Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The 2023-24 NHL season is upon us, as the Buffalo Sabres opened training camp on Thursday at KeyBank Center in Downtown Buffalo.
The Sabres seem as focused and dialed in for the upcoming season as ever before, as the team is looking to finally snap out of a playoff drought that reached a record 12 seasons back in April.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams spoke very highly of his group ahead of Thursday's opening practice of training camp. He put an emphasis on the team's expectations for the 2023-24 season, as well as what the rest of the league is expecting.
"We have to embrace expectations. I look at pressure as a privilege, and these guys, with the work they've done, have put themselves in a position based on how we played last season and where we ended up, looking at the standings all summer and seeing one point," said Adams with the media on Thursday. "Our expectation, of course, is there, but our expectation is to win the Stanley Cup. Period."
The Sabres came very close to making the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past year, only missing the cut by a single point. Adams feels the returning players, as well as some of the new faces in the group, are all hungry to get the season started.
"I'm excited about our team. I really believe in the group in that room," Adams said. "I believe last year was critically important for us as we matured down the stretch. I truly believe we're just scratching the surface, in terms of the team that we can be. There's extremely high expectations within our walls, and that's the way it should be. That's what I talked to the team about [Wednesday]. Continuity is important. We have the majority of the group, similar from a staffing perspective the same way. Our guys are ready, they're excited."
Some of the excitement surrounding this Sabres team is because of the young talented players coming through the system.
One of those players, in particular, Adams has a lot of confidence in this upcoming season is rookie goaltender Devon Levi.
"I know it's a short sample, but I think what he showed is that maturity. No stage is too big for him," Adams said of the 21-year-old netminder. "He's prepared. Just because he's whatever he is in age doesn't mean he hasn't put a tremendous amount of work on and off the ice to put himself in a position where he's a little bit more mature."
Hear more from Adams' availability with the media on Thursday in the player:
