The Buffalo Sabres have lost four games in a row out of the trade deadline, which has put the team from six points back of a playoff spot to 12.
Despite the struggles, Sabres general manager Jason Botterill has been impressed with the addition of forward Wayne Simmonds, who was acquired at the deadline from the New Jersey Devils for a conditional fifth round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Botterill stopped by (716) Food and Sport to chat with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog on Thursday and talked about Simmonds and other topics prior to Buffalo's matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins at KeyBank Center.
Here's some of the best from his time with the guys:
It was a disappointing road trip. We played well at times, but didn't get the results. We're not getting the results that we want. Nothing's changed from our perspective. Have to continue to look at the small picture... There was a lot more discussion this year because of where our team is at. Bigger things didn't materialize, but we've talked about adding to our forward group. Some of the discussions have been about players we've been trying to add for a while.
You have to be careful of that on July 1. I think Buffalo has always had a better opportunity to sign their players. That was a big reason we brought Wayne Simmonds in here right now. The physicality he brings on the forecheck. He's a player that likes to play in front of the net. In the locker room he's a personality.
Kyle Okposo has taken on a big role from a leadership perspective. Marcus Johansson has been almost like a Godfather for the Swedish player. And, of course, Jack Eichel is the captain.
We've worked hard over the last couple years improving our defense, we're comfortable with the defensemen here now. We still need to improve our depth up front.
You can listen to the entire interview with below: