Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams spoke with the media on Wednesday talking about a number of different topics pertaining to the team.
Perhaps the most noteworthy topic on Wednesday was Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen earning the right to be the Sabres' No. 1 goalie goingo forward, and getting more playing time in net.
With that being the case, the Sabres decided on Tuesday to loan rookie goalie Devon Levi to the Rochester Americans.
"It was a situation for Devon that maybe he was going to get in a game a week, and then we really aren’t going to have much practice time in December. This is all part of the process," said Adams on Wednesday. "We’re super excited about Devon and believe in him, and I just feel like this is an opportunity for him to get into a rhythm and get more sharpened up, even through some more structured practice reps."
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Before Levi left for Rochester, he met with Adams, head coach Don Granato and goaltending coach Mike Bales. Adams says it was very productive meeting.
"What I wanted him to hear is this is perfectly normal, and in this situation, this is the right thing to do," the Sabres general manager said. "He understood, he asked questions, and we told him we believe in him.
"He was good, he was positive, he asked questions, which is what you want. But I thought it was important for 'Balesy' to talk to him a little bit, and his message was great, about being present. When you have an opportunity to play in the American League, sometimes it’s a gift, because you can flip your mindset to focus on getting better.
"And then 'Donny' asked Devon, 'What’s your goal?' And, 'If your goal is to be a great goalie in the National Hockey League, then sometimes these are opportunities to work on your game and do that.'"
Meanwhile, Adams loves the fact that Luukkonen is earning the net, and all the work he’s put in over the past two seasons is showing up in his game.
Sabres winger Jordan Greenway has been away from the team on a personal matter. He did return to practice on Wednesday, but Adams says he still needs to meet with him to decide what’s next.
The IIHF World Junior Championship is coming up next month in Sweden, and Team Canada would love to have winger Zach Benson for the tournament. However, Adams admits he hasn’t made a decision on making him available for Canada just yet.
"I don’t want to close any doors. I want to monitor the situation, and we’re going to do what’s right for the Buffalo Sabres and Zach Benson first," he said. "If we thought it made sense to put him in that position; I’m a big believer in playing for your country, but I’m a big believer in doing what’s right for the Buffalo Sabres first."
Adams adds when the team was making the decision to keep him at the NHL level, they wanted to give him a chance to play some games healthy. He says the decision was more than just goals and assists.
"It’s where is he in the lineup? Where are his minutes? How is the coach using him? With all the information we have, it puts our team, and him, in the best position to keep him," Adams said.
On another note, Buffalo native Pat Kane has finally found a new home, signing with the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Adams admitted Wednesday the Sabres were interested in his services.
"He knew we were interested dating back to July 1, and I told [his agent] Pat Brisson that we’re very interested and keep us posted," Adams said.
"We did have a meeting with him - Pat, myself and 'Donny' and others were on the call - and he asked a lot of questions, and we asked him questions."
With the way the Sabres have played over the first 22 games of the season, it hasn’t gone well.
"You have to be flexible and able to react to that. But we’re a quarter of the way through the season now. This is not a few games in, but you don’t want to overreact. You don’t want to be emotional, but you also need to be looking at facts and be honest," Adams said. "I feel that our compete level hasn’t been good enough night-in and night-out to get consistent results, and I think that’s why we’re at .500. We need to, internally with the people we have here, raise our consistent compete, and then your talent comes out.
"It doesn’t just happen year-to-year. It’s not going to be that the majority of the team is back so we’ll be at that same level. It takes work."
It’s also the way the team thinks about how it needs to work.
"Sometimes it’s the order of operations, because the compete has to come first and then the talent comes out," Adams added.
On the injury front, Adams says center Tage Thompson had new imaging done and hopes he’s now on the shorter end for his return.
In addition, winger Jack Quinn is right on schedule with his recovery from an Achilles injury. Adams is still hoping for a return to the lineup for Quinn right around Jan. 1.
The Sabres will leave on Wednesday for St. Louis, where they will play the Blues on Thursday night. For the trip, the team has called up forward Brandon Biro from the Amerks, while assigning Jiri Kulich back to Rochester.
