The Buffalo Sabres are banking on changes behind the bench and on the roster along with bounce-back seasons from core players to end an NHL-record 13-year Stanley Cup Playoff drought.
“We are craving accountability, structure, and our team’s now mentally, in my opinion, ready for that, mature enough to handle that push,” general manager Kevyn Adams said in April.
Lindy Ruff, the last coach to guide the Sabres to the postseason in 2011, was hired April 22 and is now tasked with steering the ship back to the postseason.
“You transform the attitude of any of the club by having each player believe in what their strength is, what they can bring on a nightly basis, the level of compete that they can bring,” Ruff said. “And then at the end of the night, you’ve got to win hockey games, and when you win hockey games, that belief really becomes contagious. You like how you play and you push your teammates to a higher level, and you have to win.”
Buffalo had 84 points last season, seven fewer than in 2022-23 when the Sabres finished one point behind the Florida Panthers for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference. The team struggled to find its footing and any sort of consistency, often falling behind early by multiple goals and unable to string consecutive wins together with regularity.
“I think at times, you could see that we were a great team and other times we were too casual,” forward Tage Thompson said at the end of the season. “I think that's something that has got to be instilled in us. And that kind of goes back to the accountability thing as well, what the consistency is; it's us in here in the room holding each other accountable if there's someone not playing the way they need to.”
Sabres players know it won’t be easy under Ruff, but they’re prepared.
“I think he fits the mold of what we actually talked about as a team and just talking to individual guys of what we need to make it to that next level,” forward Alex Tuch said after Ruff was hired. “And I think he's perfect for it. … We're ready for him and we're ready for the opportunity.”