New look Sabres bringing a fresh approach this season

Buffalo Sabres NHL fans in Western New York may not have known what to expect from a club that finished at the bottom of the league last year, one that was missing its captain and star player due to a long injury absence.

And that was just the start of the uncertainty, amidst a coaching change in a COVID impacted season and new divisional alignments, not to mention a roster overhaul.

A handful of players are no longer with the team following trades and former captain and star No. 2 overall NHL Draft pick Jack Eichel has joined them.

Those who remain on the roster have been joined by some of the younger talents from the franchise’s developmental pipeline as well as some short-contract free agency additions.

The holdovers who “made the cut” did so through one of the more hands-on evaluation periods in the second half of last season in recent team memory. They were put under the microscope directly by GM Kevyn Adams, who joined them on the sidelines and on the ice in practices to get a closer look at his personnel.

With all the changeover, it figured to be a transitionary rebuild year that would likely see similar results in the win-loss column.

Yet in only just over a handful of games into the 2021 season, the Buffalo Sabres are looking better than they did through most of last season.

So what’s different about those still on the roster after trade periods and an expansion draft that has them looking like different players?

According to their head coach, it’s two-fold. Part of it started around the end of last season, then continued with the start of a new one.

The players were motivated before even stepping on the ice this year…

“The exit meetings we had, and [general manager] Kevyn Adams, was great,” Granato said while appearing on the NHL @TheRink” podcast. “I was involved in all the exit meetings, just coaching exit meetings with him, and they had a chip on their shoulders. They were excited to come back and at that point after those exit meetings, I wanted to come back. My fate was unknown at that time, but what I was motivated by and inspired by was how aggressively the group of returning players wanted the season to not end last year.”

The team notably started playing more competitively and winning some games near the end of last season, as the Sabres’ younger talent saw more playing time. Granato noted that players arrived at training camp this year with “discontent” regarding how that season went.

“Even though people from the outside would say it was miserable, these guys didn’t want [last] season to end, and how intent they were about starting the season right this year,” Granato said. “I don’t mean wins; we never know if we’re going to win or lose. Last night, we played a heck of a team in Vancouver and we could have lost that game. It’s more about playing the right way, playing competitive and playing with confidence. Our guys have kind of earned the right to play with confidence because they’ve put the work in.”

This year’s Sabres seem to be recognizing their identity and what they are bringing to the ice each night. Count Cody Eakin among those who’ve said as much in their own words.

“We are harder to play against,” Eakin said after their second win of the season. “We are always playing with speed on the forecheck, the backcheck, and it just kind of gets annoying, I think, to other teams.

“Not that there’s a big number of games that we’ve showed it, but consistently play like that – just playing as a team with speed, moving pucks up, funneling back, really just cutting off their rush before it starts – we’re going to be hard to play against.”

This Sabres squad has exhibited a new hunger level since training camp as well.

“Guys that we have in there, they just love the game,” winger Kyle Okposo said earlier this month.

“We just had a practice out there and guys are saying, ‘No, let’s keep going. We want to keep going.’ And then guys are staying on the ice after, and guys just want to play hockey. I think that’s going to be pretty infectious for our room.”

“The message has been play hard, play physical, play with enthusiasm,” added goalie Craig Anderson. “I think that’s kind of the message. If we sit on our heels, that’s where problems happen. So, if you’re gonna make a mistake, make it skating. Make it being aggressive, trying to make something (happen).”

Granato specifically took time to compliment forward Rasmus Asplund as one of the difference makers leading the way following their third victory of the season…

“Every puck battle mattered to him,” Granato said after the win. “He wanted to win every puck battle and make the right play. He anticipated when it was coming into his area of responsibility, and he was on it.”

Buffalo’s most dominant line to this point includes Asplund, alongside centerman Tage Thompson and fellow winger Victor Olofsson. The Sabres have generated advantages in shot attempts and scoring chances in a majority of their games.

“He’s an amazing athlete,” Granato said. “I mean, he’s relentless. He is. There’s so many little details he does and it all starts with being ultra-competitive. He internalizes things fast. He adds things to his game, it seems, day by day, game by game.”

“There’s something he takes out of that game and he adds it to his arsenal. But he’s a slippery, sneaky guy and he competes very well. By virtue of those, he’s a real good leader for us.”

Granato and his players are looking to find consistency and sustained success throughout the season, remaining focused on each matchup ahead of them throughout the year.

“It’s still early in the season,” forward Drake Caggiula said. “We’re not going to start celebrating now, by any means.”