Kevyn Adams Discloses in his Presser that Eichel is No Longer the Buffalo Sabres Captain

[Brawndo]

Per Darren Dreger on the Ray and Dregs Podcast Pat Brisson has made progress with Kevyn Adams regarding Jack having the Artificial Disc Replacement. Jack is seeing doctors on the West Coast it is felt that if these doctors do agree that the ADR is the way to proceed that Jack will have this procedure done. 

Edited September 23, 2021 by Brawndo

[pi2000]

I'll be shocked if the Sabres approve ADR surgery.

[Marvin]

3 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Per Darren Dreger on the Ray and Dregs Podcast Pat Brisson has made progress with Kevyn Adams regarding Jack having the Artificial Disc Replacement. Jack is seeing doctors on the West Coast it is felt that if these doctors do agree that the ADR is the way to proceed that Jack will have this procedure done. 

https://tenor.com/view/spock-fascinating-gif-10055367

 

[Digger]

Personally I would love to know what other NHL team doctors think about the surgery option.  Of course no doctor can make a truly informed decision without assessing his records and seeing him, but I do wonder if many other team doctors would support the Sabres medical opinion.

[bob_sauve28]

I hope KA is doing his home work on this. Nice to see some news of possible progress 

[Brawndo]

The biggest take away I had from 31 Thoughts Interview with Dr Chad Prusmack was that if the ADR fails, an ACDF is the next step. The Sabres might agree with this approach if exchange for Jack waiving His NMC, if He is still Here after 7/1. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

Hopefully this saves Jack's career and hopefully this helps the player and the organization move forward be it together or separated.   

1 minute ago, Brawndo said:

The biggest take away I had from 31 Thoughts Interview with Dr Chad Prusmack was that if the ADR fails, an ACDF is the next step. The Sabres might agree with this approach if exchange for Jack waiving His NMC, if He is still Here after 7/1. 

I've been saying we need to ask Jack to waive his NMC as part of this negotiation since the beginning.  It is the only real thing Jack has to offer the Sabres to get them to change their position.

[steveoath]

Between which vertebra is the herniated disc?

[SabresVet]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

Per Darren Dreger on the Ray and Dregs Podcast Pat Brisson has made progress with Kevyn Adams regarding Jack having the Artificial Disc Replacement. Jack is seeing doctors on the West Coast it is felt that if these doctors do agree that the ADR is the way to proceed that Jack will have this procedure done. 

Disagreement over surgery was reported as a major sticking point between the team and player and I'm confident other teams had concerns as well to trade for him with this injury.  

Yet now, with Brisson taking Eichel as a client we're moving toward the surgery after all?  And, was it not the team doctors opposed to the ADR?  I'd love to know why there's a change of direction on this issue.    

I'm all for Jack getting healthy and on the ice, but why could this not have happened months ago?  Was that the Peter's being hard-a**es?  Or, is Brisson more persuasive? 

Seems like the last few months were wasted.    

[LabattBlue]

Maybe this was covered in the 300+ page Eichel thread, but if has surgery(or even doesn't have surgery), and ends up on LTIR for the season(s), or maybe his career, do the Sabres have insurance that covers his yearly salary, or do they still pay for it out of their pockets?

[pi2000]

57 minutes ago, steveoath said:

Between which vertebra is the herniated disc?

C5/C6

[Taro T]

Still would really like to see the 2 sides mend the fence, but realize that's roughly as likely as the Sabres not missing the dance for an 11th time.

Darn shame Eichel didn't have Brisson as his agent all along (or at least since the contract was signed).  Maybe Adams wouldn't have been so ready to walk away from him.

[thewookie1]

14 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Still would really like to see the 2 sides mend the fence, but realize that's roughly as likely as the Sabres not missing the dance for an 11th time.

Darn shame Eichel didn't have Brisson as his agent all along (or at least since the contract was signed).  Maybe Adams wouldn't have been so ready to walk away from him.

Who knows, Fish likely fed Eichel’s ego whereas Brisson is likely far more level headed.

[GASabresIUFAN]

56 minutes ago, SabresVet said:

Disagreement over surgery was reported as a major sticking point between the team and player and I'm confident other teams had concerns as well to trade for him with this injury.  

Yet now, with Brisson taking Eichel as a client we're moving toward the surgery after all?  And, was it not the team doctors opposed to the ADR?  I'd love to know why there's a change of direction on this issue.    

I'm all for Jack getting healthy and on the ice, but why could this not have happened months ago?  Was that the Peter's being hard-a**es?  Or, is Brisson more persuasive? 

Seems like the last few months were wasted.    

If I had to guess the Sabres insurance company agreed to the change in procedure when the rest and heel didn't produce the hoped for results.  If this is the case, they'd be on the hook for Jack's contract (likely about 75% of it at least) when Jack failed his physical. With the surgery there is a improved chance Jack can return this season.  It's also not like the requested surgery is brand new.  The procedure has been around for at least 20 years and has been successfully performed on other pro athletes like Peyton Manning.  Also the consultation with a new set of doctors, not his and not the Sabres, seems like something the insurance company would have requested in order to change their opinion.  Whether additional premium $ were paid is anyone's guess.

[nfreeman]

I am pretty skeptical that KA will agree to the ADR surgery.

[Weave]

3 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

Maybe this was covered in the 300+ page Eichel thread, but if has surgery(or even doesn't have surgery), and ends up on LTIR for the season(s), or maybe his career, do the Sabres have insurance that covers his yearly salary, or do they still pay for it out of their pockets?

Undoubtedly they do have insurance for this.  I remember when LaFontaine was on IR for his last concussion it was reported that Sabres ownership was happy because he was relieved of the burden of LaFontaine's salary.

Edited September 20, 2021 by Weave

[Huckleberry]

That being said, does the Insurance company allow this surgery ? then the sabres really have not much say in this either.

[Thorner]

5 hours ago, Brawndo said:

Per Darren Dreger on the Ray and Dregs Podcast Pat Brisson has made progress with Kevyn Adams regarding Jack having the Artificial Disc Replacement. Jack is seeing doctors on the West Coast it is felt that if these doctors do agree that the ADR is the way to proceed that Jack will have this procedure done. 

The interesting thing is, if true, the agent change seems to have helped bring KA over to Jack’s side, where it was more so being speculated Brisson might help “get Jack in line”. 

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

Still would really like to see the 2 sides mend the fence, but realize that's roughly as likely as the Sabres not missing the dance for an 11th time.

Darn shame Eichel didn't have Brisson as his agent all along (or at least since the contract was signed).  Maybe Adams wouldn't have been so ready to walk away from him.

Or maybe vice versa. 

But ya - I actually have a slim glimmer they work this out, somehow. You want your 1C? He’s still right here. 

2 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

Who knows, Fish likely fed Eichel’s ego whereas Brisson is likely far more level headed.

Isn’t Eichel getting his way NOW, if this rumour turns out to happen? 

Edited September 20, 2021 by Thorny

[Weave]

8 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

That being said, does the Insurance company allow this surgery ? then the sabres really have not much say in this either.

The insurance company may be the real blocking point.

[IKnowPhysics]

Somewhat interesting scenario.  It's possible that:

1. Sabres' medical staff are more open minded about the potential for surgery as the best path forward because of
   1. Jack's developing medical progress and/or
   2. New information about the procedure being brought to them.
2. The Sabres brass are more open minded about incorporating information from doctors not in their employ and incorporate it in their decision making.

I gotta believe that Pat Brisson (and his resources), who was retained 3.5 weeks ago, had a hand in making progress in these bolded areas.  Or perhaps the NHLPA/NHL meeting shortly thereafter put the league pressure on the team or team doctors to be more open minded.

And if I were to put on a tin foil hat, I would say this is cover for a west coast team doing due medical diligence on Jack's back before a trade.

And if I were to put on a suit of tin foil armor, I would say that Gary Bettman instructed the Buffalo Sabres to use a third party medical staff to mediate the issue, up to and including a secret binding arbitration that might force the Sabres to "allow" Jack to get the surgery.

And if I were to go full tin foil space aliens, Gary Bettman keeps a collection of the removed discs of star players from franchises he doesn't like on a chain around his neck like the Predator and has been licking his lips at the Captain of the Buffalo Sabres.

 

 

 

[calti]

The ADR surgery can be very successful if the real source of the problem is the disc and not something that is causing the disc to herniate.

Stable/strong spinal muscles plus no ligament instability make for best  result in ADR.

[GASabresIUFAN]

3 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

That being said, does the Insurance company allow this surgery ? then the sabres really have not much say in this either.

 

3 hours ago, Weave said:

The insurance company may be the real blocking point.

The Sabres took out insurance on Jack’s contract so that if Jack is unable to play, the insurance pays 75% of his deal. (A friend industry told me this is how most of these deals work.) That’s a 37.5 mill potential liability if Jack can’t pass a physical. I would think the insurance company would want to take a conservative approach at first to minimize the potential negative outcome from the ‘experimental” surgery and probably told the Sabres that the “experimental” surgery would void the contract.  Now that rest didn’t work and he won’t pass a physical, they had to re-access their position.   Getting Jack back on the ice has suddenly become everyone’s priority.  Funny how that happened with camp on the immediate horizon.

[Doohicksie]

6 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The procedure has been around for at least 20 years and has been successfully performed on other pro athletes like Peyton Manning. 

He had fusion surgery... don't think he had disc replacement did he?

[GASabresIUFAN]

18 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

He had fusion surgery... don't think he had disc replacement did he?

He had ACDF, which is the removal of the bad disk, replacing it with a bone graft which then fuses over time.

[Doohicksie]

7 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

It's also not like the requested surgery is brand new.  The procedure has been around for at least 20 years and has been successfully performed on other pro athletes like Peyton Manning.

So when you said - It's not like the surgery is brand new.... has been successfully performed on Peyton, where you talking about the ADR or the ACDF?  I'm confused.