Hayden hopes to be 'Swiss Army Knife' for Sabres

John Hayden has gone out of his way to learn about his new home since signing a one-year deal to join the Sabres in July.
Hayden received a guide to the city from former Sabres forward Matt Moulson, his training partner for years in Connecticut. He has explored restaurants and visited the homes of teammates in neighboring suburbs. He attended the Buffalo Bills' season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers last month.
"I've seen the passion," Hayden said. "You can tell it's a blue-collar sports town. So, I think that fits my game. I'm excited to be here."

A quick glance at Hayden's NHL fight card is all it takes to know that he plays with an edge. The winger comes to Buffalo with 16 fights during his five-year career, including a career-high five last season. His ledger includes bouts with former Sabres Marcus Foligno and Nicolas Deslauriers.
But fighting is just one item in the proverbial toolbox for Hayden, who describes himself as a "Swiss Army Knife" on the ice.
"(I) try to play in all situations," he said. "Bring a physical edge but also play with the puck, a possession game and be as responsible as possible."

Hayden flashed his skill set during Buffalo's preseason opener in Columbus, when he won a battle along the boards and set up a goal for Arttu Ruotsalainen in the crease.
It was the sort of play coach Don Granato came to expect from Hayden during their shared time together, first with the U.S. National Team Development Program and later with the Chicago Blackhawks.
"He's an up-and-down, throwback-type player," Granato said. "Just a straight-line, hard-nosed guy. But he has a presence. Guys enjoying playing with him, on a line with him. He makes room for his linemates, teammates, and he takes a lot of pride in that."
The Sabres enter their final preseason game with 16 active forwards on the roster (including JJ Peterka, who is day to day with a lower-body bruise but skating on his own). That number will be trimmed to 13 or 14 in time for the regular-season opener next Thursday.
Hayden, a third-round draft pick by Chicago in 2013, seeks to make Buffalo his fourth NHL team in as many years. He left Chicago for New Jersey in 2019-20, then played 29 games for Arizona last season.
For as many cities as he's explored, he's maintained a consistent role in the NHL. His last AHL game came during the 2017-18 season. He has 24 career games in the AHL and 185 in the NHL.
"It's on me to show up every day and put my best product forward and give myself the best chance to be here as long as possible and stick around and help the team," Hayden said. "It really is just a day at a time mentality."
Here are more notes from practice on Friday.

Girgensons selected to Olympic roster

The NHL had not yet announced whether its players would be eligible to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games when Latvia played its qualifying games in August.
Zemgus Girgensons chose to represent his county in the qualifiers anyway, helping Latvia earn a spot in the Olympics with wins over Italy, Hungary, and France.
"We're celebrating like we won the Cup or something," Girgensons said. "For the guys back home, it means a lot. I'm glad to be a part of something like that."

The NHL, NHLPA, and IIHF did eventually come to an agreement that will allow for players to participate in Beijing after the league skipped the Olympics in 2018. Girgensons was announced Friday as one of three provisional selections to Latvia's roster.
It will be Girgensons' second Olympics. He previously played for Latvia at the Sochi games in 2014, a run that ended with a 2-1 loss to eventual gold medalist Canada in the quarterfinal round.
"It's an unbelievable experience to have as a player and I'm just happy to be a part of it again," he said.

Friday's practice

Peterka remained absent with a lower-body bruise. Granato said Peterka skated on his own and felt better but will "probably" miss Buffalo's final preseason game against Detroit on Saturday afternoon.
Olofsson and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin both missed practice for the second straight day to rest what Granato described as soft-tissue injuries. Both players will miss Saturday's game but are expected to be full participants when the team returns to practice on Monday.
Here's how the Sabres lined up in advance of their preseason finale.
53 Jeff Skinner - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 29 Vinnie Hinostroza / 15 John Hayden
38 Axel Jonsson-Fjallby - 24 Dylan Cozens - 96 Anders Bjork
74 Rasmus Asplund / 91 Drake Caggiula - 72 Tage Thompson - 25 Arttu Ruotsalainen
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 20 Cody Eakin - 12 Kyle Okposo
4 Will Butcher - 10 Henri Jokiharju
78 Jacob Bryson - 33 Colin Miller
8 Robert Hagg - 13 Mark Pysyk
88 Brandon Davidson* - 45 Casey Fitzgerald
*Davidson was assigned to Rochester after practice, pending waivers.