'Respect the process' | Adams, Granato look ahead to offseason

Don Granato felt he had given his players enough direction over the course of eight months. He viewed their exit meetings instead an opportunity to listen.
He described the tenor of those conversations as happy, though not satisfied.
"They're ready for the next challenge," Granato said. "And they're moved to that next challenge already. I mean, these guys are talking about next season, but they're talking about what they're going to do through the summertime for next season, to get prepared for next season.
"… I felt I had to say very little back to them. I felt they had a really good grasp on what I would want as a coach."

The Sabres are eager to build upon a season that featured individual breakouts, marquee victories, and tangible growth in the standings. They went 16-9-3 in March and April - a pace that would amount to 102 points if stretched over an 82-game season.
That success was the byproduct of a growth mindset instilled by Granato and propagated by a group of young players who share a collective hunger to succeed.
With little turnover expected on the roster, Granato expects that mindset to remain come September.

"There's a process to winning and if you don't respect that process, you're not going to win enough," Granato said. "And I think respecting that process is continuing to compete hard every day.
"We're going to keep operating as we operated this year. It's the only way I know. And I've been fortunate to be around a lot of winning in my career. I like the direction we're going, but we've got a long way to go."
Here's an outline of key dates and what to expect this offseason.

NHL Draft Lottery - May 10

The Sabres will a five percent chance to obtain the No. 1 overall pick, the ninth-best odds among the 16 teams that did not qualify for the playoffs.
Sabres fans should also keep an eye on the Vegas Golden Knights, who have the 16th-best odds to win the lottery at 0.5 percent. The Sabres received a conditional first-round pick from the Golden Knights as part of the return for Jack Eichel in November.
If the Golden Knights do not move into the top 10 as one of the two lottery winners, the Sabres will receive their pick in this year's draft (which would be 16th overall).
If Vegas does win the lottery, the Sabres will receive an unprotected first-round pick in 2023.

IIHF World Championship - May 13 to 29

Granato will be an assistant coach on David Quinn's staff for Team USA. He could be joined by Tage Thompson, who said he had conversations about the tournament but did not confirm his participation.
Rasmus Dahlin (Sweden) also said he was invited to participate but did not confirm his involvement. Henri Jokiharju will play for host country Finland.

NHL Draft - July 7-8

The Sabres will have three first-round picks if the Golden Knights do not win the lottery: their own (which would fall in the top 11), the Golden Knights' (16th overall), and another from the Florida Panthers which they received as part of the return for Sam Reinhart last summer.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said he will explore all potential options when it comes to those picks, be it using them or packaging them as part of a trade.
"If you're putting me on the spot, I would expect that we would make our three picks," Adams said. "I believe in the pipeline you have to build. When we talk about long-term sustainable success, you need talent. You need talent that can come up from Rochester, and you don't have to rush them.
"… We would expect that we would use them appropriately. But you've got to be open. You got to be in the conversations, and you have to be ready for any type of thing if the right opportunity presents itself."

Buffalo's organizational depth already consists of 10 first-round picks under the age of 26, including Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, Dahlin, Jokiharju, Casey Mittelstadt, Owen Power, Jack Quinn, and Thompson at the pro level along with Ryan Johnson and Isak Rosen in the pipeline.

RFA/UFA signing period - July 13

Granato and Adams expressed excitement about the continuity on the roster, with 11 of the Sabres' 13 leading scorers under contract for next season.
The Sabres have six restricted free agents: Victor Olofsson, Jacob Bryson, Arttu Ruotsalainen, Brandon Biro, Brett Murray, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The Sabres can extend qualifying offers to each of these players, which would give them the opportunity to match any offer from an opposing team.
Buffalo's list of unrestricted free agents includes forwards Drake Caggiula, Cody Eakin, Vinnie Hinostroza and John Hayden; defensemen Colin Miller, Will Butcher and Mark Pysyk; and goaltenders Craig Anderson, Dustin Tokarski and Malcolm Subban.
That leaves goaltender as one position of interest heading into the summer. Luukkonen is 23 and could take the next step after posting a .917 save percentage in nine games with Buffalo this season.
Anderson, 40, said this season was among the most fun of his career but added that he will take time with his family before making a decision on his playing future.
The Sabres also have long-term prospects in Devon Levi and Erik Portillo, both of whom are returning to the NCAA next season.
"Big picture, we feel good internally," Adams said. "We'll look at different options, but what we won't do is do something to box ourselves out that maybe we would be uncomfortable down the road."
Adams said he will take the same approach when it comes to improving the roster outside the crease - staying respectful to the process that began this season.
"You can't hit fast forward," Adams said. "You can't say we're going from here to here. It's a process. This is about us getting better. We're not satisfied right now. We played some really good hockey at the end of the year.
"I liked the growth of our team, I liked the growth of some individuals, the majority of the individuals and the way it came together. But we've got a long way to go, and we've got a lot of work ahead of us. We want to make sure we're setting this organization up for sustainable long-term success."