The Buffalo Sabres have hired former NHL forward Eric Staal as a special advisor to general manager Kevyn Adams. Staal’s role will involve supporting multiple aspects of the hockey department, including scouting and direct involvement with players and prospects. That could mean supporting the team’s pre-season rookie or training camps, which would offer invaluable experience to a young Sabres playerbase.
Staal brings 18 years of NHL experience, and a 2006 Stanley Cup win and Finals appearances in 2021 and 2023, to the Sabres organization. He only played in 32 games with the Sabres over his extensive career – coming at the start of the shortened 2020-21 campaign. Staal recorded 10 points and a minus-20 with the Sabres, before being dealt to the Montreal Canadiens mid-season, where he finished the year with 11 points in 42 games, between the regular and postseason.
The bulk of Staal’s career was spent across the Eastern Conference with the Metropolitan Division’s Carolina Hurricanes. He was drafted second-overall in the 2003 NHL Draft and moved to the NHL right away. He was immediately impactful and scored 11 goals and 31 points in 81 games of his rookie season. But that was only a glimmer of Staal’s upside and, after spending the lockout 2004-05 season in the AHL, he posted a true breakout campaign in the 2005-06 season. Staal led the Hurricanes in scoring with an incredible 45 goals and 100 points in the regular season, then added 28 points in 25 postseason games to push Carolina to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Staal never topped his performance in 2005-06, but he did continue to rival 30 or 40 goals and/or 70 or 80 points throughout the next 10 years in Carolina. That scoring stuttered when he left Carolina for the New York Rangers partway through the 2015-16 season, but Staal rediscovered it by joining the Minnesota Wild from 2016 to 2020. He added two more seasons of 65-or-more points, and one 40-goal campaign in his age-33 season, during his time in Minnesota. Staal left for the Sabres in the 2020 off-season, and lost his grip on top scoring soon after that – though he had a pair of final hoorays as the 2021 Canadiens and 2023 Panthers carried him to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Both teams lost, but the experience gave Staal a hint of the Cup-winning heights he reached early in his career. He’ll now turn his attention towards the operational side of hockey, looking to bring a habit of Cup pursuits to a desolate Sabres squad. With the right momentum, this could be the move that sparks a long managerial career for Staal.
Kevyn Adams needs all the advisement he can get.
Tim Murray, first time GM. Jason Botterill, first time GM. Kevyn Adams, first time GM.
So, obviously a guy with no hockey management experience at all is what is needed to fill the gaps.
Never has a team needed a retread so badly.
You know who doesn’t value experience? People with no experience. I get that everyone needs to start somewhere, but that start shouldn’t be in the NHL as a GM.
Rebuilds.
GMTM/GMJB’s “rebuild” ended up a start over after GMKA’s 1st year as GM.
Youngest team in hockey. Okposo/Grigs was not the proper leadership the Sabres needed.
The goal is to win a Stanley Cup. Panthers after the Matthew T trade became Cup contenders. Before that they were not Cup contenders. Outside of that 0-10-3 stretch the rest of the 59 games the Sabres played well enough to make the playoffs. Adding Zucker helped and his leadership helped the Sabres to not fall apart. Cozens was ineffective this past season. Norris was hurt but the Sabres needed a equal hockey player in return. I want a team that can win a Stanley Cup and have the ability to win another one with 5 years of winning the first one. Building just a “playoff team” of vets to just to get in is not what I am looking for.
Which is a more “winning” team?
Toronto who won 1 playoff series in 10 straight post seasons or a team that wins the Stanley Cup once in 10 year and then does not qualify the other 9 seasons?
I hope Pegula gives Adams/Ruff at least 1 more season together.
So if you don’t count all of the Sabres losses, they had a decent record? Thanks.
36-39-7
0-10-3 win less streak
36-29-4 the other 59 games.
San Jose was undefeated in the games that it didn’t lose.
when you miss the playoffs 14 straight(and counting) seasons.. rebuild probably isn’t enough for what really needs to happen .. guess this is a start .. but probably not near enough
Blaming Adams for the first 9 years is not fair. He had to start over after his 1st year. GMTM & GMJB are to blame for the first 9 years. Adams tried to keep that “core” together during his 1st year as GM.
*36-29-4 the other 69 games.
That also included a bad month to start the season.
I’m no maven, but it seems to me that if we had reliable goaltending from Oct-Dec each of the past two years this drought would be over. Let’s see if a seasoned Devon Levi can make a difference.
Devon Levi is showing dominance in Rochester. If he is ready to be more consistent in the NHL now that will go a long way for Buffalo making the playoffs. Maybe a effective Levi can also push UPL more.