Jack Eichel is no longer the only NHL player to get Artificial Disc Replacement surgery

After all the fuss the Buffalo Sabres made over Jack Eichel wanting to get Artificial Disc Replacement surgery rather than disc fusion, it appears his decision to stand his ground is having an impact on other players. The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that Tyler Johnson will be out around three months after undergoing neck surgery Friday.

"After trying to manage his neck pain conservatively for the past couple of weeks, Tyler underwent neck surgery today. The prognosis is good," said Blackhawks doctor Michael Terry.

According to TSN's Darren Dreger, Johnson underwent ADR surgery, the exact same one that Eichel had, making him just the second player in the NHL to do so.




The Sabres really seemed uncomfortable with the fact that this type of procedure had not been done on an NHL player before, even though Eichel had medical professionals backing up his stance that it would mean less recovery time and a smaller likelihood that more surgery would be required in the future. It seems that has opened the door not only for this type of procedure to happen more often, but for NHL players to have more autonomy when it comes to choosing how injuries are treated.

The current collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players state team doctors have the final say with how injuries are treated. This may be something the players want to have altered in the next one after everything that's happened. Eichel even told Buffalo he was willing to stay with the team if he could have the procedure he wanted. The answer was still no.