Someone in the Buffalo Sabers locker room will be named team captain a year after the title was stripped from Jack Eichel before his final training camp as a member of the organization.
Sabers general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters ahead of the opening of training camp practices Thursday that a leadership group, including the team captain, will be announced closer to the opening of the season. regular season on October 13.
Kyle Okposo is expected to be the next captain after a season in which, along with Zemgus Girgensons, he guided the Sabers through a culture shift that fostered camaraderie, inclusion and brotherhood on and off the ice. Okposo, 34, a 15-year NHL veteran, has been alternate captain in each of Buffalo’s last five seasons. And despite the added responsibility last season, Okposo had his best performance as a Saber with 21 goals.
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Girgensons, Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch are obvious candidates to join the leadership group as alternate captains alongside Okposo. But the Sabers don’t want a hierarchy where only a few voices are heard. Coach Don Granato and his staff, along with Okposo and Girgensons, have created an environment that empowers others to take on leadership roles, regardless of experience.
“We have great leadership,” Granato said. “I’m just going to highlight our oldest three, I think our three oldest guys, are Girgensons, Okposo and Craig Anderson. And they do a terrific job. They have this presence. And they’re there, obviously, as competitors, but they really care about helping other guys achieve more. They’re not worried that this guy could replace me. Which is very rare. Whether it’s an unconscious thought or a subconscious thought. Sometimes it’s hard for older players to really, really help a guy who could replace them or take away ice time. And these three guys there, they love it.
Buffalo Sabers player Kyle Okposo looks for success during day one of training camp at KeyBank Center on Thursday, September 22, 2022.
Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
Adams and Granato revealed the pair have spoken “abundantly” about the captaincy in recent months. Okposo and Girgensons are considered the undisputed leaders of the team. But there is a large group behind them helping their teammates with words and actions.
Dahlin, 22, became an alternate captain in his fourth NHL season and thrived with responsibility, posting career highs in goals (13), points (53) and average time on the ice ( 24:01) as the club’s best defender.
Tuch, 26, endeared himself to fans when he arrived last November by expressing his passion for the franchise dating back to his childhood in Baldwinsville, and quickly won over his teammates with his play on the ice and the speed with which he acclimatized. to the group. Thompson, 24, was rewarded with a $50 million contract extension after his 38-goal season and emerged as a calming influence with his voice off the bench and in the locker room.
Behind this group, the Sabers have several young players with leadership qualities, including Dylan Cozens, Casey Mittelstadt, Peyton Krebs and Mattias Samuelsson.
Dahlin’s balance off the ice has progressed at the same rapid rate as his game on the Sabers blue line.
Thompson was pushed by his teammates midway through the post-workout stretch as another subtle celebration of the centre’s contract extension. Thompson was rewarded with the biggest contract granted by Adams after his outstanding season after switching positions in training camp last fall.
“It’s awesome,” Thompson said. “Obviously, it’s a huge leap of faith on the part of the organization and the management. I’ve said many times that this is a place I want to be for a long time, so I’m excited. Obviously I have a lot of work to do and I’m just trying to get better every day.
The NHL recently ruled that Ben Bishop cannot work for the Dallas Stars’ development staff while under contract with the Buffalo Sabers, forcing the injured goaltender to wait until next season to join the Stars in a coaching role.
Adams, however, told reporters Thursday that he had no problem with the arrangement. At the time of the trade, which the Sabers entered into to get closer to the salary cap, Adams spoke to Stars general manager Jim Nill about Bishop’s health and his plans for the season. Bishop is $4.9 million over the Sabers’ cap, but most of his salary is being paid by insurance due to the career-ending knee injury after 11 NHL seasons.
“It’s something that I talked to Jim about early on in terms of where it was going and where (Bishop) was in his own health,” Adams said. “And you know why we made that decision this summer but no, not at all.”
“Kevyn’s leadership and vision over the past two seasons has proven invaluable, and I’m confident in his ability to continue moving us forward as an organization,” Sabers owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. a statement.
Sabers center Sean Malone, a West Seneca native, came out with an undisclosed injury early in camp and faces an undetermined schedule to return. Malone, 27, set career highs in goals (20) and points (37) at Rochester last season.
The Sabers are also still hopeless injured Matej Pekar, Olivier Nadeau, Josh Bloom and Zach Berzolla. Otherwise, the rest of the roster arrived healthy and took part in training.
Defender Spencer Sova was the only Prospects Challenge guest to earn a spot at Sabers training camp and Adams confirmed there was an opportunity for the 18-year-old to earn a contract. Sova, who spent last season with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, impressed in the prospect presentation with his skating, athleticism and blue-line play.
