"Pretty Good’s Not Good Enough" Ahead of Training Camp
Following the Buffalo Sabres best season in over a decade, General Manager Jarmo Kekäläinen and Head Coach Lindy Ruff held a press conference ahead of training camp to discuss what the next year would look like.
Both Kekäläinen and Ruff made it clear that they would not be coming into camp complacent despite last season’s impressive 50-win, 109-point Atlantic Division championship. This mindset echoes the bold choices management made over the offseason, including trading some key players from Buffalo’s playoff run, namely Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch, and bringing in some exciting new players such as Olen Zellweger.
Speaking to media at yesterday’s press conference, Kekäläinen emphasized the danger of complacency and the importance of moving on from both the successes and failures of last season by doing things right from day one. While he acknowledged that it would be nice to play without the looming playoff drought for the first time in his tenure with Buffalo, it was clear that Kekäläinen was also aware of the new pressure that would come with being a successful team with a target on its back.
Another key takeaway from the press conference is Kekäläinen’s continued faith in many of the major players who signed extensions this year, including Josh Doan, Zach Benson, and Noah Östlund. Doan, who leads the NHL in takeaways and posted a career high of 15 goals and 35 points through 49 games, signed a seven-year, $48.65 million contract extension in late January.
Benson similarly signed a seven-year, $52.5 million contract extension in June following a successful regular season and a five-goal, four-assist playoff run. Lastly, Östlund inked an eight-year extension for $52.8 million after his first full pro season last year. Kekäläinen emphasized that these are “core pieces” that he wants to continue to “build around”.
Coach Lindy Ruff reiterated some of Kekäläinen’s core messages, including emphasizing a need to sustain and continue building on last year’s success. He pointed, in particular, to the team’s defensive play, stating that this would be an area of focus during the upcoming season. Ruff spotlighted defenseman Louis Crevier, who was traded to Buffalo in June from the Chicago Blackhawks for Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway, as a player who will be an exciting addition to the defensive lineup, pending his full recovery from shoulder surgery. The hope is that Crevier will be able to join the team by the start of the season.
Ruff also commented on the ongoing rumours surrounding Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck. The gold medal-winning goaltender shared publicly his request for a trade during the offseason and has now been suspended by the Jets for failing to report to training camp.
Buffalo has continued to be a rumoured destination for Hellebuyck, which Ruff said is “just part of today’s game”. He stated that there has been ongoing communication with the team’s current goalies, Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colton Ellis, where Ruff has continued to be honest with them about their success last season, stating, “You look at the numbers. You look at what they did for us.”
Overall Takeaways
Coming off such a successful season, both Kekäläinen and Ruff emphasized the importance of continuing to grow, as well as reiterating their faith in core members of the team. For players like Doan, Benson, Ostlund, and Jack Quinn, they will likely see more playing time as an opportunity to fill the gap left by Tuch and Byram. Despite the ongoing rumours swirling surrounding Hellebuyck, the GM and Coach both expressed continued confidence in the current trio, given the success they saw in rotating between the three last season.
As training camp ramps up we will continue to see how this year’s lineup shapes up, including likely getting a look at forward Tage Thompson in the first centre spot. This is an exciting time for Buffalo and it is clear that the leadership group is looking to keep the momentum going.
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