'Everybody in this room matters' | Granato sends message to team as regular season approaches

With the regular season quickly approaching, Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato and staff will have some decisions to make when it comes to putting together the 23-man roster. As of Tuesday, 33 players remained on the team’s training camp roster (including forwards Jack Quinn and Matt Savoie, who are not practicing due to injuries), but Granato made sure to send a clear message to the young group.

“We missed the playoffs by one win last year and we used X amount of guys. Everybody in this room matters, and they’ll matter to the bottom line,” Granato said.

“We’re going to go down to 23. We have 31 – I think it is – in camp now. We’re going to use probably 31 or more during the course of the season and they’re going to help us reach our goal. So, everybody is extremely important when you put it in perspective or that perspective.”

Players like Brandon Biro, who has earned an extended stay at camp after tallying a goal and two assists and adding a shootout goal in four preseason games, are excited for the opportunity to play a role in the organization as the Sabres work towards their goal of making the playoffs.

“I think it’s exciting. Something everyone at camp wants to be a part of and you never really know who’s going to get to be a part of it right away,” Biro said. “But throughout the season, there’s going to be injuries, there’s going to be guys that need to step up. So, it’s just exciting. It’s a big time for this group. I think this group is ready to take the next step forward, and hopefully, I can be a part of that at some point.”

Throughout training camp, Granato has recognized Biro’s performance and shared that the forward would have probably had the opportunity to get called up last season, if he hadn’t been sidelined with injuries.

Despite ending his season early with a lower-body injury, the 25-year-old was voted the Most Valuable Player in 2022-23 by his Rochester Americans teammates after recording 51 points (16+35) in 49 games and representing Rochester at the AHL All-Star Classic in February.

In his fourth training camp, Biro has noticed how comfortable he has felt compared to years prior.

“It just makes you kind of settle in a little bit easier. Just knowing the guys, knowing the staff, really just knowing what to expect just makes the whole process a little bit easier,” Biro said. “And then maybe you're able to do a little bit more just because you know what to expect.”

As the training camp days wind down, Biro is focused on continuing his growth and getting better each day.

“I’ve been able to get into four preseason games. So, the nerves are gone and it’s just about playing my game. You know, things have gone pretty well so far. So, just going to keep building every day and just try to get better every day.”

Here are more notes from Tuesday’s practice at KeyBank Center.

1. During his rookie season, forward JJ Peterka tallied 12 goals and 20 assists in 77 games for the Sabres. Over the summer, Peterka had an outstanding 12-point performance at the IIHF World Championships to help lead Germany to a silver medal and garner recognition as the tournament's top forward.

Following practice, Granato attributed Peterka’s strong offseason to having more time to learn from last season’s lessons and experiences.

“…At JJ’s young age, you see immense spurts in growth and maturity, primarily because of hindsight that they never had in their hockey life,” Granato said. “[JJ] has really been able to prepare by virtue of that information from last year, and he has absolutely shown us another level of maturity. That’s going to be impactful.”

2. Tuesday marked the 10th anniversary of Zemgus Girgensons' NHL debut for Buffalo, a 2-1 loss to Detroit that saw him score his first career goal.

In June, the Sabres’ longest-tenured player returned on a one-year deal.

Granato shared some of the traits that have allowed Girgensons to earn a lengthy stay in Buffalo over the years.

“He makes you want to see him successful,” Granato said. “…It’s him as a person and his work ethic. The combination of those two really stand out. He cares for other people and he comes in and works hard for other people. He works hard for his team, his teammates.

“…But what a testament to his character when you have different coaches and different management teams over the span of 10 years, and all of those agreed on one thing: that he should be here. That’s a credit to him.”

3. Casey Mittelstadt enjoyed one of the best stretches of his career in the final 10 games of the 2022-23 season as he recorded a team-high 16 points (5+11), while playing center between Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch with Tage Thompson out with an injury.

On Tuesday, Granato pointed out what made Mittelstadt so successful towards the end of the season.

“He was ready for his opportunity, and that’s easily said, but not often done,” Granato said. “…Casey put game after game, practice after practice of work in. He had to do that grind and then when he got the opportunity to play with Tuch and Skinner late in the year, he was excellent.”

4. Here’s how the group lined up for practice:

Forwards

53 Jeff Skinner – 72 Tage Thompson – 9 Zach Benson

12 Jordan Greenway – 37 Casey Mittelstadt – 89 Alex Tuch

77 JJ Peterka – 24 Dylan Cozens – 71 Victor Olofsson

28 Zemgus Girgensons – 19 Peyton Krebs – 21 Kyle Okposo

15 Brandon Biro – 17 Tyson Jost – 13 Lukas Rousek

81 Brett Murray – 20 Jiri Kulich – 63 Isak Rosen

Defensemen

26 Rasmus Dahlin – 75 Connor Clifton

25 Owen Power – 10 Henri Jokiharju

23 Mattias Samuelsson – 6 Erik Johnson

61 Riley Stillman – 38 Kale Clague

33 Ryan Johnson – 78 Jacob Bryson

Goaltenders

31 Eric Comrie

27 Devon Levi

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen