Sabres GM: Team will proceed 'with the people who want to be here'

Kevyn Adams is doing his best to put out the figurative fire Jack Eichel ignited earlier this week, but the Buffalo Sabres general manager didn't exactly extinguish it Wednesday.

Two days after Eichel revealed a "disconnect" between himself and the organization over the handling of one of his injuries, Adams made his feelings on the situation clear.

"We are going to get this right with the people who want to be here," the GM said, before adding the club's biggest disconnect is with the fans, not the players, according to The Athletic's John Vogl.

Eichel implied Monday he wants to have surgery on the herniated disc in his neck but that the team won't allow it. Adams said Wednesday that experts recommended rehab over surgery and that the procedure Eichel's camp wants has never been performed on an NHL player, which makes the Sabres' doctors uncomfortable.

When Adams was asked how he'd respond as a player if his team told him he couldn't have the surgery he was seeking, the GM sided with the professionals.

"I would make sure I was listening to the doctors," he said, before adding he's confident in the club's medical personnel.

Adams added Eichel hasn't requested a trade. The 24-year-old forward said Monday he's "a bit upset" with how his injury has been handled, and he's focused on playing next season "wherever that might be."

The talented center is under contract through 2025-26 with a cap hit of $10 million. Eichel has served as the Sabres' captain for the last three seasons, and he's spent his entire six-year career with Buffalo. The team drafted him second overall in 2015.