BUFFALO, N.Y. — It was a busy week for the Buffalo Sabres front office following the NHL draft, with both free agency and development camp starting up last Wednesday.
General manager Kevyn Adams said he wasn't going to make any splash moves during free agency, but he did bring in a much-needed right-handed veteran defenseman in Ilya Lyubushkin and a goalie in Eric Comrie.
"They fit our needs, but they fit what we wanted too, in people and competitors. We didn't need to do a lot. We're an organization that, I think month to month, week to week," Sabres coach Don Granato said.
"We know we're going to get better by virtue of our age. ... We feel we have the right pieces."
That starts with the 28-year-old Lyubushkin, coming from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not only can he help mentor the Sabres' Russian prospects, he can help the team's young blue line too.
"He's probably more physical than the rest of the group, and I think he'll push guys in that group to be more physical, and I think our young guys will actually learn to pick up some of his traits," Granato said.
"Anytime you put more talent in your lineup and more experience, they'll learn from each other."
Meanwhile, Adams is confident in his goalie pipeline between Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Devon Levi, and possibly Erik Portillo, which is why he signed the 27-year-old Comrie to just a two-year deal after he backed up in Winnipeg last season.
"He's competitive, we know that. He's a worker, we know that. I had one other head coach in the National Hockey League tell me we're going to have to kick him off the ice at practice," Granato said.
"I think he's used the experience over the year of being a backup and being competitive. He's watched, so he's got that appetite for more, and we feel that if we give him more, then all of those ingredients point to a high chance of success."
Still, Comrie has only played in 28 NHL games, maybe presenting a window of opportunity to still see Luukkonen in several Sabres games this season, even with veteran Craig Anderson back in the mix on a one-year deal.