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00:00It's Owen Parker, Brad Ryder, WGR Middays, driven by Northtown Automotive.
00:04All the phone lines are open for you now because we interrupted our previously scheduled program
00:08to hear from Sabres head coach, Lindy Ruff.
00:10So if you heard anything in there that you would like to discuss, feel free,
00:13and I'll lean on you here.
00:15Sure.
00:15Did you hear anything in there that you'd like to discuss?
00:18The power play stuff I found interesting.
00:20It was an issue at times last season,
00:23and I think that it was good to hear him talk about it at length the way that he did.
00:30I think that Eric Stahl being an advisor for that is interesting.
00:34There's going to be people that don't want to be happy because Eric Stahl was of Carolina Hurricane.
00:40That's not the same as Milan Lucic working here.
00:42No, I agree with that.
00:45Yeah, I think Lucic is worse.
00:47I think Lucic is sort of responsible for the entire collapse of the organization.
00:51Implosion of the whole team for 10-plus years?
00:54Yeah, maybe.
00:54That's tough.
00:57He continues to sound so optimistic about the young players, which I find exciting.
01:02I mean, what else is he going to say?
01:03He's not going to say, yeah, I think the young kids stink.
01:06He's never been like that.
01:07He's never been one to marry himself to the kids.
01:10It's always, yeah, we're working on it.
01:11We're working on it.
01:13Even think about Vanek sitting out in the playoffs when he was clearly among their most talented offensive players.
01:18It was like, no, it's not time for you yet.
01:20And it worked out okay.
01:21A Finneganov was a guy that he used to sit on the bench all the time.
01:24Same, yeah.
01:25And yeah, I think that the way he feels about them, speaks about them, treats them is, I think, telling
01:33to how much he really thinks of them.
01:36Because I don't think he's a guy that's doing that just to say it or just to make his GM
01:41look good or make everybody feel warm and fuzzy.
01:43He's never been that guy.
01:45And if he's saying that about those kids, it's because he believes it.
01:48And that should make you feel excited.
01:50I don't know who asked the question, but I wouldn't have asked this question because I would have thought Lindy
01:54Ruff wouldn't answer this question.
01:56But there was something about getting to 50 wins.
01:58And then he's like, yeah, it's a good goal for us.
01:5950 wins this year.
02:00Like, oh, that's what we're doing now.
02:02It's not, you know, we're going to fight and try to compete.
02:04We've got a good division here.
02:06And there are a lot of playoff spots.
02:07We've got to grab one.
02:0950 games will put us in.
02:10Let's do that.
02:10We'll get in with 50.
02:11So let's get 50.
02:12I thought that was a different kind of approach from Lindy, right?
02:15Yeah, he has.
02:16I think this tenure, his second time around here in Buffalo, there's been maybe a little more of that sort
02:23of, this is what we have to do.
02:24And we're going to talk about what we have to do.
02:26And we're not going to dance around it like I think so much of hockey and media overall in sports
02:32does.
02:33And I think that that is refreshing and interesting to hear from a coach.
02:40Jarmo Kekalainen also spoke.
02:42We didn't have that live, but we have that available to us.
02:45So we're going to hear from him as well.
02:47We're just doing it out of order because it was Jarmo, then Lindy.
02:50Lindy was live.
02:51But here comes Jarmo.
02:52And he won't cut out like Lindy did.
02:54I want to remind you that portions of WGR Middays are brought to you by Tim Hortons.
03:01There you go.
03:01Look at this.
03:03Wow.
03:03The official coffee of the Jeremy and Joe Morning Show on WGR.
03:08Start your day strong with Tim Hortons and the Bills.
03:13There's an ad right there for you.
03:14How about that?
03:16It does smell good in here now because of that stuff.
03:19It really, like I've come in and like, oh, what's the little coffee whiff I'm getting?
03:24Oh, that makes sense.
03:25It's all the Tim Hortons stuff.
03:27And the hot cocoa too in a box.
03:28See that?
03:28A little curry thing, hot cocoa.
03:30All right.
03:31Lovely.
03:33All right.
03:33Let's hear from the general manager of the Buffalo Sabres, Jarmo Kekulainen, here on WGR.
03:40Jarmo, you were in your first full camp.
03:44You guys came in last year just trying to see if you could get a footing in this league.
03:50What's it like coming into this camp?
03:52Up a 109-point season with all the expectations you have and everyone around town has now.
03:58Let's get back to work right away.
04:01First day one and it's a shorter camp than it has been before.
04:06So I think it's even more important that we get right at it, understanding that last season was last season.
04:12It's in the past.
04:14By no means we're satisfied, even though a lot of people are patting us on the back saying that you
04:20had a great season.
04:22Pretty good.
04:22I said to the team, pretty good, I said to the team, pretty good's not good enough.
04:26So we want to improve.
04:28It's a whole new opportunity again.
04:30We're four months away from just being ready to prepare for game seven and feeling good.
04:39And then we also remember very freshly how disappointing it was to lose it.
04:45And even if we won that game, we're only halfway from where we want to be.
04:51We can give all the credit we want to Kevin Adams for building the roster that ended up being really
04:57good for this team last year.
05:00But when they brought in a Bond villain as the general manager and people had to start standing up straight
05:06like 30 seconds into this news conference, I get how a GM who doesn't make any moves really until the
05:14deadline.
05:14And even then they weren't massive.
05:16I get how the attitude changed in the building when that guy was in charge, because that is a voice
05:25and a face.
05:26We're not looking at him right now.
05:27A voice and a face that makes you go, yes, sir.
05:30Okay.
05:31And do as told.
05:32Yeah.
05:33Good Lord, man.
05:34Every time I would get in the press box elevator and he'd be in there with me, I felt like
05:39I had to stand up straight.
05:40Right.
05:40And I don't play.
05:41I don't work for him.
05:43I'm just in an elevator with the guy.
05:45And it's like, all right, Yarmo's over there and I've got to be all tidied up here because this guy
05:51is, he's like a, he's like, you said he's like a Bond villain, but he's a hockey genius guy.
05:58And I mean, it's pretty cool to have that guy in charge coming from where we did, which I think
06:03at least on the front facing side, there were moments that certainly felt more like a cartoon character than a
06:10Bond villain.
06:11All right.
06:11Peace and love.
06:12Back to Yarmo.
06:13So we got to understand that, that we want to play for two months after the regular season.
06:17First, you got to get there.
06:19So it starts from, from game one.
06:21And we don't want to rely on putting it together a streak like we did last year.
06:26That's hard to repeat.
06:27So let's start game one, be consistent, be better than we were last year because it's going to be real
06:34competitive in the Atlantic division.
06:36It's going to be real competitive in the Eastern Conference.
06:40So we better be ready.
06:41How does the shorter camp affect your preparations as a team?
06:46Well, you got less, probably less opportunity for, for guys that wanted to come to camp and show that they
06:54can make the team.
06:54I think that we have a pretty good idea of who should be on the 23-man roster.
07:01Obviously, that can change.
07:03First day can change things.
07:05Second, exhibition games can change things.
07:07But there's a lot less opportunity to show in a real game situation that, you know, if they wanted that
07:14opportunity to try to make the team, it's, it's a, it's a shorter, smaller window to show us.
07:19That's, I think that changes things.
07:22And since the coaching staff has a little bit less of a, of a, an opportunity to work on systems
07:28and stuff, we sort of have to get right at it rather than having two, three different groups and work
07:35on this stuff first.
07:36And then once we get closer to the regular season, now we can work on the systems and narrow it
07:41down with our roster.
07:42I think we have to get right at it right away because it's two weeks away from, from being in
07:49the first game of the regular season.
07:50Jeremy, you've had an off-season to work on the roster, craft this new team, and think about the goal
07:56that you want to do for the season.
07:57But what does the team need to do to continue its success this year, be a playoff contender, and continue
08:04that consistency?
08:06Well, I think the same, same as what we did last year.
08:08It's not just the talent and the skill that's going to get us there.
08:11We need to compete.
08:12We can never be outworked.
08:14That's, that's one of the things that is unacceptable.
08:17No matter how much talent or skill you have, you can't get outworked.
08:21So I think that once we started getting some success and, and understanding that that's, that's how you get there.
08:28I think there was more buy-in within the team that, okay, the, this is, this is the recipe.
08:33We compete.
08:34We were relentless.
08:36We're, we never give up, no matter what the lead the other team might have.
08:40And, um, never say die, so I, I think that paid off.
08:44And that's how we started putting together the, the winning streak.
08:47And, and they saw that it worked.
08:49I think they should be still thinking that the same recipe will work.
08:52And with the biggest off season, um, over the summer, questions have revolved around Connor Hellebo.
08:59Every time his name is mentioned in, in demanding a trade, um, the Sabres are mentioned.
09:06What can you say about that and can it serve as a distraction?
09:11Oh, I really don't know, to be honest with you.
09:14I don't, I have never told anybody in the media about any of the talks with other general managers.
09:21So I don't know where it comes from, but that's, that's the, uh, the world we live in.
09:25There's going to be rumors and, and you can't let it affect you.
09:28And, and there's going to be individual players from our team that are going to be in the rumors.
09:33Some may be where I've never even mentioned their name to the other teams.
09:37And that's the world we live in.
09:39So you just got to understand.
09:42Sometimes I have conversations with the players.
09:44If it's a young player in particular, whose name is in the, uh, in the trade rumors.
09:48I say, listen, I've never mentioned your name to the other team, but then again, Wayne Gretzky got traded.
09:52So, you know, someday you might get traded, but it's, um, if, if you start reacting to all the rumors,
09:59I think that's all I could do all day.
10:02That was the case.
10:03And, you know, I've, I've been told about the rumors.
10:05I've seen some of the rumors.
10:07I'll just say my same boring answer where anytime we have an opportunity to, to try to make our team
10:14better, we're going to look at it and make phone calls and consider and have internal meetings about it and,
10:19and see if it goes anywhere.
10:21If not, then we'll, we'll continue.
10:24And if we can make a trade to make our team better, we will.
10:27So that doesn't say the rumors are all bunk and not true though.
10:31I'm commenting one way, the other.
10:33How do you deal with this particular situation with such a prominent name being out there and your team, such
10:41a prominent team being mentioned?
10:43How do you deal with your three goalies wondering from day to day, you know, if Connor Allebuck's walking in
10:50the door?
10:50Well, I just deal with them internally where we've said all along, whether it's in our internal conversations or conversations
10:58with anybody else.
10:59We thought our goaltending was really good last year.
11:01We thought that we had three really good goalies, all performed career with career numbers, gave us a lot of
11:08wins.
11:09I thought they played great.
11:11Can they be better?
11:12Absolutely.
11:12Everybody on our team can be better.
11:14And that should be a goal of any ambitious professional hockey players to get better every day.
11:20And the day they think they can't anymore, they should just retire and go enjoy life.
11:25Are you kidding?
11:26I honestly, honestly think so.
11:27But, but yeah, it's, but it's, it's part of being a professional understanding that there's always going to be rumors.
11:34And that's, it's life in the NHL.
11:39Are you comfortable carrying three goalies again on the roster?
11:41You mentioned that in May, at the end of the season.
11:44Is that something you're comfortable with, using three roster spots again?
11:47Right now we are, yeah.
11:49It could change at some point.
11:51If somebody takes off and starts taking the net for like a number one goalie where he's playing great and
11:59getting 60 games and the other two guys are not getting enough games, it does take a roster spot.
12:04So we have to think of all the different things that it affects with our plans.
12:09But right now, it worked great last year.
12:13We talked to all of them individually without having them in the same room.
12:19And they all said that it worked great.
12:21They pushed each other.
12:22They, they loved working together.
12:25And so there was no distractions.
12:28No, nobody felt like it was, it was not a good situation.
12:32So right now we're going to go with it.
12:34And, and at some point it could change.
12:38That I found interesting from Yarmul about the three goalie rotation.
12:42I think that last season, it was a lot of this worked.
12:46So this is what we're doing.
12:47That sounded a little bit like we wouldn't mind somebody to just end that for us.
12:53Like Hellebuck or just Lukanen, like, or just somebody be good enough.
12:58Yeah.
12:58And I think maybe that's a little bit of, we saw what the result of that was in the playoffs
13:04and we didn't like it.
13:05And we want to have a guy that we can just play all the time.
13:09And I think that, that to me sounded like a, a very small, but significant departure from their message last
13:17season about the three goalie rotation.
13:19That tells me they, they, they would prefer to have a one, a number one goaltender.
13:26And I wasn't sure of that last year.
13:27Last year, I think it worked so well in the regular season for them that they might think this might
13:32be the new sort of savvy way to do this thing.
13:35And I don't, that quote there made me hesitate on that.
13:39Yeah.
13:39And I mean, what you're hearing is, yeah, it worked.
13:41It's fine.
13:42But that doesn't necessarily mean we're going to keep doing it.
13:45Right.
13:45Um, you know, we don't need to solve it.
13:47It's not a problem we need to solve in the moment, but, uh, you know, there's a, there's a solution
13:52that could come along that we wouldn't mind.
13:54He's not locked into this is the way to do it.
13:57Right.
13:57It's just, that's where we are right now.
13:59So that makes sense.
14:00Yep.
14:01We'll get Noah signed before yesterday's deadline.
14:04How long is that in the works and how important was it to get that eighth year?
14:09We're, we always talk about these things, whether we get a guy sign or, or we'll sign or not, we
14:15always project as far as seven, eight years ahead of where we think our guys are going to go with
14:21their hockey career and therefore what they're going to get paid and what that's going to look like with the
14:26cap and all that.
14:28So, um, we feel that he's going to be one of the core pieces moving forward with, with, uh, our,
14:34our team getting better and better.
14:35Um, you've all seen what's happened with some of the, uh, the salaries in the league, uh, this off season.
14:44So I think that that was part of the reason why we wanted some cost certainty to, to, um, to
14:50know where we're, where we're heading, how we're building, how we're moving forward with the, uh, with the cap situation
14:56and all.
14:56So, but, um, even though it's, it's, uh, it could seem like a short window to see what he's done
15:04in the, in the NHL, he was a first round pick for a reason.
15:08And, uh, his biggest strength is his, is his here.
15:12His hockey sense is incredible, like great for us last year, even though it wasn't that many games.
15:18We really, really believe in him and we think he's only going to get better.
15:22So just like with, with, uh, Josh Doan and Zach Benson, we wanted to get ahead of it so that
15:28we have these guys locked up in our core.
15:31And we have costs certainly known where their contract is going to be at for, for many, many years.
15:36How did you feel about how Noah showed up?
15:38I know you were hoping to see some physical development from some of the, those young guys.
15:43How did you feel about how he reported?
15:45Good, good.
15:46I actually went to see him in Stockholm.
15:47I watched him, uh, work out in the gym for hour and a half and, and, uh, you know, talk
15:54to him about it.
15:55And he's done a good job this summer.
15:57He's put on some, some, uh, weight in the form of muscle, which is good and which is what we
16:03wanted.
16:04And, uh, it's only going to help him.
16:06And I, I've seen, I've seen a lot of, uh, players with the type of body that he has, the
16:12type of hockey sense he has.
16:13And, and how they change with the work they put in and their bodies change.
16:18And all of a sudden they're men and, and, and strong.
16:21And in addition to their ability to, to read the game and the instincts they have.
16:27So I'm excited about the potential of the, yes.
16:30I really am.
16:31Sorry.
16:33Yarmul went to go watch him work out in Stockholm.
16:37Yeah, that's what a Bond villain would do.
16:39Right.
16:40Like, what?
16:41I, I, I appreciate that it was probably not just a trip to go watch him work out.
16:46But.
16:46You sure?
16:47Sitting there to watch a guy work out for an hour and a half is hilarious and psychotic.
16:54Describe your general manager to me.
16:56Um, intense.
16:56Yeah.
16:57I would say intense.
16:58It'd be one, one term I would use.
17:00Gracious.
17:01I mean, imagine being ostling and knowing like you're maybe going to negotiate a contract
17:04in three months and like, oh, he's going to come.
17:07Oh, he doesn't even want to watch me play.
17:09He just wants to watch me like lift weights.
17:11Okay.
17:12Workout could be on the ice.
17:13I guess.
17:13Yeah.
17:14Yes, it could, but.
17:16It didn't sound like that.
17:17It sounded like him staring at him.
17:19Like running off your shirts.
17:20Yeah.
17:21You know?
17:21What, what, what'd you do?
17:23Yeah.
17:23How you looking?
17:24Yeah.
17:24Let's, let's take a break and we'll come right back with more of Jarmo Kekalainen from
17:29down at the arena today.
17:31Sabres season opener is October 1st, but there are four preseason games before that, including
17:37the first one at the Penguins on Monday.
17:39Then they're home against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday at the Red Wings on Thursday, home
17:43against the Penguins on Saturday.
17:45Four games in six days for preseason games in six days leading up to a five or six day
17:52break.
17:53And then October 1st is the opener home or excuse me on the road at the Columbus Blue
17:59Jackets timeout.
18:00It's Owen Parker and Brad writer WGR middays driven by Northtown Automotive.
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