Montreal, Quebec (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres are right in the middle of their five-game road trip with a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at the Bell Centre. Buffalo is looking up at the Canadiens in the standings, four points behind Montreal for the third spot in the Atlantic Division.
Following the team’s morning skate, the conversation centered around Josh Doan, who signed a new seven-year contract extension with the team on Wednesday worth $6.95 million per-year.
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Doan is in his first year with the Sabres organization after being acquired from the Utah Mammoth this past offseason, along with defenseman Michael Kesselring in exchange for winger JJ Peterka. The 23-year-old has 15 goals and 20 assists, good for 35 points in 49 games played.
The winger was all smiles when asked about his new long-term deal with the team.
"It's a huge honor that they put the trust in me to sign a deal long-term like that," said Doan on Thursday. "It’s a testament to their faith in this group, and in me that we’re building something for the future here and it’s a huge honor to be a part of that."
The young forward felt there was something special about the group of players in Buffalo when he arrived this past offseason.
"You could feel the energy in this group," Doan said. "There’s an amazing group of guys here, and that’s something that I like to feed off of, is having fun at the rink.
"I've been given an unbelievable opportunity here to grow as a player and a person and I think it just meshed well that myself and this group kind of came together, and we’ve got something going right now."
That was evident when Doan went to center ice late in the morning skate and led the team stretch. His teammates saluted him with stick taps and applause before the group ended their pregame skate.
"It was something I didn’t know was coming, and one of those moments where it’s pretty cool and exciting that they’d do something like that," Doan added.
Doan was skating on a line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch at the morning skate.
Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen was very direct and to the point when asked about Doan being the first contract extension given out since taking over for Kevyn Adams last month.
"Why wait? When you have a good one, you feel like he should be locked up," said Kekalainen after the morning skate. "As I said early in my first press conference, we evaluate a lot more than just the points and what they do on the ice, but also what their character is like on and off the ice.
Kekalainen already feels that Doan is a great teammate in the Buffalo locker room.
"He sets a good example for our group, the way he works everyday. Those are the type of guys that you want to get locked up as quickly as possible," he noted.
Doan scored a power play goal in the Sabres' 5-3 victory against Montreal in Buffalo last week. He also assisted on the game-winning goal for his ninth multi-point game of the season.
Most people know Doan comes from a hockey family, as his father Shane played 21 seasons in the NHL between the original Winnipeg Jets and Arizona Coyotes franchise. His No. 19 was retired by Arizona before the team moved to Utah.
He currently serves as a special assistant to the general manager with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and is part owner of the Kamloops Blazers in the Western Hockey League.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff also coached Shane Doan in international competition for Team Canada. He believes that growing up around the game has helped Josh in his career.
"He comes from a great family, and I think he was brought up playing hockey the right way," said Ruff following the morning skate. "You’ve seen his play and how well he’s played for us."
Ruff also believes Josh Doan has great character, and tries to work hard and get better every day.
"I think we’ve seen what he’s done on the ice, I think his work speaks for itself," Ruff said. "He’s on the puck, he plays the game the right way, and he’ll be an important piece of this team for a long time."
Doan logged nearly 17 minutes of ice-time in last week’s meeting with the Canadiens back at KeyBank Center.
As for the game Thursday, Kesselring is a game-time decision, according to Ruff.
Meanwhile, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was in the starter’s goal and is expected to get the call for the Sabres.
Pregame coverage on WGR Sports Radio 550 starts at 6 p.m., where you will hear from Doan, Kekalainen, and Ruff
I will check in with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog from the Bell Centre, while Paul Hamilton will also join the show for his thoughts on the contract extension and Thursday's contest.