Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner wasn’t shy about who to hold accountable for the team’s woes throughout 2023-24, and he’s correct.
When a team underperforms, the blame game comes next, and it often sparks wild theories of who needs to be held responsible. Among contingents of Buffalo Sabres fans, this is no different, as you will see some blame head coach Don Granato while others will blame general manager Kevyn Adams, and yet others will blame both.
Neither argument makes sense, given how the Sabres improved steadily, and even appeared to be ahead of the curve under Granato’s coaching. As for Adams and his so-called “lack of moves,” we all knew how he was building this team, so the anger directed toward him is unjustified.
It’s not like Adams claimed he would build the team one way, before turning around and trying to build them differently. Further, the plan had certainly been working throughout the last few seasons. So it also made zero sense to go out and try to bring in players and change the trajectory that was, until this season, a successful rebuild.
Injuries have played a part, no doubt, as they prevented the team from finding a rhythm and chemistry in the first two months of the season. But when you have prospects like Zach Benson, Ryan Johnson, and now Isak Rosen coming up and making a positive impact, you can’t entirely blame injuries.
Buffalo Sabres winger Jeff Skinner knows who must be held accountable
One Sabres player knows exactly who to place accountability on, and it’s rightfully neither Don Granato, Kevyn Adams, nor the team’s injury woes. For Skinner, the people at fault are the 23 men comprising the current roster, himself included. Check out what he said following last night’s loss:
"“It’s up to us to perform. Obviously, we’re out there playing. He gives us a game plan. It’s a good game plan and we just have to execute and, recently, we haven’t been executing. You’ve got other teams trying to execute too, so it’s one of those things where we have to be a little bit better in all areas. If we do that on a consistent basis, things will start to turn around for us.”"
Source: Observations: Sabres still trying to solve ‘frustrating’ starts after another brutal loss by Lance Lysowski, Buffalo News
Skinner’s comments, while correct, aren’t entirely accurate, however. The Sabres need to be way better in every phase of the game from the moment the puck drops. In the first period of most games, they have been turnover-prone, disorganized, and often, out of position, so it’s no wonder they’re struggling so much in the opening period.
The rest of the Buffalo Sabres lineup should look at Skinner’s comments and see them as a challenge. The coach can give the best game plan in the NHL and yes, the general manager built a good hockey team, as the Blue and Gold showed last season. Injuries happen to even the best teams, so that’s also an ill-fated excuse.
Nobody is more responsible for this mess than the 23 men on the roster and the 20 who dress on game night. And until the Sabres realize that Jeff Skinner is correct in that they are ultimately responsible for what happens on the ice, then they will keep losing by allowing their opponents to take early leads.