'Guys are hungry' | Sabres move forward with young core on Day 1 of camp

Zemgus Girgensons had an eye-opening conversation with his wife before he reported to his ninth training camp as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.
"She was saying that I'm the old guy," Girgensons said. "I was like, 'No way, I'm still 27.' Then I looked back. When I was 19, I was calling the 27-year-olds old guys."

The team awaiting Girgensons when players reported to KeyBank Center on Wednesday was far different from the one he left behind when he sustained a season-ending hamstring injury in January. Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen, two of his longest-tenured teammates, were traded during the offseason. Jack Eichel did not pass his physical and is away from the team.
What Girgensons found during a team meeting with general manager Kevyn Adams and coach Don Granato on Wednesday and at practice on Thursday was a young group eager to the fill the void.
"It's hard to describe," Girgensons said. "We had opening meetings yesterday with Kevyn and Donnie, and just the energy that's around here is different. I can tell, even Day 1 today, the practice, the pace was the highest I've ever seen.
"Guys are hungry. The young guys, they have something to prove. The guys are ready to work so I think that's the biggest thing, that these guys are willing to put in the work."

Granato leaned heavily on his young players upon taking over as interim coach in March. Casey Mittelstadt and Dylan Cozens enjoyed the most productive stretches of their young careers as they rotated top line center duties. Rasmus Dahlin was given a green light to play instinctually and rediscovered his confidence while manning the top defense pair alongside Henri Jokiharju.
That process will continue this season. The Sabres deliberately left room for young players to seize critical roles, focusing their offseason efforts on supporting veterans like forward Vinnie Hinostroza and defensemen Will Butcher and Mark Pysyk. Granato will continue to promote an offensive mindset and encourage his young players to take chances.
"I will not say and even dare think there's not a way to win a game each night," Granato said. "And we have to approach it that way. But also it's important, for me, to be fearless. We can't sit back, we can't step back. You're not going to learn being conservative."
Kyle Okposo is the elder statesmen among the Sabres who were present Thursday. The 33-year-old is second to goaltender Craig Anderson in age and second to Girgensons in tenure. The atmosphere on Thursday reminded him of his younger days, before he even made it to the NHL.
"You go to practice, and you sit after for 30 minutes and just shoot the breeze in the locker room," he said. "Everyone just wants to be around each other, and everyone wants to play and everybody wants to prove themselves and be better.
"You could feel that nervous energy in there today. It was great to see. It's great to see that hunger and that fire in guys."

Moving forward

Adams announced Thursday that Eichel will continue to rehab away from the team and will no longer serve as captain of the Sabres. Okposo said he does not expect the situation to be a distraction after Adams addressed the team Wednesday.
"He was extremely forward in telling us what was going on and it quelled any questions that anybody had," Okposo said. "So, there's no distractions anymore. It's all out there internally in the organization. Nobody is really thinking about it. Everybody is moving forward."

Girgensons to play center

Girgensons centered a line with Okposo and Drake Caggiula on Thursday, marking a return to the position he played upon entering the NHL as a first-round pick in 2013. He has played primarily on the left wing since the 2017-18 season but saw time at center during Latvia's Olympic qualifiers last month.
"It's definitely been a while at center, but I enjoy playing center," Girgensons said. "It's a little more work than winger, but I enjoy it."
Last season ended before it began for Girgensons. He injured his hamstring during an intrasquad scrimmage early on in camp and spent the ensuing months watching hockey at home and taking care of his newborn daughter.
As excited as Girgensons was to be back on Thursday, Okposo seemed equally thrilled about the return of his linemate.
"I think that he doesn't get the credit he deserves for what he brings," Okposo said. "I know that there's a huge emphasis on analytics especially in the last couple years, but there's no analytic for that guy. There's zero. Like, that guy brings so much to our team and so much energy and he does everything the right way and that guy's one of the best teammates I've ever played with."

Injury updates

Jack Quinn and Mattias Samuelsson were absent from Thursday's practice sessions after missing the second game of the Prospects Challenge last weekend.
Samuelsson is considered week to week with a lower-body injury, which he sustained while blocking a shot during Buffalo's Prospects Challenge game on Friday. Quinn's status is day to day.

Thursday's practice

The Sabres split into two groups for practice. Mittelstadt centered a line with Anders Bjork and Tage Thompson during the first session. Cozens skated between Jeff Skinner and Victor Olofsson with the afternoon group.
Rasmus Dahlin was not with the team as he entered COVID-19 protocols after signing a three-year, $18 million contract extension Wednesday. He is expected to join the Sabres on the ice Friday.