BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal normally didn’t play together when they were teammates in Carolina, but they will start off as linemates in Buffalo.
Skinner said when he was told that the Sabres traded for Staal in the summer, he thought his dad was joking.
Staal was brought in to give the center position some desperately needed depth as well as to be a mentor to Dylan Cozens, Tage Thompson and Casey Mittelstadt.
Skinner said, “It’s the intangibles that he brings off the ice with leadership and is something we can build off of him.”
There are other intangibles that Staal brings to the arena.
Skinner said, “Any team would take a guy with 1,200 games, and any guy that’s been in the league that long has had success. He’s seen a lot of situations, and he has that experience to draw off of, and he can relate to other guys going through situations.”
At 35, Staal still put up a pace over 82 games of 24 goals and 35 assists for 59 points with Minnesota last season.
Staal still makes players around him better, and Skinner said, “He’s a strong centerman, he’s got a lot of speed, and it’s easy to play off him because you know where he’s going to be, he wins a lot of battles, and with how big and fast he is, he creates a lot of space out there, and that’s always nice when you’re a winger.”
“He’s played in the Olympics, the World Championships, he’s won a Stanley Cup, he’s been the captain and the face of a franchise and all those kind of things play into what he’s able to draw off of and offer to us as teammates.”
I think Skinner felt the pressure of his big contract last season when he only netted 14 goals and 23 points in 59 games. Skinner thinks pressure can’t be measured, so he doesn’t think there’s more or less pressure. He said there’s just a burning desire to compete at the highest level.
Staal has played 62 playoff games and won a Stanley Cup before Skinner got to Carolina. Skinner has played 10 seasons in the NHL and has never tasted the playoffs. He said it’s time to put that streak to bed, “I’m looking forward to that storyline coming to an end. I’m getting older so that window is closing, but I’ve still got some room there.”
Skinner is always talking and always trying to enjoy the moment of playing hockey. The world has suffered a lot of pain since the last time the Sabres played a hockey game thanks to the pandemic. Skinner is just thankful that he can do what he’s doing, “For us to be fortunate enough to be back around the guys playing hockey, it’s exciting.”
Staal has looked very good in two practices with the Sabres, but he said Saturday was much better than Friday.
Staal added, “It’s about moving forward with this group and finding a comfort zone and niche within this group of guys.”
Staal has been around, but the reality of starting with the Sabres has been fresh.
"I’ve felt better than I thought I would," he said. "This is an easy group to integrate with it’s a group that’s seems committed to trying to take another step and I’ve enjoyed it.”
Staal played a little bit with Skinner in Carolina, but not much. He has seen what Skinner is capable of and has full confidence that the winger will rediscover his touch.
“It’s a lot about confidence and with the amount of talent that we have, he should get plenty of opportunity and chances to score," Staal said, "because when he gets his confidence going, you just know he’s going to score, you can just feel that when he gets that chance, it’s going to hit the back of the net.”
The other winger with these two is Sam Reinhart. Reinhart averages 22 goals per season over 82 games, but Staal thinks it can be even better.
“You can see the skill level, the hockey IQ is there and as a centerman you love to play with guys like that. His shot is pretty lethal, but I don’t think he shoots the puck enough, but I’ll try to get that out of him,” Staal said.
Staal was brought here for more than being the center behind Jack Eichel. His leadership will be crucial.
“For me it’s about the details, the day-to-day parts of the process," Staal said. "When you’re in a rut there must be pushback from the group and you have to know that in that next game to dig your way out because it can snowball quickly.”
Ralph Krueger knows a lot about Taylor Hall, but this is his first go-round with Staal. The head coach said, “He’s such a natural leader and such a solid human being so that with solid experience added to the group along with the calm that he has, he’s really nice to be around.”
Victor Olofsson went awkwardly into the post during practice. He was shaking his wrist and did come back to practice, but finally had to leave for good. Krueger said Olofsson was under assessment and he had no information.
Krueger also said Jack Eichel is still-day-to-day and will probably be out at least another day, but the head coach added that there’s no danger that the captain won’t be ready for the season opener.