There's no one around the Buffalo Sabres right now with more Stanley Cups than assistant general manager/Rochester GM Jason Karmanos. He has three, and his words about the value of the postseason carry weight within the organization.
"I don't think there's anything like the playoffs in terms of showing you what the challenge is going to be like as you move up the ranks," Karmanos said Friday on a season-ending video call after the Amerks were eliminated in the third round of the Calder Cup. "To struggle with that adversity and the difficulties of playing on the road, and the types of teams we played, I think that it just strengthens our players moving forward."
After getting help on the last day of the season to qualify for the playoffs, the Amerks had their most successful run since 2004. They won two series and played in three, ending in triple overtime late Wednesday night with a 6-5 loss to Laval that completed a three-game sweep for the visiting Rocket.
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"I'm probably more disappointed that I didn't get more (games) than happy that we got extra," coach Seth Appert said Friday. "That's just the way coaches think. But I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to coach this group. I loved coaching this team. They had this incredible blend of fun mixed with really hard work and competitiveness that most teams can't mesh. So it was a blast to coach them. I'm incredibly proud of them."
"Even though it ended early, I think we got what we were looking for in terms of that experience for our young players to go through and learn from," Karmanos said. "They're gonna process that over the course of the offseason. Our young players are, fortunately, very driven, but I think it's an added push for them. It's an added incentive, something tangible they have experienced now that helps them push even harder. ... We're trying to get this organization to an elite level with the top teams in the NHL. And really it starts with your young players and their approach."
Karmanos was particularly pleased at 10 games of playoff experience for wingers JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn, the Sabres' top two prospects.
"We have high hopes for both of them to be top players in the league and, quite frankly, leaders for our organization," Karmanos said. "So to go through the playoffs to understand what it feels like to be keyed on and a focus of the other team trying to shut them down, that's a learning experience. The adversity helps them build that foundation even more."
Quinn earned AHL rookie of the year honors with 26 goals and 35 assists in 45 games but was held without a goal in the playoffs. Peterka had big numbers in the regular season (28-40-68 in 70 games) and postseason (7-5-12).
"They put themselves in a great position to graduate to the NHL possibly, but that's up to them," Karmanos said. "They've got to come to camp, they've got to go through this offseason, build strength, continue to grow. But they put themselves in really strong positions to possibly start in Buffalo."
"Getting in the last day was crazy, it was emotional and I thought it was deserved," Appert said. "I think this group earned the right to be in the playoffs with what we did and overcame this year. And then losing like that was gutting. ... When you're in three overtimes, whether it's a win or loss, it's going to happen quick. You just hate to be on the wrong side of it."
In other Amerks news:
• Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen revealed he suffered a hamstring injury when he was bowled over by Utica captain and Williamsville East/Canisius College product Ryan Schmelzer in the regular season finale April 29. Appert said the Amerks knew shortly thereafter it was going to be 4 to 6 weeks for Luukkonen to be able to play – and that moment could have been in Game 4 vs. Laval had Rochester survived the Game 3 marathon.
• Winger Arttu Ruotsalainen, who has denied rumors he had signed to play next season in Switzerland, wants to get another chance at the NHL this fall.
"I would like to be a part of the Buffalo Sabres. And that's my No. 1 goal," said Ruotsalainen, a restricted free agent whose eight playoff goals entered the weekend tops in the AHL.
Added Karmanos: "I think by the end of the year, it was very clear that he had taken a step. We absolutely want him back in the organization."
• Mattias Samuelsson and Appert agreed the defenseman's ankle injury suffered in Buffalo near the end of the season was improving but not to the point where he was close to playing for Rochester. Appert estimated it might have taken another week or two for Samuelsson to be ready. Samuelsson tried to practice in Laval, but the workout did not go well and was cut short.
"The medical staff and myself just never felt like I was healthy enough to play or to put myself in any harm's way or anything," Samuelsson said. "It was a day-to-day thing but progressed really slowly. (In Buffalo) I just numbed it every day and battled through."
• Captain Michael Mersch and winger Linus Weissbach suffered from concussions in the playoffs. Mersch was likely to return to the lineup if there were a Game 4 against Laval while Weissbach, who was knocked out in Game 1 of the opening series against Belleville, was still not close to returning. Weissbach had 16 goals and 21 assists in 67 games for the Amerks in his first pro campaign.
