BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger isn’t mad about players voicing their frustrations about how this season ended, rather he embraces it.
“That there’s pain and anger and that Jack [Eichel] is at the lead of that, that’s a really good sign and it’s very healthy and it also shows that our core has a youth that they’re willing to reach for higher standards. They’re willing to reach and now we need to do the work,” Krueger said Friday on a zoom call with reporters.
Jack Eichel didn’t hold back and said he’s “fed up with he losing” and that’s it’s been a “tough five years” while Rasmus Ristolainen said he doesn’t even know what a winning culture feels like.
Krueger isn’t mad about these comments because he too isn’t happy with how the season ended. But now it’s time to channel those emotions into results.
“I could tell you anything about the past, it’s not really important what I say about the past. It’s the actions that we now take that are going to matter,” Kreuger explained.
The Sabres fell just short of making the 24-team playoff as part of the NHL’s return to play format. That now makes nine straight years that the Sabres have not made the postseason and for most of these young players, they have never gotten a taste of the playoffs including guys like Eichel, Ristolainen, Sam Reinart and the list goes on.
“I like the anger, I have no problem with people outing frustration on the past but then let’s move that conversation forward real quick and let’s figure out what we’re gonna do about it.”
