With a team trying to get younger, some may have been wondering why the Buffalo Sabres brought back Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo.
Recently, Matthew Morris of The Hockey Writers listed Zemgus Girgensons as the Buffalo Sabres best player of the 2010s. But it wasn’t always because of what Girgensons has done on the ice, even if he has made a name for himself as a solid defensive forward.
Instead, Morris highlighted what the Latvian Locomotive has done for the many Sabres teams he’s played for from a leadership perspective. Here is a snippet behind Morris’ reasoning:
"“In spite of all that he’s had to endure, he brings leadership, integrity and work ethic to the table, and the young and growing Sabres are all the better for it. They seem to be on the cusp of returning to the postseason at long last, and if they do, it will be an extremely well-deserved reward for The Latvian Locomotive.” – via The Hockey Writers"
Zemgus Girgensons has always been a leader for the Buffalo Sabres
You look at the above quote and realize that Girgensons is the exact player you want in your lineup when you have one of the youngest teams in the NHL, especially one favored to earn a playoff appearance. The Buffalo Sabres are currently listed as the third-youngest team, per Elite Prospects, and thanks to that notion, they need a few players to provide a pristine example for them.
No, Girgensons hasn’t been part of a playoff team during his time in Buffalo, so he’s as raw as the youngsters when it comes to the postseason. But that’s also why they hung onto Kyle Okposo and signed the likes of Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton – those guys have been there.
Girgensons has never been an overtly productive player on the ice, though as mentioned, he’s transformed into a good defensive forward. But his personality, leadership skills, and his obvious ability to face and overcome adversity were all reasons to retain him for at least another year, even without that elusive playoff appearance.
I’ve often stressed that reality is not an NHL video game, a place you can just sign more than a few players to your lineup based on their overall ability and win championships, or at least put together epic seasons. In real life, you can have all the talent you can dream of and still come up short if proper leadership isn’t installed.
General manager Kevyn Adams knows this, thanks to the time he’s spent around the game as a player and as an executive. So when the inevitable adversity comes this season, Girgensons will be one of those in the locker room the Buffalo Sabres will lean on to weather the storm.
Source: Best Buffalo Sabres by Decade by Matthew Morris, TheHockeyWriters.com