Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres practiced on Wednesday for the first time since Jarmo Kekalainen took over as general manager. It was also the first time we had a chance to speak with head coach Lindy Ruff and the leadership group in the locker room on the firing of Kevyn Adams on Monday.
Ruff hired Adams as a skills coach and as an assistant coach the first time he coached the team. Needless to say, he’s saddened that it has all come to this, but knows it’s a part of this business.
"I felt sad. I felt like I let my GM down, that I didn’t get the job done," said Ruff following practice.
"I can just tell you right now that Kevyn and I had a great relationship. We spent a lot of time together, talking about our players and where we were at and where we needed to go."
Ruff didn’t know Kekalainen until he became a senior advisor with the Sabres this past offseason.
"He was another voice of reason, and a guy Kevyn and I discussed a lot of things with," Ruff said. "You had this set of eyes from the outside that didn’t have a history with a lot of the players, but with what he saw inside the game.
"He spent almost every day with us in the coach’s office, and I feel we got to know him really well."
Ruff knows his job is to win hockey games, and his new boss told him to, "Keep doing what you’re doing."
Sabres owner Terry Pegula was at practice with his daughter, Laura, on Wednesday. Ruff says Pegula never discussed the move with him before it was done. He added there was no talk about his job status in Buffalo.
While Ruff doesn’t make the trades, he always had input about players being considered both with Adams and years ago with Darcy Regier. Ruff says that won’t change.
"I think nobody has the market cornered on hockey IQ. Kevyn and I and Jarmo and the staff had conversations on a lot of different players," he said.
Meanwhile, Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin is looking forward to moving things forward.
"I’m excited. Turning a new page and looking forward to the future," said Dahlin following Wednesday's practice. "I’m excited that he’s raising the standards, because we’ve lost games we should’ve won, and we’ve beaten the best teams in the league. We know we can be a really good team, and it’s about the standards every single day, and him coming in and raising that is huge for us."
Dahlin says it’s all about winning, and he said Kekalainen told the players that this team has nothing to do with what’s happened in the past. Dahlin also said Kekalainen told them they have a lot of potential, and a lot of good things can happen in there and he believes in them.
Dahlin places the blame for this season on the players in the locker room.
"Our job is to get better every day and find a way to win hockey games," the captain said. "A general manager can only do so much, but it’s up to the guys in this room to win hockey games. We haven’t done that, so we have to be better."
Sabres winger Alex Tuch admits it's been a tough couple of days.
"It’s something we don’t take lightly, and it’s on us. We’re a big reason why a man lost his job," said Tuch on Wednesday after practice. "We weren’t getting the results that needed to happen, and we feel terrible about that. We need to be better in this locker room."
Tuch says he had a good relationship with Adams.
"Kevyn was an awesome person. I owe him a lot," he said. "He brought me into this organization, and I’ll always be grateful to him."
Tuch is happy that Kekalainen is driving home the point that it’s character first in the dressing room.
As we all know, contract talks between the team and Tuch’s agents had been put on hold. Even though there’s a new general manager in Buffalo, Tuch will let his agents take care of business off the ice.
"It’s just who my agents are talking to, I guess," Tuch said. "And if I’m not mistaken, I think Jarmo was in on some of the negotiations. He’s familiar with what was going on. But I’m just going to let my agent handle it, and I just stay out of it and worry about playing hockey."
Tuch adds it means a lot that Kekalainen mentioned to the media that he wants to re-sign him.
Looking back, Tage Thompson feels he owes Adams a lot. He was the one that inked him to a seven-year, $50 million contract in Buffalo.
"I think everyone in here would say he’s a tremendous human being, and cares about everyone in this room," said Thompson after practice. "Gave me a nice contract and was a big believer in my game when it wasn’t at a place where I am now.
"He gave me an opportunity to prove myself, and I’m very appreciative of that."
Thompson would also love to see Tuch back in the fold with a new long-term deal.
"He’s a big piece to our team," Thompson said. "I think getting him locked down would be big for the locker room, and big for the guys just knowing that he’s sticking around."
Kekalainen has been a general manager in the NHL for 11 years, and Thompson loves the fact he brings that kind of experience to the team.
"He’s got a great track record. A lot of experience, and he’s had success," he said. "I think that should instill a lot of belief that he can get the job done here too."
Michael Kesselring was back at practice for the first time on Wednesday, and he told Ruff he’ll be good to go on Thursday when they host the Philadelphia Flyers.
Both Josh Norris and Tuch missed time on the road trip due to illness, and Peyton Krebs missed practice on Wednesday with it too.
"I got two calls yesterday on different players that were sick, and we’ve got this sickness that’s been running through us," Ruff noted. "We’re just hoping he can get through this. We had a couple that were in practice today that are starting to feel it, but wanted to practice."
Jason Zucker has been out of the lineup with two injuries. Ruff says in a conversation with him, he’s looking at a post-Christmas return to the lineup.
In other injury news, goalie Colten Ellis is still in concussion protocol and will be evaluated again on Friday.
In addition, forward Justin Danforth has missed most of the season with, what Ruff revealed Wednesday as, a broken kneecap.
WEDNESDAY LINES:
Forwards:
Ostlund - Norris - Tuch
Benson - McLeod - Quinn
Greenway - Dunne - Malenstyn
Kozak - Thompson - Doan
Defense:
Byram - Timmins
Dahlin - Samuelsson
Power - Kesselring
Bryson - Metsa
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