Sabers training camp: 10 things we learned from Lindy Ruff's first practice

BUFFALO, NY — At the end of last season, Buffalo Sabers players said they wanted to practice harder and were pushed by their new coach. Lindy Ruff granted that wish on the first day of training camp. During the first 30 minutes of practice there was a clear emphasis on speed and back-checking in the drills Ruff ran. The players' breath is doubled from time to time. The physicality was palpable. Attention then turned to the system after a short break for the Zamboni to resurface the ice. That part of practice wasn't quite as fast-paced but just as intense in terms of competitiveness in small-area drills.

“I think everybody brought it today,” Sabers forward Alex Tuch said. “With Lindy.”

Ruff isn't wasting time on nostalgia. It is undeniable that his association with the franchise as a player and coach played a role in his comeback. For some reason he never sold his house in Buffalo. He cares about this franchise and community and that's important. And yes, he called season ticket holders and was featured prominently in some marketing materials for the season. The business side of the Sabres' operation leans toward memories of Ruff's earlier time with the organization.

But on Wednesday, there was no time for Rafe to reminisce. Raph is stone-faced when asked if any part of him is wet by the moment.

“It just works now,” Ruff said. “Indeed. I've moved on from that point. I'm making sure we're trying to cover every detail so we put ourselves where we want to be at the end of the year.”

Here's what we learned from Ruff's first practice of camp.

1. Rasmus Dahlin was one player the Sabers could not afford to lose, and he left practice early in the first session with what Ruff described as a mid-body injury. Ruff said Dahlin felt some discomfort after passing a puck and left practice as a precaution. For now, it doesn't appear to be a serious cause for concern, but it will be something to monitor as the Sabers evaluate him and figure out what's going on. The Sabers have other talented puck-moving defensemen, but Dahlin is a difference maker, the team's best player and potential captain. So not how Ruff wanted to start his first practice.

2. Since the Sabers don't have much time before they head to Europe to finish training camp, Ruff and Adams decided they wanted to move quickly to their NHL roster. They have three different practice groups and the first group that practices at 9 a.m. closely resembles the final roster. Here are 24 players who were on the ice.

Forwards: JJ Pietarka, Taz Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jake Benson, Dylan Cozens, Jack Quinn, Jiri Kulich, Jason Zucker, Ryan McLeod, Jordan Greenaway, Beck Malensteen, Sam Lafferty, Nicholas Aube-Kubel, Peyton Krebs

Defense: Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram, Wayne Powers, Henry Jokiharju, Matias Samuelsson, Connor Clifton, Dennis Gilbert, Jacob Bryson

Goalkeepers: Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen, Devon Levy

The Sabers could bring 27 players to Europe. Goalie James Reimer would make sense as insurance. Defenseman Ryan Johnson and winger Lukas Rusek also saw NHL time last season and could join that group. Otherwise, there aren't many surprises. In some ways, Ruff said, it hurt him to narrow things down so quickly because he knows what these training camp opportunities mean to young players. But there is an urgency to get the season off to a quick start and a quick understanding of the new systems with the NHL group.

3. It's still too early to determine line combinations and defensive pairings, especially on defense because Dahlin was absent. But here are some of the lines we saw drill on Wednesday.

JJ Peterka – Taz Thompson – Alex Tuch
Jack Benson/Jiri Kulich – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn
Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jordan Greenaway
Beck Malensteen – Sam Lafferty – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Peyton Krebs got some reps with both the third and fourth lines. This is close to what I expect the team to look like, though Thursday and Friday should provide a clearer picture of the lines. Adams emphasized that he is excited for more intramural competition and that everyone in the locker room should be a little uncomfortable. A player like Krebs should add that accountability to players for playing time and even some competition for a spot in the top six.

4. It's remarkable to see Kulich not just in this practice group, but in the top six. It's clear whether or not he's going to earn a spot on this team, that's the Sabres' role. Ruff doesn't think he'll be as quick to praise the public as Don Granato, but he was talking about Kulich after practice.

“He had a real impressive potential tournament, just just from the work ethic,” Ruff said. “I thought it was really good. He got a good shot, good skate. I thought his competition inside the game was good. He did a lot of good work. He was the guy you noticed the most, not even looking at the offensive side of it. He's got a shot. You've got it. You can play away from the puck and I'm at his level of power Fascinated. He is a very impressive young man.”

Adams said Kulich is the best player on the ice in the tournament and said he would stay on the roster if he was ready to help the team win.

“If he's not right to begin with, it's just a matter of time until he is,” Adams said. “And we'll just let it sort itself out.”

For a team that hasn't added a scoring threat in the offseason, Kulich may have something to offer. Both Pietarka and Benson are still young players, so having Kulich on their heels could serve as added motivation.

5. Dennis Gilbert skating with the first team shouldn't be a surprise. I think he's clearly ahead of Ryan Johnson in the pecking order because of the specific role he can play as a physical defender. Ruff will value that experience and lineup options. The defensive pairings with this group are going to be interesting, but here's an early estimate of how it might play out if everyone is healthy.

Bowen Byram – Rasmus Dahlin
Wayne Power – Henry Jokiharju
Mathias Samuelsson – Connor Clifton
Additional: Gilbert

In that situation, you might as well play Samuelson with Power and put Gilbert with Jokiharju or Clifton. This creates a similar competition in front of a team. There was a lot of mixing and matching between defensive pairings in practice, especially once Dahlin was out. But we've also seen Byram with Jokiharju, which opens up the possibility of a power play with Dahlin. Buffalo has a lot of talent on the blue line. Ruff just has to figure out how it all fits together.

6. The Sabers are sitting on nearly $7 million in salary cap space, which raises fair questions about the team's willingness to spend. Buffalo has finished in the bottom five of the league in each of the past four seasons. They currently have the eighth-most cap space in the NHL, but two other teams, the Bruins and Red Wings, have significant restricted free agents to sign. Other teams with more cap space (Utah, Anaheim, San Jose, Columbus and Calgary) aren't in the same “win now” window that the Sabers say they are. Adams pointed to the restricted free agents (Peterka, Quinn, Byram, McLeod and Devon Levy) coming into the team next summer as he was hesitant to hand out long-term contracts in free agency.

“For me, it's never been about that,” Adams said when asked about cap space. “It's been about putting together a roster that we believe can win. And I would say, it could be in training camp, it could be in October, it could be at the trade deadline, but if we think there's a deal that's going to help us get better, we're going to attack it. There was never an issue from (Sabres owner) Terry (Pegula) about that. He has provided all possible resources since I became General Manager.

At this point, all that matters is whether the roster Adams builds makes the playoffs. There have been opportunities to spend more money over the past few offseasons, but Adams has stuck with this core of players. He reacquired the bottom six this summer, also via trade and free agency. He's counting on that, and a coaching opportunity, to be enough to get this team back to the playoffs. Maybe he'll use up that cap space in the offseason, but this franchise has given fans plenty of reason to be skeptical over the past 13 years.

7. Regarding cap space, most of the $7 million the Sabers have is from savings generated by the Jeff Skinner trade. If not spending that money, why did the Sabers choose to get rid of Skinner now instead of waiting another year to buy out his contract?

“It's a tough question because I have a lot of respect for Jeff and I'm certainly not going to say anything but positive about who he is as a player and as a person,” Adams said. “We made a really tough decision because we thought we could win more hockey games. They are not easy but we decided. I think when you look at whether we've filled the space in terms of goals or not, I think part of that goes to the young core and the players we trust to step up. For me there's talent and now how do we make sure we're playing the right way and doing all those little things that help us improve as a team and improve players individually. We feel confident that they will.”

8. The Sabers will name a captain, but Ruff wants to spend some time with the team on the ice before making a final decision. Asked if it would be Dahlin, Adams laughed but said, “I can't tell you.” He noted that he was impressed with having a group of Dahlin's players together for training this summer in Europe, and that he recently played golf with Dahlin to gauge his feel for where the team is headed in training camp.

9. Adams said he didn't think Krebs' contract negotiations took as long and “you'd have to ask his guys” why it did. Krebs signed a two-year deal worth $1.45 million per season the day before camp started. When asked why the extra year and more money for Krebs than his qualifying offer, Adams said it gives Krebs time to develop and establish his role in the lineup and is a number the Sabers are comfortable with. He also emphasized that Krebs has to earn his spot in offseason additions.

10. One thing that was evident with the new additions to the Sabres, is the speed they bring. Malenstyn, Zucker, Lafferty, Aube-Kubel and McLeod can all fly. Taz Thompson noted that those guys are strong on the puck, too, and that really limited the time and space he had to work during some battle drills in practice. Ruff wants the Sabers to do better about breaking the puck quickly and in a hurry to kill plays in their defensive zone. Some of that will come from systems and mentality, but much of it will also be about the personnel Buffalo adds.

“I don't think we're a slow team by any means, but we're definitely emphasizing the idea of ​​playing fast,” Tuch said.

(Rasmus Dahlin photo: Jerome Miron/USA Today)