While the Buffalo Sabres veterans mostly sounded weary and possibly like they wanted out during their locker cleanout interviews, the younger players seemed markedly positive with their comments. The years of losing hasn’t ground out the joy of hockey in them quite yet, it appears.
An interesting thread through all the players’ interviews has been their regard for former coach Ralph Krueger, sacked midway through the season as Buffalo went on a record losing streak. For fans he might be the most reviled Sabres hirings in decades, but clearly something in his demeanor and teachings struck a chord with his squad.