The Buffalo Sabres began their annual tradition of locker cleanout and individual player meetings on Friday in the wake of their 14th consecutive season outside of the playoffs. The common theme among the veteran leaders of the club was disappointment and dismay that a club with their talent could come up short, but the answers as to those questions will only be forthcoming from GM Kevyn Adams and head coach Lindy Ruff.
Here are some notes and quotes from some of the players:
Jason Zucker:
"I think ultimately we failed. We didn't accomplish our goals of getting into the playoffs.....and that's a big piece of what we need to take into the off-season. I think there are things that we can look positively and bring into next year, but I think we ultimately need to look at it as we weren't good enough."
Alex Tuch on signing a contract extension this summer:
“I haven't given it too much thought, honestly. I was really focused on this year. I had some goals in mind for this year, playing 82 games and trying to grow as a player every day, but I haven't given it too much thought. I think with the CBA that they cannot talk to my agent until July 1…. and when it comes to that, I'm hands off. I let my agent do all that. I love it here in Buffalo. I really enjoyed my time here, and I would like to win here in Buffalo."
Tuch also said he is not going to the World Championships to play for Team USA because his wife is due to have a child next month.
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Jordan Greenway indicated that the injury that kept him out the last month of the season was related to an injury connected with his surgery early in the season, but does not expect that it will hinder him in offseason training over the summer.
Rasmus Dahlin on his leadership style:
"I would say (I lead) on the ice with my play, and then if I have to talk, I'm going to talk."
Dahlin on what changes need to be made:
"I'm not the GM. I can only look at myself in the mirror and see what I can do better. So I don't really know what we need. I just know that the guys we had on our roster have to do a better job."
Dahlin also said he is not sure if he will play for Sweden in the upcoming World Championships in Sweden and Denmark.
Ryan McLeod on his contract status after his first 20-goal season:
"I'd love to be back here, maybe for a while, and help us make that next step to make the playoffs."
Tage Thompson on whether there is a requisite level of accountability with the players in the locker room:
“I thought the accountability was better. I think there's always room to grow, especially with accountability. It starts with looking in the mirror first, before you can hold someone else accountable. I thought we had a lot of guys that do take these losses and these losing seasons very hard, and that want to try to fix it. I thought you saw that a lot this year, as you're going through that tough stretch, guys were trying to dig their way out of it."
Other players will have their exit interviews, and Ruff and Adams will speak to the media on Saturday.
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