sabres want Jack to get the more standard fusion surgery, while jack wants to get the more experimental disc replacement.

Last week the NHL, NHLPA, Eichel and the Sabres all met, and that meeting really could only be about Eichel's desire to get the kind of surgery he wants and his doctors are advising him to get and the clause in the CBA that essentially gives teams the right to control the medical path chosen by the players. A clause that, while fairly negotiated, is highly suspect from an ethical and personal rights point of view. Imagine if the Steel Workers negotiated a deal that would remove the power of a person's own personal health decisions?!?

The meeting was VERY secretive, but the next move we saw was Eichel changing his agent to Pat Brisson. The Sabres much prefer Brisson for many reasons. They trust Pat and they know he is a closer who gets deals done. Brisson's relationship with other GM's around the NHL allows him to broker trades. MANY trades over the past decade were made with Pat Brisson talking to each team's respective GM more than the GMs talked to each other..

So why was Brisson brought on board from Eichel's perspective? Was this a peace move after the Sabres "allowed" Jack to get the surgery he wanted to get? It is very possible. It is pure speculation at this point, and Eichel could in fact be getting the Fusion Surgery...but it is hard to imagine a person having a surgery they aren't comfortable having.

The feeling has always been that Eichel would either have the surgery he wanted or he would rehab his neck. While the Sabres CAN keep him from having the surgery he wants, they CAN'T force him to have surgery.

So knowing he is about to have surgery, I would have to think it is the Disc Replacement surgery...but time will tell.

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