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Jack Eichel feels that the Sabres were ''toying with me''

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Cooper Godin
March 9, 2022  (4:50 PM)
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Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel will return to Buffalo on Thursday night for the first time since being dealt to Vegas back in early November.

Eichel and the Sabres management staff/ownership didn't see eye-to-eye on the North Chelmsford native having artificial disk replacement surgery in his neck, which led to the relationship deteriorating. Eichel requested a trade away from the Sabres, a move that was granted and completed less than a month after the 2021-22 season commenced.

The 25-year-old sat down with ESPN's Emily Kaplan to discuss the rollercoaster of the last several months with the Sabres. He said that he felt like he was being toyed with when the Sabres took the captaincy away from him and telling him not to come to training camp, etc.

"I was frustrated," Eichel said. "If you think about the reason why you took the captaincy away from me, it was because I didn't agree with you medically. Then you basically told me not to come around for training camp. At that point, it just felt like they were toying with me. So I was just, I was pretty over it."

Despite the falling out, Eichel said that he hopes the fans can look past what has happened and remember him for what he did during his five-and-a-half years in Buffalo. Eichel also added that he has no hard feelings with anyone in the organization.

"I think about my time in Buffalo, it obviously ended a little bit messy," Eichel said. "But I hope (fans) can look past some of the things that happened maybe in the last year and think about the previous five-and-a-half, six years that I was there, and everything that I tried to do for the community, everything that I feel like I put forth on the ice as a hockey player, and know I just tried to do as much as I could for the city."

"No bitterness. None whatsoever. I had a phenomenal time here," Eichel went on to add.

In 10 games this season with the Sabres, Eichel has seven points (three goals, four assists), four penalty minutes, and is a plus-three.

Source: theScore

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MARS 9   |   37 ANSWERS
Jack Eichel feels that the Sabres were ''toying with me''

Do you think Eichel is honest when he says he has "no bitterness" towards the Sabres?

Yes, he's moved in821.6 %
No, he's not being honest2464.9 %
I can't decide513.5 %
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