Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said Wednesday that captain Jack Eichel has not asked for a trade.
“On the trade front, it’s probably been one of those questions I’ve been asked every time I’ve had a press conference and I’ve given the same answer,” Adams said when asked if Eichel had submitted a trade request. “The answer is no.”
The question has been raised at multiple points over the 2020-21 campaign, another failed season in the standings, and is once again front of mind this week after Eichel expressed frustrations on Monday with the team in terms of how his injury has been managed and treated.
“I’ve been a bit upset about the way things have been handled since I’ve been hurt. I’d be lying to say that things have moved smoothly since my injury,” Eichel, who has been sidelined with a herniated disc in his neck since March, told reporters on Monday.
“There’s been a bit of a disconnect between myself and the organization,” Eichel said. “It’s been tough at times. Right now, for me, the most important thing now is to try to get healthy, figure out a way to be available to play hockey next year, wherever that might be.”
On Wednesday, Adams addressed the concerns brought to light by the Sabres captain, and said he and Eichel have been “continuously talking through this process.”
“You’re talking about a young professional athlete that wants to be healthy and wants to play and wants to win. I don’t want to put words in Jack’s mouth of why he reacted the way he did on Monday or why there was emotion there,” the GM said. “But, I’ll flip it around on a positive note to say we want players and people in this organization that are passionate, that want to win, and that want to be here and are excited to put this jersey on and make this city proud.”
“The disconnect in my mind right now is from our team to our fanbase and our city, and making the people of this community proud,” Adams continued. “I understand what that means, and that’s something I think about every day and I’m extremely focused on where we go from here and less focused on the past and the past 10 years. you certainly can learn from it … but i’m focused on solutions and I’m focused on the proper conversations to point this franchise in the right direction.”
