The Buffalo Sabres appeared as though they were heading toward another season on the outside looking in at the Stanley Cup Playoffs when they were middling at the .500 mark in mid-December of this past season.
However, upon the termination of general manager Kevyn Adams, the Sabres experienced a historic turnaround, eventually finishing first overall in their division for the first time since 2007 and returning to the postseason for the first time since 2011, ending what was the NHL’s longest active drought. They defeated the divisional rival Boston Bruins in six games in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal before eventually falling to the Montreal Canadiens in seven games in the second round.
There is some concern in Sabres fan circles about how the club will perform in the upcoming campaign, considering the loss of forward Alex Tuch, who is now with the Washington Capitals.
Even so, the season that was is still looked back upon fondly by current Sabres players like Tage Thompson, who recently opened up about the difficulties the club faced before going on their run.
Buffalo Sabres Forward Tage Thompson Opens Up About “Dark Hole” Club Was In
Making an appearance on “Daily Faceoff Live”, Thompson admitted that the club felt as though they were in a “dark hole” upon the termination of Adams.
“I think we were in such a dark hole where anytime your coach or your GMs are on the chopping block, the guys in the room have a sense of responsibility,” Thompson said. “We’re ultimately the ones that are putting them in that position. So there is a sense in that room that it was urgent, it had to be fixed.”
While it was unfortunate to see Adams leave, the players took it as a clear signal that he was the one who paid the price for their performance, and responded in kind.
However, Thompson made it clear that he doesn’t believe that the departure of Adams had anything to do with their almost immediate turnaround.
“It’s unfortunate that Kevyn Adams had to leave, but I don’t think it had anything to do with the run,” Thompson said.
The Sabres Were Eliminated In Game 7 Of The Eastern Conference Semifinal Against The Montreal Canadiens
Thompson and the Sabres, who outlasted the Boston Bruins in the opening round of the postseason in six games, weren’t able to overcome the Canadiens despite staving off elimination with a thrilling 1-0 overtime win on the road in Game 6.
Montreal forward Alex Newhook scored the overtime and series-winning goal in the first overtime session with a dipping shot that eluded the glove of goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Afterward, Thompson summed up the pain the entire room was feeling.
“You look around the room after a loss like that and you feel pain,” Thompson said. “You just see all of the guys and all of the sacrifices and hard work they’ve put into this season, not for themselves but for the guy sitting next to them.
“I think everyone in the room felt like we were winning that game. I don’t really know how else to say it.”
Sabres’ Tage Thompson Doesn’t Hold Back On Kevyn Adams’ Firing