Kevyn Adams appealed for calm this week in Buffalo. “I’m obviously not happy with our position in the standings,” he told reporters Tuesday morning. But I have complete confidence in this group of players and coaches. We will be a good team. But we would like it to happen now. And it doesn’t always work exactly like that. »
The Sabers showed great promise last year despite the youth of their squad. They missed the playoffs by a narrow point, going 42-33-7, their best finish since 2011. They finished the season with a 9-2-1 record, with youngster Devon Levi in net. in seven of the last nine meetings.
At 25, number one center Tage Thompson had exploded with 94 points, including 47 goals. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin also reached personal highs, at just 22 years old, with 73 points. Alex Tuch had 79 points in just 74 games while he had never crossed the 52 mark. Dylan Cozens, a Cole Caufield vintage pick, reached 68 points.
Expectations were obviously high going into the current season. However, with essentially the same numbers, Buffalo finds itself seven points from the last place giving access to the playoffs, with four fewer games to play. They have won just 13 of their 33 games this season.
Coach Don Granato, although unanimously applauded last year, is now the main target of angry fans. An anthem was sung for his dismissal Tuesday night during the 9-4 thaw at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets, 28th overall.
We can understand the impatience of Sabers fans. The team missed the playoffs in the previous twelve seasons. The reconstructions started by Kevyn Adams’ predecessors failed miserably.
On the other hand, the general manager’s call for calm is timely. Despite appearances, the Sabres’ current rebuild dates back to June 2020, when Kevyn Adams was hired.
The three pillars of the previous phase, Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen were traded in the first year of Adams’ reign for three first round picks, two second round picks and three players 25 and under, Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch and Devon Levi.
The Sabers have taken the opportunity to draft six times in the first round, five times in the second round and four times in the third round in the last three years, including the first overall pick, defenseman Owen Power in 2021.
By comparison, the Ottawa Senators, whose rebuild began two years earlier, drafted just once in the first round, three times in the second round and three times in the third round during the same period, making eight picks less !
Coming into the season, the Sabers still had the youngest team in the NHL, with an average age of 25.5, followed by the Canadiens at 25.7. The Senators ranked seventh in this regard and the Detroit Red Wings thirteenth.
The Sabres’ astonishing season last year therefore gave the illusion that the team was ahead of schedule despite its lack of collective experience.
Under the circumstances, it would be surprising to see Adams panic. But we also understand Sabers fans having their helmets full of it.
And that doesn’t excuse the significant drop in productivity from Thompson (16 points in 24 games), Tuch (20 points in 26 games) and Cozens (18 points in 31 games).