Eichel's comments, Pegula's patience, Savoie trade, next captain and more: Sabres mailbag, part 1

The Buffalo Sabres will take to the ice on Wednesday for their first practice at rookie camp, the unofficial start of the hockey season in Western New York. Veterans training camp begins on September 18, preseason follows shortly thereafter, and then the team will head to Germany on September 24 to prepare for Global Series games in Prague that begin this season.

And of course, there are plenty of questions Sabres fans have about this team trying to end a league-record playoff drought. We're going to split this mailbag into two parts because there were so many important questions. Let's get started. (Some questions have been lightly edited for style and clarity.)

There's a lot of frustration with what looks like an internal salary cap. As painful as that may be, how did we get to this ownership group? I remember Terry Pegula saying there was no cap on the money the organization would spend to win a championship, and now the team has $8.5 million in salary cap space in a “win now” era. – Sean M.

The pandemic clearly had an impact. That's when Terry Pegula's message changed, saying he wanted the team to be “effective, efficient and economical.” At that point, Pegula hired Kevyn Adams as general manager without conducting a search. They failed to clear the first hurdle of becoming effective, and arguably haven't been particularly efficient in the four seasons since. Around that time, Tim Graham reported the Sabres were operating at a loss of $40-60 million. Attendance has been a problem ever since, and the Sabres have a total of three home playoff games since Pegula bought the team. That's a lot of missed revenue opportunities.

Over the past four seasons, the Sabres have not spent anywhere near the cap. In a league where the cap was frozen and general managers did everything they could to squeeze every dollar they could, the Sabres were sitting on salary cap, the league's most important asset. They haven't used that cap much to take on bad contracts from other teams and amass assets. They haven't used the cap to secure their young core with short-term contracts. Even this offseason, when the message was that the Sabres were in “win now” mode, the team still has $8.5 million in cap space after buying out Jeff Skinner's contract. When asked about past spending, Adams routinely says Pegula is giving them all the resources to build a competitive team. But if that's the case, why has so much salary cap space been left unused?

To the best of your knowledge and taking Pegula's mindset into account, what do you think the owners' patience/tolerance is right now? More specifically, if the Sabres stumble and are at .500 by the end of October or November, will Adams be fired or at least pressured to make changes to turn things around instead of preaching patience? – Torsten S.

With Adams entering his fifth season as general manager without ever having been to the playoffs, logic would suggest he's under pressure to produce results this season. But it's hard to gauge Pegula considering he hasn't spoken publicly about the hockey team since 2020. I'm not convinced Adams' job is on the line unless things go really wrong. Pegula hired Adams in 2020 without a prior search, extended his contract after two years without playoffs and let him hire another coach. Pegula has shown a lot of patience with Adams and may be willing to give this long-term rebuild two more years.

The hiring of Lindy Ruff is also an interesting aspect. Pegula will want to see this situation through. Firing Ruff the first time was not an easy decision for Pegula. He will give every chance to make it work, and Ruff already seems to have a lot of influence on the ice and in roster decisions. But you have to assume that Pegula will eventually lose patience if the results are not right.

However, he has a lot going on. Kim Pegula's health has put a lot of strain on Terry's life. In addition to the added stress and heartache it has undoubtedly caused at home, Pegula is now the one managing both teams without Kim's help, at a time when the Bills are building a new stadium and the Sabres are renovating their arena. Still, it's hard to empathize with him, especially when it comes to the hockey team, because he's not on the ice as much as he is on the football field. His patience with Adams could run out at any time, but I don't think that's imminent.

Will the Sabres regret trading Matt Savoie? I think so. — Evan J.

Sports fans in Buffalo are conditioned to regret a trade. Sabres fans watched Ryan O'Reilly, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart all individually win the Stanley Cup after being part of blockbuster trades. The Bills traded the pick that became Patrick Mahomes, and more recently they traded the pick that became Mahomes' speedy new target, Xavier Worthy, who scored two touchdowns in Kansas City's season opener. So the instinct to wonder if you might regret a trade is rooted in those experiences.

The Sabres may well regret trading Matt Savoie. He was a points machine in the WHL and is moving to an organization in Edmonton that has a ton of offensive talent on the roster. It's a great opportunity for Savoie, who seems to perform at his best when surrounded by top players.

But I liked the trade for a few reasons. One is that Ryan McLeod was a necessary addition to that forward group. His speed and proven defensive performance are elements the Sabres needed in the middle lineup. Plus, he's still young. Buffalo was going to have to trade away a young player or two at some point. The longer Savoie was out of the NHL, the more the Sabres risked his value on the transfer market dropping. He was a top-10 pick, so there's still a chance he could be a star. But I didn't see an obvious role for him on this team in the 2023-24 season. Buffalo also has other young players who had overtaken him in the organizational lineup.

Do you think it's still possible for the Sabres to make a “big trade” to get a top-six forward to fill Skinner's spot? They still have plenty of cap space and there's plenty of talent. Who do you think would be the ideal player to target? – Jeff G.

It's still possible for the Sabres to sign a top-six forward, whether now or during the season. The best window to make such a move is the summer months, but that doesn't mean the Sabres can't add meaningful roster additions. Last season, there was only one NHL transfer in September and two in October. The first significant transfer of the season came when the Canucks signed Nikita Zadorov in late November.

As far as targets go, I still come back to Jets winger Nikolajj Ehlers. He's in the final season of his contract and Winnipeg has to decide whether to extend or trade him to gain some value. He has the speed and transition game to fit what the Sabres are looking for. He also has top-line potential and could push players like JJ Peterka, Jason Zucker and Zach Benson into more comfortable roles in the lineup. Ehlers is also 28, so he still has plenty of room to play. The Sabres have the assets and salary cap space to sign a player like Ehlers. His next contract could push his salary cap above $6 million, but that's not a huge issue either. His 10-team no-trade list could be a hindrance, however. Winnipeg is definitely a team to keep an eye on, as the Jets have other expiring contracts and could be looking for younger players depending on how the first half of the season goes for them.

Is Rasmus Dahlin's appointment as captain a foregone conclusion? – Matthew N.

For me, that's the way it is. I know there are some in the fan base who think Alex Tuch should be the captain and he would be a good choice. But Rasmus Dahlin is the player who sets the tone for the Sabres with his competitiveness in practice and in games. When your best player is also your most competitive player, that's usually a good sign that you have your captain.

Over the past few seasons, Dahlin has often been the first to stand up for himself and his teammates on the ice. He also frequently hosted team parties last season, let Zach Benson stay at his house and organized a group workout in Europe during the offseason. Adams engages him in conversations about the team. I'd be stunned if he wasn't selected as captain. Toward the end of last season, Tuch and I were chatting after a game and he casually mentioned Dahlin, calling him the team's likely next captain. I don't think Tuch would be in any way deterred by Dahlin getting that title. But I think Tuch is the logical choice for an “A” on his jersey. The more interesting conversation might be who gets the other “A.” Tage Thompson makes a lot of sense, but I could also see Dylan Cozens growing into a leadership role this season.

It would be nice if the words “Win ​​now” were also consistent with practice, because Adams still follows the motto “effective, efficient, economical.” – Joe. L

Jack Eichel was speaking at NHL media days this week and a reporter asked him what it was like to play for a team like the Golden Knights, whose ownership and management have shown each season a willingness to make bold moves to maximize their chances of winning a championship.

“I think that's the place you want to be,” Eichel said. “I went from one polar opposite to the other. It was almost like for a couple of years in Buffalo, we were always working toward the future, right? It was never about the now. I understand that situation. It was about getting draft picks, developing them and working toward what we could be a year from now, two years from now, whatever in the future. But at the same time, when you're in that situation and you're the player that represents the team every time you're on the ice, it's like, 'I want to win. I want to be competitive now.' To be able to play in a place where the goal and the standard every season is to be the last team standing is the best. That's what you want as a player.”

Adams says the Sabres are in “win now” mode, but compare the team's actions to the other extreme, the Golden Knights and the aggressive moves they made before the trade deadline. Granted, Vegas paid the price for salary cap expansion by losing more free agents this summer than they gained. But the point is that the Golden Knights have been one of the most aggressive franchises since entering the league. Think what you will of Eichel, but his comment reflects the mindset of many of the league's top players. Players want to win. Vegas has some tax and lifestyle advantages that other markets don't, but ultimately that reputation as a team that's all about winning now is a huge advantage for their organization to attract and retain talent. When was the last time Buffalo could call itself a place where the goal and aspiration each season is to be the last team standing?

(Photo by Rasmus Dahlin: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)