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31 Thoughts: Expect Canucks to be aggressive in post-Sedins era - Sportsnet.ca
17. The Sabres will finish 31st and have the best lottery odds for the No. 1 draft pick. It’s been a tough year for Botterill and head coach Phil Housley. They came from organizations with demanding coaches, but there’s no doubt a lot of the tone in Nashville and Pittsburgh is set by the players. In talking to some of the Sabres, they see the “cycle of losing” affecting the younger guys.
“Look at Rasmus Ristolainen” one said “He’s a really good player. But he’s been here the longest. [Losing is] all he knows.”
Opponents say they’ve taken advantage of Jack Eichel’s obvious on-ice frustration. I mentioned these comments to Botterill and we had a really good conversation about it.
“[Eichel’s] last injury came at such a bad time. We went to Western Canada, beat Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Our power play was on a 30-per cent stretch, and he hurt his ankle.”
The GM shrugged his shoulders in frustration at the memory.
“You just want see him have some success. We need to win games. It’s not just Jack’s team. We need to help him. Teammates need to help him. When he is challenged, he responds in a good way. You talk about changing culture. How do you do that? You can’t always just trade for it. That’s why it’s so important that Rochester made the playoffs. Those young players are going to understand what it is like to play meaningful games, what it takes to win them.”
He told a story about Linus Ullmark, who will get every chance to be Buffalo’s No. 1 goaltender next season. In a December game against Belleville, Ullmark lost a shutout with one minute left.
“Some goalies would be upset, but Ullmark was celebrating in the room with everyone else. All he cared about was the win. That’s what we need.”
17. The Sabres will finish 31st and have the best lottery odds for the No. 1 draft pick. It’s been a tough year for Botterill and head coach Phil Housley. They came from organizations with demanding coaches, but there’s no doubt a lot of the tone in Nashville and Pittsburgh is set by the players. In talking to some of the Sabres, they see the “cycle of losing” affecting the younger guys.
“Look at Rasmus Ristolainen” one said “He’s a really good player. But he’s been here the longest. [Losing is] all he knows.”
Opponents say they’ve taken advantage of Jack Eichel’s obvious on-ice frustration. I mentioned these comments to Botterill and we had a really good conversation about it.
“[Eichel’s] last injury came at such a bad time. We went to Western Canada, beat Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Our power play was on a 30-per cent stretch, and he hurt his ankle.”
The GM shrugged his shoulders in frustration at the memory.
“You just want see him have some success. We need to win games. It’s not just Jack’s team. We need to help him. Teammates need to help him. When he is challenged, he responds in a good way. You talk about changing culture. How do you do that? You can’t always just trade for it. That’s why it’s so important that Rochester made the playoffs. Those young players are going to understand what it is like to play meaningful games, what it takes to win them.”
He told a story about Linus Ullmark, who will get every chance to be Buffalo’s No. 1 goaltender next season. In a December game against Belleville, Ullmark lost a shutout with one minute left.
“Some goalies would be upset, but Ullmark was celebrating in the room with everyone else. All he cared about was the win. That’s what we need.”