A change of scenery made a world of difference for Jack Eichel.
Eichel was traded from the Sabres to the Vegas Golden Knights in November after Buffalo and the forward were at odds over how to deal with the surgery he wanted on his neck.
The 25-year-old underwent successful artificial disk replacement surgery Nov. 12 and returned to practice Tuesday wearing a non-contact jersey.
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Eichel also spoke to the media after practice for the first time since being introduced in Vegas.
“I was sitting here and I was pinching myself a few times during the rehab process, just being like, ‘I went through all that for this?’ It’s pretty straightforward,” Eichel told reporters, per The Athletic’s John Vogl. “I had surgery, I went out to dinner with my parents that night.
“… I’m in a great place now, and I’m very happy that I stood up for what I believed in. At the end of the day, it all kind of panned out the way I hoped it would.”
Maybe Buffalo should have just let Eichel have the surgery he wanted all along.
There’s no set date for Eichel to return to game action just yet, but it’s clear he’s on the right path.
