The veteran winger scored 24 goals last season before being bought out
After buying out the final three years of Jeff Skinner’s contract in June, the question frequently asked of Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams was how would he replace the veteran winger’s offensive production.
Throughout the summer, the Sabres had been rumored to be connected to a number of forwards in free agency and in potential trades, but on the opening day of training camp on Wednesday, Adams indicated that he is looking at younger players within the organization to score those goals.
"When you look at did we fill the spot or not in terms of goals, I think part of that goes to the young core and the players we have,” Adams said. “We believe (they) will take steps, and for me, the talent is there. Now it's how do we make sure we're playing the right way and we're doing all those little things that help our team improve, and the players improve individually, and we feel confident that they will."
The two most likely candidates are 19-year-old Zach Benson and 20-year-old Jiri Kulich. Benson surprised many by staying with the Sabres all of last season, and while playing consistently as a two-way player as a rookie, he scored just 11 goals in 71 games and had long stretches when he did not produce. Kulich had another successful World Junior performance for Czechia and a second straight 20+ goal campaign for the Rochester Americans but went into a prolonged slump after returning from Sweden in January.
Head coach Lindy Ruff is excited by Kulich’s potential and tools but recognizes that he may not be ready, even after an impressive performance at the club’s Prospect Challenge last weekend.
"His work ethic (at the prospect tournament) I thought was really good." Ruff said. "He's got a bullet for a shot, you can't teach that......I was impressed with the skating. I was impressed with his level of strength in one-on-one battles and keeping guys at bay."
Both youngsters skated with the first group at practice on Wednesday. That group is expected to travel to Europe next week and open the regular season against New Jersey in Prague on October 4 - 5, but it will be an ongoing question whether either can replace Skinner in the Sabres top-six.
