Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams joined Brayton Wilson during the intermission of Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Devils at the Sabres Prospects Challenge.
Among the number of topics discussed on Saturday, Adams talked about the one restricted free agent that still needs to be signed this offseason. Peyton Krebs got a qualifying offer from the Sabres, but didn’t sign it.
"We’ll see how the next couple of days go, and I’d like to give it a few more days before I address it," said Adams on WGR. "But these things take time sometimes. It’s a process but, we’ll see where we are in 48 hours."
As for the Sabres prospects, who are playing this weekend, Buffalo is 1-1-0, but really dominated the play in both games.
"Obviously there’s a lot of talent on the ice," Adams said. "We have skill, and everybody knows that in the hockey world. But I like how hard our guys are competing. Second effort, hard on pucks, winning puck battles.
"We’ve talked to our young players in the past couple of weeks about our identity, and how we want to be hard to play against. Skill is great, but we have to have work first, and I think these guys have really bought into that, because when you work and compete, then your skill comes out and you get rewarded."
Once the Sabres Prospects Challenge is over, training camp begins for the team on Wednesday. Adams feels this can be a good springboard for some of the players.
"Lindy and I addressed the rookies a couple of days ago and told them, especially with this unique training camp and us going to Europe very quickly, these games right here are their opportunity to show they’re ready to make a push. They’re doing that, because their job is to make our job hard."
With that being said, Adams says he’s still going to be careful not to put young players in situations they may not be ready for yet.
"I’m a big believer that you don’t want to force young guys in, but when they kick the door open, you find a way to get them in," he said.
Zach Benson was a prime example of that last season, making the team as a just drafted 18-year-old.
Konsta Helenius has played two games so far in this tournament, and has one point in Saturday's loss to the Devils. He has played pretty well throughout, as he’s tried to navigate his first two games playing North American hockey.
"I’m extremely impressed. This is not easy to play in," Adams said of his 2024 first-round pick. "This is intense, fast, a lot of physicality, guys are amped up. They’re running around, and he’s an 18-year-old kid. He’s got such a great situational awareness, as he knows where everybody is on the ice. He’s got good poise with the puck, he can roll off of hits, and he got hit in his first shift [Friday] night, and he got mad and went right back at the guy.
"He’s also really strong on his skates, so this is a great introduction for him on a smaller ice surface, where things are happening fast out there. He’s going to be a really good player for us."
The Sabres don’t have a captain since they traded Kyle Okposo to the Florida Panthers last March. Lindy Ruff is still in the process of getting to know the players, so it won’t be done as soon as camp opens.
"We’ve talked at length about it as a staff, and Lindy said right away that he wants to get to know the guys. And he spent a lot of time in the summer, whether in person or on the phone," Adams said. "But it is our plan. I think we’re on the same page as to when, but it’ll probably be a little bit into training camp before we do that."
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played 54 games last season and established himself as the Sabres' No. 1 goalie.
Devon Levi went down to Rochester and improved his game by leaps and bounds last season. So what do you do with the 22-year-old Levi this year?
"With the way the league is now, you need two, sometimes three goaltenders that can help you win hockey games," Adams said. "We went into the offseason knowing we really liked our goalies with UPL and Devon, but we needed to make sure we had a quality NHL goalie. We went out and got [James] Reimer, so we’re going to see how camp unfolds and we’re open to either situation and just let it unfold and play itself out.
"What I like is we have depth at that position, and we have talent. That’s what’s most important."
Two young drafted goalies are playing in the Sabres Prospects Challenge.
Scott Ratzlaff is 19-years-old and was taken by the Sabres in the fifth-round of the 2023 NHL Draft. He allowed one goal on 21 shots in the 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Ryerson Leenders just turned 18 in June, and he allowed three goals on 14 shots in a loss to the Devils. He was the Sabres' seventh-round pick this past June.
With the Sabres leaving for Germany on Sept. 24, Ruff will only have three real days of training camp in Buffalo. Adams says that makes things a little more different than usual.
"It’s going to happen fast, and I think you’ll see on Day 1, even our practice will be a little different," he said. "It won’t be guys mixing in as much, it’ll be pretty close to the team. And then a couple of practices and a scrimmage, and you’ll see more of our team together in those first two games. We don’t have a lot of chances other than that, so we do take 27 players to Europe. You don’t have a 27-man roster, but you have extra guys with you, so we’ll have to - probably by the second exhibition game - make our decision on what that 27 group is going to be."
Adams says having things happen this way isn’t a negative.
"In some ways, it’s a good thing, because it gets you to your team. You can go right with your guys," Adams noted. "In terms of being in Europe, I’m really excited. I think it’s a great team-bonding opportunity. I think our guys get to spend that time together, have some fun together off the ice, so it’s be a great trip for us."
The Sabres close out the 2024 Sabres Prospects Challenge on Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Join Pat Malacaro and myself at 5 p.m. ET for coverage on The Bet 1520.
