Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - As the players reported for training camp on Wednesday in Downtown Buffalo, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams addressed a number of topics surrounding his team ahead of the 2025-26 season.
The first question on many people’s minds on Wednesday was what’s wrong with goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen? Last week, Adams signed veteran goalie Alexandar Georgiev as a free agent.
"He just started having some pain, and he was not able to push off, which is something he needs to do," explained Adams in his meeting with the assembled media. "We did imaging, and that’s clean. So he’s just trying to do some rehab and figure out how to get him over the hump. He’s in that day-to-day mode, it could be a little longer, but it’s encouraging in the last few days."
As far as signing a 29-year-old goalie who hasn’t played well at all in his last three seasons, going 53-44-9 with a 3.31 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage, Adams feels it's important to have internal competition, while protecting the team from potential depth issues at the position.
“This, for me, is an area where you have a goaltender in Georgiev that’s played over 300 games in this league (303), he’s played playoff hockey, he’s at a great age, he’s been around the league for awhile. That was where we thought he could come in and provide internal competition," Adams said.
When Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff was an assistant coach with the New York Rangers, Georgiev started his career there after the Rangers signed him as a free agent in July of 2017. The Russian netminder went 58-48-11 backing up Henrik Lundqvist and Igor Shesterkin.
The Rangers were a good team, especially defensively, so Georgiev had a goals-against average of 2.94 and a save percentage of .908.
“I had him when he was young, and he’s proven that he’s a good quality goaltender," said Ruff on Wednesday.
"I think he’s got something to prove. I had several long conversations with him before we got into bringing him into camp, and I think his head is in the right place. We needed protection, and he’ll give us that."
Adams says Luukkonen may not be on the ice come Thursday's opening practice of training camp at Harborcenter.
As for winger Jordan Greenway, he had a setback in his injury rehab. That forced him to have a second surgery in July. Despite that, Adams believes it’s still possible Greenway could be ready by opening night.
Meanwhile, winger Alex Tuch is nursing a minor injury and may miss a few days of camp.
The 29-year-old has been eligible for a contract extension since July 1. Adams has said three different times they told Tuch what he means to them, and that he’s a priority to get re-signed. Adams also says Tuch has told him that he wants to be back in Buffalo.
It seems like these extensions are taking longer and longer around the league. Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel are also both eligible for extensions with the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights, respectively, and haven’t gotten them yet.
"We’ve had good conversations with the Bartletts (Tuch’s agency) this summer, and these things take time," Adams said. "We’re going to work through it and it’s a priority for sure."
If this drags on, it could become a distraction as the season goes on.
"It’s a matter of working through something that makes sense for both sides," Adams said.
"I’m going to continue to talk to his agents in the coming days and have some meetings lined up, so I’m not going to put a deadline on it. But he knows he’s a priority, and we’ve just got to get it done."
Adams is entering his sixth season as general manager of the Sabres. During his tenure, the Sabres are 25th in the NHL, and are only better than the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets in the Eastern Conference.
The team this season will look to find some way to break out of its record 14-year playoff drought.
"I could stand up here all day and I could explain exactly why we’ve made moves, or what I’m excited about. And it really doesn’t matter. We need to win, and I’m fully aware of that," Adams acknowledged. "I’m excited about that, because I believe in this group."
Ruff also echoed that sentiment, keeping things relatively simple.
"Talk is cheap. Just win games," he said.
Adams says it’s OK for him and the players to talk about the playoff drought. He feels they need to raise their standard, and that’s been very clearly stressed to the players.
Ruff raised some eyebrows ahead of this season by bringing back the same coaching staff as last year.
"I wanted continuity. Second, I did explore the opportunity to try to improve the staff. I looked at last year, two new coaches coming in, myself and Seth Appert, and the continuity I want to carry from last year into this year, knowing that all of us have to be better," Ruff explained.
"Seth knows this group better, I know this group better. Marty [Wilford] is the guy that’s been involved with the defense, and there’s several areas where we can improve. I believe in this group, I do. We spend endless hours, and we’re going to continue to improve. Last year, it was not knowing the players. I really feel I have a better handle on these players. I will admit right now, I didn’t have a good enough handle on the players.
"I was optimistic where some guys would be last year, and I was wrong."
In New Jersey while coaching the Devils, Ruff had a retreat for the players at the end of training camp, and he’s going to do it again with the Sabres. Adams says there will be team bonding activities, as well as some honest conversations.
When JJ Peterka was traded to the Utah Mammoth this offseason, 27 goals went out the door with him.
Months ago, Adams was asked how to replace those goals and he spoke about Jack Quinn and Zach Benson. Those two combined for 25 goals last season, so I doubt they’re going to add 27 goals to those totals.
Last season, Buffalo was 10th in the NHL with 265 goals. That was just two fewer than the seventh place teams the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Blue Jackets.
"We’ve done a pretty good job, in terms of putting the puck in the net. To me, it’s less about who’s replacing the goals and more about how are we not giving up as many," Adams said.
I’ve always felt Adams has rushed prospects to the NHL, and it has cost him. I felt that ended with Jiri Kulich and Devon Levi, who have spent significant time in Rochester growing and improving.
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Now, with the next set of prospects on the way in Konsta Helenius, Noah Ostlund and Radim Mrtka, has his philosophy changed?
"I don’t know if it’s a change. When I look at other than Zach Benson and Owen Power, who was a No. 1 pick, every other prospect we’ve had has come up through Rochester," Adams said, though Dylan Cozens, Buffalo's first-round pick in 2019 didn't. "They told us when they were ready, so I don’t know if it’s a philosophy change. Where I think it’s different is I think we have better depth.
"We have competition at all positions. We have depth where the young players are going to need to take someone’s job. I really like the pipeline we have."
The Sabres were 29th in the league, allowing 287 goals last season. Only the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks were worse. Improving that is a must, and Ruff understands that.
"Our guys have had a good summer, it’s understanding what our team needs have to be," the Sabres head coach said. "It’s a little bit of structural work that we’ve done as a coaching staff on putting ourself in a better place. We look at some of the bodies we brought in, we’re going to have a healthy [Josh] Norris, the two defensemen [Michael Kesselring and Conor Timmins], [Justin] Danforth, [Josh] Doan and the 1-on-1 puck compete will help us in that area also."
Last season, Buffalo hardly had a training camp as they had to leave for Czechia to play the first two regular season games. Ruff never got a chance to know his players or install his ideas.
"The full camp is going to be real important, where we’re going to just stay in one place," he said.
The Sabres take the ice at Harborcenter at 9 a.m. on Thursday.