1 day Ago
Missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs again conjured calls for structure and accountability from the Buffalo Sabres. Tage Thompson lamented that some players were too comfortable straying from Don Granato’s game plans. Alex Tuch told reporters the day after Granato was fired that he and his teammates needed a coach who holds players responsible for their mistakes.
Rasmus Dahlin, an early favorite to be named their next captain, wanted to see more focus and intent in practices. They’ll learn in the coming days what that will look like with Lindy Ruff in charge. The 64-year-old former team captain is back as head coach of the Sabres and tasked with snapping the longest postseason drought in NHL history.
He’ll run his first practices Wednesday in KeyBank Center, and their first preseason game is Saturday in Buffalo. Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens (24) will try to produce with the consistency he had during the 2022-23 season. The roster looks different than Granato’s last game behind the bench.
Jeff Skinner, Zemgus Girgensons, Tyson Jost, Eric Robinson and Eric Comrie are gone. Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker, Sam Lafferty, Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Beck Malenstyn were added for their speed, physicality and, in Zucker’s case, a scoring touch. We won’t have to wait long to receive clarity on what the lineup could look like Oct.
4, when the Sabres open the season against the New Jersey Devils in Prague, Czechia. Ruff intends to have most of his roster practicing together as soon as possible, rather than mixing in prospects and other Rochester Americans. The Sabres leave in six days for Germany, where they’ll hold multiple practices and play an exhibition game against Red Bull Munich.
The schedule creates another layer of urgency as the Sabres adjust to a new coach, and Ruff has several areas that he and his coaching staff will focus on leading up to puck drop in Prague. Structure Defensive-zone coverage will be a point of emphasis early in training camp as Ruff implements his system and begins to address the lack of structure with which the Sabres have played. There won’t be a shift to man-to-man defense, which Sabres fans grew to despise during Phil Housley’s time as coach, but Ruff will stress attention to detail on a group that showed growth in their own zone last season.
Buffalo ranked 11th in 5-on-5 goals against and goals against per game, as well as 13th on the penalty kill. Some of that statistical improvement can be attributed to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s breakthrough season in goal, and the Sabres’ forwards in particular need to be better tracking back into their own zone. Accountability The term “nonnegotiable” has re-entered the Sabres’ lexicon in Ruff’s return.
Players are going to be benched for momentum-crushing mistakes. Granato developed the pillars of this roster by giving them the freedom to take risks and, though the approach helped most elevate their play, Ruff must address some of the bad habits that were on display during Buffalo’s poor starts to games. The Sabres’ negative-30 goal differential in the first period was the third-worst mark in the NHL, and they allowed the most goals in the opening frame.
Turnovers, and high-risk plays, were the root of the issue, as they desperately tried to score first instead of following a game plan to create offense in a responsible way. How soon until we see a notable player sit in a preseason game or dropped to a lesser role? Backchecking isn’t optional with Ruff as coach. Practices won’t be longer than 50 minutes and there are mandatory days off in the collective bargaining agreement, but he is going to hold exhaustive practices to push the proper habits on his players.
Roster spots There does not appear to be room on the Sabres’ roster for a prospect, however, 2022 first-round draft pick Jiri Kulich’s bid to stay in Buffalo began over the weekend with the center scoring five goals in three games at the Prospects Challenge. He and Isak Rosen may need to start the season in Rochester, but both are going to receive opportunities in training camp as the Sabres balance a preseason schedule with overseas travel. It’s also possible, if not likely, they’ll be with the team in Prague, as Buffalo is allowed to carry 27 players on its roster for the back-to-back series.
Kulich and Rosen may need an injury to make the team beyond then, though, as general manager Kevyn Adams filled out his roster with upgrades for the bottom six. Jiri Kulich’s bid to stay in Buffalo began over the weekend with the center scoring five goals in three games at the Prospects Challenge. Buffalo News Perhaps the most compelling question is where Peyton Krebs fits now that Buffalo has a projected fourth line of Malenstyn, Lafferty and Aube-Kubel.
The defense pairs also need to be sorted out in camp with Dennis Gilbert’s arrival and an emphasis on this team breaking the puck out of its zone much cleaner than it did last season. Connor Clifton struggled with the latter, which bares monitoring once practices and games begin. The Sabres have only two right-shot defensemen on one-way contracts – Clifton and Henri Jokiharju – compared to six on the left side, which may impact the lineup and pairs.
New guys A fast, physical, defensively sound fourth line has been a missing piece for the Sabres. They’ll bring energy to the group and should wear down the other team. The most notable offseason additions, though, were McLeod and Zucker.
The former is a fast, playmaking center who is an ideal replacement for Casey Mittelstadt. McLeod, 24, can absorb some of the defensive responsibilities that slowed Dylan Cozens last season and bring playoff experience after he appeared in 105 games with the Edmonton Oilers during their run to the Stanley Cup. Zucker, 32, needs to score for Buffalo like he did two years ago in Pittsburgh, when he produced a career-high 27 goals.
His ability to get to the front of net should help the Sabres at even strength and on the power play. It’s too soon to know where he’ll line up, though. The forward groupings will be a storyline to watch throughout camp.
Does Ruff reunite Cozens, Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka? Does Peterka get another look with Thompson and Tuch? Where does Zach Benson slot in with Skinner gone? Bounce backs A playoff berth won’t be possible unless Ruff gets Thompson, Cozens and Tuch to produce with the consistency we saw from them in 2022-23. Health is going to make a difference. Remember, each of the three dealt with different injuries last season, and they’re going to benefit from the way that Ruff is going to have his team play.
Power play Seth Appert, promoted from Amerks head coach to Sabres assistant this summer, will be the booming voice leading power-play drills in practice. His mission will be to get his highly skilled players to outwork opponents on the man-advantage, rather than relying on their remarkable talents to score. The pieces are in place for Buffalo to have one of the best units in the league.
It has a stud defenseman, Dahlin, and a few elite shots. Plus, the Sabres are only one season removed from ranking ninth in the NHL on the power play. Faceoffs This will be another point of emphasis early in camp.
The Sabres were last in the league again in faceoff winning percentage, which cost them possession in opportunities at even strength and on the power play. They’re counting on Thompson, Cozens, McLeod and Lafferty to move this team to the top half of the NHL. Captaincy Dahlin is the obvious candidate.
He’s the Sabres’ best player, an exceptional leader, a tireless worker and a respected voice in the dressing room. Ruff is going to take time to decide, though. He’ll use camp to spend more time with his players and get a better read on who should hold the title.
Expect a captain to be named while the team is in Europe. Goaltending Luukkonen enters camp as the starter following a career year that earned him a long-term contract, and the Sabres are going to have Devon Levi and James Reimer in Prague. The backup job is up for grabs, though, and Levi will need to perform at a high level in camp to convince Adams and Ruff that it’s worth keeping him on the roster despite the development challenges.
Levi can be sent to Rochester without waivers, whereas Reimer can be claimed by another team if he’s assigned there. Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter Sent weekly directly to your inbox! News Sports Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items..
