At long last, Jack Eichel finally will have his neck surgery.
The center was traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday morning, marking the end of a tumultuous marriage. The sides were at odds over how to handle Eichel’s herniated disc, with the latter wanting an artificial disc replacement and the former wanting an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion.
Eichel on Friday confirmed to reporters he will undergo surgery Nov. 12 at the Rocky Mountain Spine Clinic in Dever. Dr. Chad Prusmack will be the one handling the procedure.
“He’s been kind of the catalyst behind all this and he’s somebody that I have extreme faith and trust in and confidence,” Eichel said, per Golden Knights reporters David Schoen.
This particular procedure never has been done on an NHL player before, so it’s hard to judge just how long Eichel’s recovery will be.
“You hope for the best but prepare for the worst,” Eichel said. “In that case, obviously, I’m hoping that it’s a three-month recovery, and after three months if I’m ready to get back to doing what I love. … You want yourself to have full range of motion and have no symptoms that I’m having now. When all that happens, I think that’s when the doctor gives you the clearance to play and that’s when I’ll be back.”
While it’s to be determined when — or even if — Eichel plays a game this year, he sounds as though believes he’s on the right path to getting his neck right and getting back on the ice.
