Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – At the start of NHL Free Agency on Saturday, July 1, the Buffalo Sabres added defensemen Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton.
Sabres head coach Don Granato says they were the two defensemen he wanted to add this offseason.
"They will fit very well with us," said Granato following Thursday's 3-on-3 tournament at Sabres Development Camp. "But the biggest thing is they made a decision, and they had options. They made a decision to become a Buffalo Sabre, and that is significant. I was watching a lot of defensemen that had the potential of being available, and defensemen that were talked about being moved around the league. There were two that I really, really wanted, and it was these two guys."
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Granato spoke many times over the last two seasons how now retired goalie Craig Anderson fit the team from a leadership standpoint. He now feels the same way about Johnson.
"Erik will provide a lot of hockey knowledge, wisdom," Granato said. "Whether it being a first overall pick, dealing with expectations, recently winning a Stanley Cup.
"Erik can lend a lot to Rasmus Dahlin, and he can lend different things to Mattias Samuelsson, and then again different things to Owen Power.
As for Clifton, Granato points to his past history with the U.S.-born defenseman.
"He’s a team-first guy that has a physical edge. As a player on the other team, you know when Connor Clifton is on the ice. He’s effective in many other ways as well," Granato said.
One area where Granato feels these two defensemen can help is the penalty kill. The Sabres were near the bottom of the league last year, and to be a better team, that must improve.
"The penalty kill is a non-stresser for them. They know situational awareness, they know the reads, they just have a feel for those situations that occur on penalty kills," Granato said.
"They both have a physical presence, they’re both willing to block shots, and they’re good at it, meaning they influence and they dictate a lot."
It sounds like Granato may not be considering a top-four, instead going with the three left-shot defensemen - Dahlin, Power and Samuelsson - pairing with the three right-shooting blue liners - Johnson, Clifton and Henri Jokiharju.
It also sounds like there will be times that Johnson plays with all three left-shooting defensemen.
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As we already know, winger Jack Quinn is going to miss the start of the 2023-24 regular season due to an Achilles injury that required surgery last week. Granato doesn't seem too worried about his second-year winger.
"There’s an awful side to it that he’s not going to be able to play for awhile, but when you put it in the context of his age, Jack is going to find a way where he’s going to be watching the game from a different angle and adding to his skill set," Granato said.
"He’ll sit in meetings daily, he’ll have to watch from afar, and he’ll pick up things that you wouldn’t pick up if you were right in the fire. He’ll probably figure out how simple some things are where players tend to complicate what is simple, and he’ll mature through it."
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