Could any team be enjoying themselves more than the Buffalo Sabres right now?
The Sabres have experienced an unparalleled, dramatic, and positive transformation in their locker room atmosphere within the NHL. Earlier in the season, the team faced multiple challenges, including player injuries, discontent from their home crowd, and the dismissal of their general manager.
However, since that change in leadership, the Sabres have performed like one of the league’s top teams. Numerous players have expressed that this is the most enjoyable hockey they’ve ever played. After enduring significant difficulties together, the group has developed a strong bond and is relishing their current success.
To offer a glimpse into their true personalities, we conducted a survey featuring a series of off-ice questions.
“My brain hasn’t worked like this since I was in school,” Josh Norris commented while responding to the questions.
“You can put this in there. My answers are to inflict as much pain on the other guys as possible,” Alex Lyon added playfully.
In total, 23 Sabres players participated in the poll. Players acquired at the trade deadline and those on injured reserve were not included. For some questions, multiple responses were permitted, which accounts for tallies exceeding 23. The second part of this survey will be published later this week.
With the NHL’s updated relaxed dress code, players now have considerably more freedom to showcase their individual fashion sense. While some dedicate more effort than others, it’s evident that Tage Thompson takes exceptional pride in his attire.
“Outside of me?” Thompson quipped when asked to name the best-dressed Sabres player.
Alex Tuch noted, “Tommer wants to say it’s him.”
Josh Doan confirmed, “He’s convinced it’s him.”
Michael Kesselring joked, “Hopefully no one said Tage.”
Despite the teasing, Thompson did receive several votes in this category.
Norris observed, “Tommer is very into that. I like his style. I think it’s cool, it’s different.”
Rasmus Dahlin acknowledged, “Tommer has stepped up his game this year. I have to give respect to him for putting in effort.”
Mattias Samuelsson ultimately emerged as the clear winner in this category, even earning a vote from Thompson himself. Jason Zucker, a veteran who still prefers wearing a suit, was pleased to discover he had garnered enough votes for second place.
“OK, so every once in a while, they still understand what a suit is?” Zucker remarked.
At 20 years old, Zach Benson is a frequent target for his teammates, and this survey proved no exception. He became the default answer for many players. However, other contenders, including Owen Power, also received strong opinions.
“He doesn’t care,” Norris stated. “He’ll just wear what’s comfortable. He’ll just show up to the game in sweatpants. That’s just what he rocks. I kind of love it.”
“OP by a mile,” Zucker declared. “It’s not even close. If anyone said anyone other than OP, there’s issues. Could be (Benson), too, actually. He’s probably a close second.”
Power expressed no surprise at being mentioned in connection with this topic.
A few players eagerly cast their votes for Thompson, well aware of how much pride he takes in his personal style.
“Is that consensus?” Benson questioned. “He’s the worst. 100 percent.”
“Probably Krebsie voted that,” Thompson speculated. “He’s a horrible dresser.”
Peyton Krebs did indeed receive a vote in this category, though it was not from Thompson.
“Krebsie with the cowboy boots,” Noah Östlund said with a grin.
Road trips are often where team bonds are forged over shared meals. With numerous large contracts on the team, there are many potential candidates to cover the dinner bill.
“We usually play for it,” Thompson revealed.
As might be expected, the highest-paid players typically take the lead in this regard.
“Dahlin,” Östlund said. “He’s done it a couple times for me, so I have to say him.”
“Not Ras,” Samuelsson interjected with a grin.
“I have to give it to OP,” Benson said. “He picks it up every time I go out with him.”
“Thompson’s really good about that,” Zach Metsa commented.
Ryan McLeod also garnered a few votes, including one for himself.
Tuch was ultimately named the winner, but Dahlin provided a crucial clarification for his vote.
“Tuch runs the team fund,” Dahlin explained. “So it’s not his money, but he pays for it.”
The more entertaining question revolved around who is least likely to cover the dinner tab on the road. This category saw a landslide victory. Before I could even inform Krebs that he was a popular choice, he confessed himself.
“I probably got some answers for this one, eh?” Krebs admitted.
“For a reason!” Östlund retorted.
“I bet Krebsie got a few votes for this one, didn’t he?” Lyon anticipated.
To be fair to Krebs, his $1.45 million cap hit is relatively modest compared to some of his teammates.
Zucker, meanwhile, targeted players with larger contracts.
“Norris is pretty cheap, but I’m going to say OP is up there,” Zucker said.
“Don’t put OP,” Bowen Byram protested. “That’s crazy.”
Even the team’s highest-paid player couldn’t escape this question.
“Dahls is in there,” Thompson revealed. “Sneaky.”
“I’ll put a vote in for Dahlin,” Lyon stated. “He needs to come down a notch.”
Kesselring mentioned that Doan was a top contender in this category early in the season, but his recent contract signing is expected to change that.
“We told him he has to work on that now,” Kesselring confirmed.
The team group chat serves as an indispensable communication tool for NHL teams. Therefore, it might not be surprising that Zucker, the team’s veteran, is actually the most active participant.
“Mine is s— that has to get done for the team,” Zucker explained. “ It’s not because I want to send text messages to the group. I’m not sending like, ‘Hey, what are you guys doing today?’ It’s, ‘Hey, we have this to do today.’”
“Yeah, sure, whatever he says,” Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen responded skeptically.
Benson added, “Zucker’s team dad stuff, but he’s ringing the group chat all the time.”
Benson received a vote from Byram, who clarified that Benson’s activity typically occurs after he’s had a drink or two, presumably when north of the border.
“He doesn’t say a word until he has a couple beers, then he’s popping off in the group chat every time,” Byram said with a laugh.
While some players claimed the group chat isn’t very active, Kesselring pointed out that Byram and McLeod are frequently involved.
“The two of them together,” Kesselring noted. “They’re always getting it going.”
We only witness a small fraction of the locker room interactions between players, and this question brought that to light. When asked who the funniest player on the team is, McLeod received a significant number of votes.
“It’s not even close,” Tuch asserted.
“You guys don’t see it,” Dahlin added.
“He’s Mr. Fun Guy in the locker room,” Lyon remarked. “He’s a smart guy, too, so it’s not stupid funny. It’s smart funny.”
Byram was another strong contender, and a joint vote was even cast for the two of them together.
“Quinn, McLeod and Byram together is a lot,” Kesselring observed. “Clouder is a jokester. Quinn is quiet, but Clouder and Byram are the loud ones.”
“We have a lot of guys who can crack you up pretty good,” Beck Malenstyn said. “Clouder and Bysie are more like stupid funny. They’ll say something outrageous. Sammy is more when he’s going to say something to make you laugh, he’s going to get you every time.”
“Samuelsson is low key one of the funniest guys,” Norris added.
Zucker attempted to differentiate between players who amuse him and those who are genuinely funny.
“There’s funny, and then there’s dumb funny,” Zucker explained. “Dumb funny is like (Colten) Ellis and Benson. But funny would be Samuelsson and Bo for me. Maybe Greener (Jordan Greenway). McLeod would be in there. He’s a character.”
“We have a lot of characters,” Thompson concurred.
Byram, meanwhile, offered a dark-horse honorable mention.
“Osty, too!” he exclaimed. “Osty is low-key funny.”
This particular topic truly stirred things up. Like most teams across the league, the Sabres have a group of players who engage in “sewer ball” as a pre-game warm-up. Players form a circle and have two touches to keep a soccer ball airborne. A mistake results in elimination. The team leaderboard for this game has been a hotly debated subject in the locker room all season.
“This is a hot topic,” Dahlin declared. “Wow.”
“This is a big debacle,” Norris added.
“This is an ongoing debate,” Tuch stated. “Most skill is probably Dahls. Best sewer player is probably McLeod. I don’t play, but this is what I hear.”
“I would say Ras,” Kesselring offered. “He definitely has the most skill, but guys go after him, so it’s tough on him.”
Both Dahlin and McLeod cast votes for themselves, and several players also voted for Dahlin, McLeod, and Jack Quinn.
“There’s only two of us that play in flip flops, Doan and myself,” Malenstyn noted. “You have to think that challenge puts us up there. Realistically, McLeod. He’s the consistent best. We seem to have a lot of guys who argue they have the most skill, but they don’t win very often.”