Sabres downplay notion that Jack Eichel saga could be distraction

“The key for us now is they have clarity,” Adams said during his media availability Thursday in KeyBank Center.

Adams explained to his players where the Sabres and Eichel stood at the start of Don Granato’s first training camp as coach and addressed the decision to strip the 24-year-old of his captaincy. Adams learned through a 10-year NHL playing career that relationships forged in the dressing room can last a lifetime.

Mixed emotions from players would be natural given the situation and Eichel still has close friends on the team, including two experienced forwards who will be asked to fill the leadership void: Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo. Adams wanted all involved to understand why the Sabres and Eichel are at odds over his unwavering desire to undergo an artificial disk replacement. The talk was meant to inform and galvanize a team that owns a 10-year playoff drought.

It wasn’t an ideal first chapter to what Adams hopes will be a successful era for the franchise. Yet, all involved insist that the uncertainty surrounding Eichel’s future in Buffalo, and his unclear path to resuming his NHL career, won’t distract them from preparing for an 82-game season.

“We have a group in there that’s very hungry to play and it feels a lot like it did back when I was younger, even before I got into the league, where you go to practice and you sit after for 30 minutes and just shoot the breeze in the locker room,” said Okposo, a 33-year-old winger. “Everyone just wants to be around each other, and everyone wants to play and everybody wants to prove themselves and be better. You could feel that nervous energy in there today. It was great to see. It’s great to see that hunger and that fire in guys.

"There’s a lot of competition going into camp, and Kevyn’s introductory speech yesterday to us, which was private, he was extremely forward in telling us what was going on and it quelled any questions that anybody had. So, there’s no distractions anymore. It’s all out there internally in the organization. Nobody is really thinking about it. Everybody is moving forward.”

The ongoing stalemate has prevented the Sabres from turning the page on an era that many thought would include the franchise’s return to prominence.

Sam Reinhart, drafted second overall by Buffalo in 2014 following a 52-point season, was traded to the Florida Panthers in July after he notified the Sabres that he planned to leave as an unrestricted free agent next summer. Rasmus Ristolainen, a defenseman drafted eight overall in 2013, joined the Philadelphia Flyers after failing to reach the playoffs during his eight years with the Sabres. Linus Ullmark and Jake McCabe are also gone.

Twenty of the 57 players on the training camp roster are new to the organization, including 40-year-old goalie Craig Anderson. Most haven’t been around for the Sabres’ failures over the past decade, but the weight of the drought will be present. The club has finished at the bottom of the NHL in four of the past eight years, most recently a 31st-place finish in 2020-21 that featured a franchise-record 18-game winless streak and cost Ralph Krueger his job as coach.

Granato wanted to use the team meeting Wednesday to remind his players what level of focus will be needed. He didn’t deliver the sort of rah-rah speech that became commonplace during Krueger’s time as coach. Instead, Granato explained that successful teams don’t dwell on the past or look toward the future. The statement echoed Granato’s approach when he took over as coach last March following the 12th defeat of a record winless streak, and he remains firm in his belief that the Sabres have the right personalities to withstand these difficult circumstances.

“I don't think it's a distraction at all,” said Granato. “I mean, when you think of hockey players and athletes, you know, they hit predator mode kind of. You're just so engaged. The competition puts you in the moment, so you don't have time. …

“A lot of the stuff outside of that, it would be a distraction, absolutely. But I believe we also have the personal makeup in that room. That's why I'm excited to be back because you've got guys that are very driven. And a driven person is always in the moment and that other stuff doesn't affect them as much.”

There are no immediate plans to name a new captain. Adams and Granato don’t want to rush any young player into that role, which comes with immense responsibility on and off the ice. Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt need to focus all their time and energy into reaching their immense potential.

Okposo, Girgensons, Anderson, Colin Miller, Jeff Skinner and Will Butcher are some of the experienced players whom Granato will look to for leadership during camp and when the regular season begins Oct. 14. But the Sabres also want their younger cornerstones such as Dahlin to feel comfortable leading, either vocally or through actions.

Unlike previous seasons, when Eichel and Reinhart were thought to be ready to lead Buffalo to the playoffs, this version of the Sabres isn’t expected to compete for anything other than the No. 1 draft pick. Even management admitted that patience is necessary. Granato is tasked with developing the young core, which will receive reinforcements once Owen Power, Ryan Johnson and other top prospects are ready for the NHL.

Adams continues to prioritize players who want to be in Buffalo. Former Sabres captain Michael Peca, now an assistant coach for the Rochester Americans, gave an impassioned speech to players at the Prospects Challenge last week about what the club and city mean to him. At the conclusion of last season, Adams was floored when he heard that his young core told the media that they wanted to bring a winner to Buffalo.

While the goal is clear, the path ahead is not. But how the Sabres navigate the Eichel saga, on and off the ice, will influence the direction of the franchise.

“This is a mature group,” said Adams. “You look at guys like Okposo and you look at guys like Girgensons, and then Craig Anderson, who have been in this league and are respected in this league. There’s others that are more veterans. Then you look at certain players that took massive steps, not just on the ice, but in terms of the locker room and in terms of their voice. And that’s Dahlin, Mittelstadt and Cozens. And these are just really hungry players. And when you look in their eyes, you see we’re about moving forward. And that’s the message I have for them, they have for me, and Donnie will and the coaches will every day.”