Eichel’s comments, Pegula’s patience, Savoie trade, next captain and more: Sabres mailbag, part 1
Is Rasmus Dahlin being named captain a foregone conclusion?
www.nytimes.com
The Buffalo Sabres will take the ice on Wednesday for their first practice of rookie camp in what is the unofficial start of hockey season in Western New York. Veteran training camp starts on Sept. 18, the preseason will follow shortly after that and then the team will take off for Germany on Sept. 24 to begin preparation for the Global Series games in Prague to start this season.
And naturally, there are plenty of questions Sabres fans have about this team as it tries to put an end to a league-record playoff drought. We’re going to break this mailbag up into two parts because there were so many strong questions. Let’s jump in. (Some questions have been lightly edited for style and clarity.)
There is a lot of frustration with what seems to be an internal salary cap. So, as painful as this likely is, how did we get here with this ownership group? I remember Terry Pegula saying there is no limit on the money the organization will spend to winning a championship to now the team having $8.5 million in cap space in a “win-now” time. — Sean M.
The pandemic clearly had an impact. That’s when Terry Pegula’s message changed and he said he wanted the team to be “effective, efficient and economic.” At that time, Pegula hired Kevyn Adams as general manager without conducting a search. They haven’t crossed the first hurdle to become effective and arguably haven’t been all that efficient, either, in the four seasons since. Around that time, Tim Graham reported that the Sabres were operating at a $40 million to $60 million loss. Attendance has been a problem since then, and the Sabres have a total of three home playoff games since Pegula bought the team. That’s a lot of missed opportunity for revenue.
In the last four seasons, the Sabres haven’t spent close to the cap. In a league in which the cap has been frozen and general managers have done everything they can to squeeze every dollar afforded to them, the Sabres have been sitting on cap space, the league’s most crucial asset. They didn’t use much of that space to take on bad contracts from other teams and collect assets. They didn’t use the space to insulate their young core with short-term contracts. Even this offseason, when the message was that the Sabres were in “win-now” mode, the team still has $8.5 million in space after buying out the contract of Jeff Skinner. When asked about spending in the past, Adams routinely says Pegula provides them with every resource to build a competitive team. But if that’s the case, why has so much cap space gone unspent?
To the best of your ability, and given whatever awareness you may have of Pegula’s mindset, what do you think the patience/tolerance level of ownership is at the moment? More specifically, if the Sabres stumble out of the gate and are treading water at the .500 mark by the end of October or November, will we see Adams get fired or at least pressured to make changes to right the ship rather than preaching patience? — Torsten S.
With Adams entering his fifth season as general manager without a playoff appearance, logic would suggest that he is under pressure to get results this season. But it’s tough to get a read on Pegula considering he hasn’t spoken publicly about the hockey team since 2020. I’m not convinced Adams’ job is on the line unless things really go sideways. Pegula hired Adams without a search in 2020, extended his contract after two non-playoff years and let him hire another coach. Pegula has shown a lot of patience with Adams and may be willing to give this long-term rebuild another two years.
The Lindy Ruff hire is an interesting piece to this, too. Pegula will want to see that situation through. Firing Ruff the first time wasn’t an easy decision for Pegula. He’s going to give this every chance to work, and Ruff already seems like he’ll have a lot of influence on the ice and in roster decisions. But you’d have to think Pegula will run out of patience at some point if the results aren’t there.
He does have a lot going on, though. Kim Pegula’s medical situation has added a lot of stress to Terry’s life. In addition to the added stress and heartache that has undoubtedly caused at home, it’s also left Pegula as the one who is running both of the teams without Kim’s help. That’s at a time when the Bills are building a new stadium and the Sabres are undergoing arena renovations. All of that to say, it’s tough to get inside his head, particularly when it comes to the hockey team, because he’s not around the rink as often as he is the football field. His patience with Adams could run out at any time, but I don’t sense that’s imminent.
Will Sabres regret trading Matt Savoie? I believe yes. — Evan J.
Buffalo sports fans are conditioned to fear regretting a trade. Sabres fans had to watch Ryan O’Reilly, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart all separately win the Stanley Cup after being part of blockbuster trades. The Bills traded the pick that became Patrick Mahomes and more recently traded the pick that became Mahomes’ speedy new target, Xavier Worthy, who had two touchdowns in Kansas City’s season opener. So the instinct to wonder about regretting a trade is rooted in those experiences.
The Sabres very well could regret the Matt Savoie trade. He was a point-producing machine in the WHL and is going to an organization in Edmonton that has a ton of offensive talent in the lineup. It’s a strong opportunity for Savoie, who seems at his best when surrounded by top-end players.
But I liked the trade for a few reasons. One is that Ryan McLeod was a necessary addition to this forward group. His speed and proven track record defensively are elements the Sabres needed in the middle six of their lineup. He’s still young, too. Buffalo needed to move a prospect or two at some point. The longer Savoie went without playing in the NHL, the more the Sabres risked his value deteriorating on the trade market. He was a top-10 pick, so there’s always a chance he becomes a star. But I didn’t see an obvious role for him on this team in 2023-24. Buffalo has other prospects who had passed him on the organizational depth chart, too.
Do you think it’s still possible the Sabres can make a “big trade” for a top-six forward to fill that Skinner spot? They still have the cap space, and there’s plenty of pieces in terms of prospects. Who do you think would be an ideal player to target? — Jeff G.
It’s still possible for the Sabres to make a trade for a top-six forward, whether it’s now or during the season. The prime window to make that type of move is during the summer months, but that doesn’t mean the Sabres can’t make a meaningful addition to their roster. Last season, there was only one NHL trade in September and two trades in October. The first significant trade of the season came when the Canucks acquired Nikita Zadorov at the end of November.
As far as targets, I still go back to Jets winger Nikolajj Ehlers. He’s in the final season of his contract and Winnipeg has to decide whether to extend him or move him to recoup some value. He has the speed and transition game to be a fit with what the Sabres are looking for. He also has top-line upside and could push players such as JJ Peterka, Jason Zucker and Zach Benson into more comfortable roles down the lineup. Ehlers is also 28, so there’s plenty of game left in him. The Sabres have the assets and cap space to acquire a player such as Ehlers. His next contract could push his cap hit north of $6 million, but that’s not a major problem either. His 10-team no-trade list could be an obstacle, though. Winnipeg is a team to watch regardless, because the Jets have other expiring contracts and could look for some younger assets, depending on how the first half of the season goes for them.
Is Rasmus Dahlin being named captain a foregone conclusion? — Matthew N.
It feels that way to me. I know there are some in the fan base who think Alex Tuch should be the captain, and he’d be a fine choice. But Rasmus Dahlin is the player who sets the tone for the Sabres in practice and games with his competitiveness. When your best player is also your most competitive player, that’s usually a good sign that you have your captain.
The last few seasons, Dahlin has often been the first one sticking up for himself and teammates on the ice. He also frequently hosted team parties last season, let Zach Benson stay in his house and organized a group workout in Europe this offseason. Adams ropes him into conversations about the team. I’ll be stunned if he’s not the choice for captain. Toward the end of last season, Tuch and I were talking after a game and he made an offhand reference to Dahlin and referred to him as the team’s likely next captain. I don’t think Tuch would in any way be put off by Dahlin getting that title. But I do think Tuch is the logical choice to have an “A” on his jersey. The more interesting conversation might be who gets the other “A.” Tage Thompson makes a lot of sense, but I could also see Dylan Cozens growing into a leadership role this season.
It would be nice if the talk of “win now” matched the walk of “win now” because Adams is still following “effective, efficient, economic.” — Joe. L
Jack Eichel spoke at NHL media days this week and a reporter asked him what it’s like to play for a team like the Golden Knights, who have an ownership and management group that has shown a willingness to make bold moves to maximize the chances of a championship every season.
“I think that’s the place you want to be,” Eichel said. “I went from one polar opposite to the other. It was almost like in Buffalo for a few years we were always working toward the future, right? It was never about right now. I understand that situation. It was about getting draft picks, developing them and working toward what we could be a year, two years, whatever it might be from now. But at the same time, when you’re in the situation and you’re the player representing the team every on the ice it’s like, ‘I want to win. I want to be competitive now.’ To be able to play in a place where the goal and the standard every season is to be the last team, it’s the best. It’s what you want as a player.”
Adams is saying the Sabres are in “win-now” mode, but compare the team’s actions to the other extreme in the Golden Knights and the aggressive moves they made before the trade deadline. Granted, Vegas paid the price for pushing the salary cap by losing more free agents than it added this summer. But the point is, the Golden Knights have been one of the most aggressive franchises in the league since they entered it. Think what you want about Eichel, but his comment reflects the way a lot of the top players in the league feel. Players want to win. Vegas has some tax and lifestyle advantages that other markets don’t have, but ultimately that reputation as a team that is going all-in to win right now is a major boost to their ability to attract and retain talent. When was the last time Buffalo could call itself a place where the goal and standard every season is to be the last team standing?
