Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Following Day 3 of Sabres Development Camp and a couple of days into the new league year and NHL Free Agency, general manager Kevyn Adams spoke with the media about defenseman Bo Byram and the early action of the offseason.
Offer sheets are not used all that often in the NHL, but there have been reports out there that there’s a possibility that Byram could get an offer sheet.
Depending on who you have on the Sabres roster, Buffalo has just under $12 million is salary cap room, and Adams says they’ve done that because of the threat of an offer sheet. Adams acknowledged he is prepared to match any offer sheet that comes Buffalo's way.
"That’s why the moves we’ve made and the position we’ve put ourselves in, from a cap perspective, has been strategic," said Adams on Wednesday.
"If you leave just enough room in your cap, where you maybe see a projection on a one-year deal, and then someone comes over the top, you’re potentially putting your organization in a really tough spot. So the moves and decisions we’ve made for weeks now leading up to this point is with that in mind. We’ll be matching and have the opportunity to have the player under contract that we think helps us win."
As far as if they’re any closer to resolving things with Byram, Adams continues to say there's conversations happening with Byram's agent.
"Nothing has changed in the sense that we believe that Bo’s an excellent hockey player that can help our team win," he reiterated. "I’ve maintained the same position that if there’s a deal out there that makes sense for us, that we think is going to improve our roster, we’re open to it. But if there’s not, we’re not in a situation where we’re looking to move him out, or we’re looking to move him for futures. So for me, we want to help our team win hockey games and he does that."
With free agency commencing on Tuesday, Adams signed goalie Alex Lyon to pair with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in goal. He says it’s all about competition in goal.
"He’s a proven goaltender in this league. I think he’s a really good veteran and checks the box of veteran presence, high character guy," Adams said of the 32-year-old. "He’s proven in the league and played well in his time in the National Hockey League, and he’s going to challenge and push. We think he helps us win hockey games."
There’s no question the Sabres still have holes in their top-six group at forward, but they are also better in other areas that were needed. Adams says that was by design.
"Based on the decision we made on JJ [Peterka], you know you’re moving a talented top-six forward out, but you’re improving your team in other ways. "By getting 6-foot-5 right-shot mobile defenseman, a guy that I’ve been chasing for a couple of years, it was critical to cleaning up our D-core and how we’re going to play," Adams noted. "And then getting Josh Doan, who is powerful and strong, plays both sides of the puck, we think he’s going to keep getting better-and-better. So you’re improving your team in a different way.
"I like skill, of course you want that, but where we decided to focus our attention on and spend the dollars in different ways was to be more competitive, harder to play against, better defensively. That’s why we’ve made the decisions we’ve made."
There’s been a lot of hand wringing on why the Sabres didn’t qualify defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker. The Ottawa Senators wanted defenseman Dennis Gilbert as part of the Dylan Cozens/Josh Norris trade, so the Sabres wanted a defenseman back and got Bernard-Docker. That part of the trade had nothing to do with the second-round pick Buffalo sent as part of the overall deal.
Bernard-Docker ended up signing as an unrestricted free agent on a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings for $875,000.
"From our perspective, where his projected salary was going to come out and where we had him slotted in the eighth spot with the moves we made, over the last few days before that, we just felt that didn’t make sense, in terms of having Ryan Johnson and signing [Zac] Jones and [Jack] Rathbone," Adams explained. "That’s not counting younger guys that you never know exactly where they’ll be. That’s why we made the decision."
Adams is well aware that to win the fans back, it has to be more than talk.
"We have to win hockey games. I can stand up here and I can lay out our plan and I can tell you exactly why we’ve made the decisions we’ve made. I can tell you why I think we’ve done a good job, in terms of putting ourselves in a strategic position when it comes to the Byram situation. But ultimately, we have to win games starting in October," Adams acknowledged. "If we win hockey games and we earn the respect around the league, people won’t say things."
The Sabres can talk contract extensions with forward Alex Tuch and defenseman Michael Kesselring since we’re past July 1, and Adams says those negotiations have already begun.
"There’s not a pressure point like there is in other situations, but I did sit down with [Tuch's] agent recently and just explained how we feel about Alex. That will be ongoing, but there’s not the pressure point of other decisions," Adams said.
Jones was signed away from the New York Rangers. He only played 46 games and was scratched for most of the others. Jones will be 25 just after the season starts.
"We just think he’s a good hockey player. Didn’t expect a guy like that to be on the market," Adams said. "He’s a talented player, so I think he could play different roles. I think he’s going to come in and push, so we’ll have competition."
Even though the Sabres traded away a top-six forward and didn’t bring one in, meaning they only have four top-six forwards, it sounds like Adams is pretty much finished with roster construction, pending what he does with Byram.
"We like where our group’s at, in terms of where the roster sits today. But we’ll always look to get better if there’s something that makes sense," he said. "We’ve done a good job, in terms of reshaping the look of our D, and I think that’s something that’s important. We’ve brought veteran guys in that are going to help us defensively and are hard to play against. We’ve brought in some character guys. So I think as it sits today, we like where our lineup is. But if there are areas anywhere, forward or D, to make a move that we think is good, we’ll do it."
The Sabres also signed a guy like the Rangers have in Matt Rempe in Mason Geertsen.
Greetsen is nothing more than a big and strong fighter. He’s 30-years-old and has only played 25 NHL games. Those games came with Lindy Ruff in New Jersey with the Devils, where he had no points and 77 penalties minutes.
"We needed it," Adams felt. "I just think it’s a unique skill set, and he brings it. He’s proven it, and Lindy coached him in New Jersey. That’s helpful as well to know the type of guy you’re getting into the organization."
The Sabres will wrap up the development camp on Thursday morning with their annual 3-on-3 tournament. Things get underway at Harborcenter starting at 9:30 a.m.