'Pressure as privilege' | Sabres embracing expectations entering 2023-24  

Don Granato thought back to his first training camp as head coach of the Sabres as he stood behind the podium inside KeyBank Center on Thursday at the outset of Year 3.

The Sabres were coming off a last-place finish when Granato took over in 2021. Tage Thompson had never scored 10 goals in a season, let alone 40. Rasmus Dahlin had not yet developed the confidence of a top defenseman. Alex Tuch was a member of the Golden Knights.

The mandate from Granato to his players at that time was simply to play aggressively and without the fear of mistakes, and to improve daily by doing so.

“Two years ago, we weren't in a position to really go after wins,” Granato said. “We had to grow, we had to gain experience. And we've got it to the point now where these guys, winning should be expected on a nightly basis. You should go into games expecting to win.

“… We talk about it a lot: being in this position and the pressure that comes with it is a privilege. You know, we didn't have this type of pressure two years ago because we weren't good enough. We're good enough to have this pressure right now. It's time to embrace it.”

The fruits of the Sabres’ patient approach have shown over two years in career seasons for Dahlin, Thompson, and several others; in emotional victories that reinvigorated a fanbase; and, most recently, in a 91-point finish that left them one point shy of a playoff berth this past spring.

Granato, general manager Kevyn Adams, and the players who spoke on the opening day of training camp were in agreement on what the expectation is moving forward and how they plan to approach it.

“Our expectation is to win the Stanley Cup. Period,” Adams said. “And, so, I don't want to get lost and all the other things that have to happen but here's the reality: To win the Stanley Cup you have to win four rounds in the playoffs. To win four rounds in the playoffs, you have to make the playoffs. To make the playoffs, you have to win a lot of hockey games.

“To win a lot of hockey games during the season, you have to be a consistent team, a resilient team, a team that is able to handle adversity, highs and lows, matures. Those are the things that add up. So, at the end of the day, if you peel it all back and you boil it all down, it's about getting better every day.”

Sabres captain Kyle Okposo expressed that same sentiment when he signed a one-year contract to remain with the team in May and reiterated it on Thursday. By acknowledging the internal expectation at the outset, he believes players will be able to narrow their focus in the short-term.

“I think that the expectations have been set and now everyone’s very clear about it and now we can focus on our day-to-day, because you don’t achieve a long-term goal by looking at it every single day and obsessing over it,” Okposo said.

“You do it by your habits, and you try and ingrain those habits so they become who you are and part of your identity and that ultimately leads you to that long-term goal. So now everybody’s aware of the expectation, everybody knows what it is, there’s no room for wiggle room on what that is, and now it’s about getting better each day and just taking it little by little.”

Okposo referred to the expectations of playoffs as a natural progression for a group that has been allowed the patience to grow together since Granato took over as interim coach in March 2021.

Thompson, Casey Mittelstadt, and Rasmus Dahlin – roommates upon entering the league in 2018 – were given their first opportunities at meaningful minutes and have since blossomed. Dylan Cozens has grown from promising rookie to 30-goal scorer. Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka, and Owen Power joined the mix last season and made Buffalo the NHL’s youngest team.

The shared growth has cultivated a sense of pride, in playing for each other and playing for Buffalo.
“I think it's cool for me and the guys that I've kind of come up with and played with for the last few years just to know that we've played a part in building this,” Mittelstadt said.

“From where we were to where we are now, I think all of us are pretty proud and definitely have quite a bit of loyalty to the whole team and the Sabres organization as a whole. So yeah, it's definitely exciting and we're looking forward to it.”