McLeod aiming to bring winning attitude, experience to Sabres
After reaching the Cup Final with the Oilers, the forward was acquired in a trade and now perceives it as a “great opportunity”.
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Ryan McLeod knows how hard it is to get into and through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After a run to the Cup Final with the Edmonton Oilers last season, he hopes to bring the lessons learned to the Buffalo Sabres.
The 24-year-old forward came to the Sabres with forward Ty Tullio in a trade with the Oilers for forward prospect Matt Savoie on Friday.
On Wednesday, McLeod acknowledged the difficulty of winning. He emphasized the importance of learning this lesson, particularly when it comes to making the playoffs and advancing through each subsequent round. McLeod emphasized that the process becomes increasingly challenging with each step, highlighting the immense effort and hardship required.
In Edmonton, our primary focus was to maintain our confidence at all times. Throughout the playoffs, we consistently aimed to execute impressive plays. Moving forward, I intend to incorporate this mindset even more in the upcoming season.
Buffalo holds the unfortunate NHL record for the longest playoff absence, enduring 13 consecutive seasons without qualifying. However, in the 2022-23 season, there was a glimmer of hope as they came remarkably close to breaking this drought. They finished just one point shy of the Florida Panthers, who secured the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Expectations were high heading into last season, but the Sabres fell short, finishing sixth in the Atlantic Division with a record of 39-37-6. They earned seven fewer points than the previous season, leading to the dismissal of coach Don Granato on April 16. In an attempt to bring back past success, Lindy Ruff, who coached the team when they last made the playoffs in 2011, was hired as his replacement just six days later.
In the previous season, Edmonton secured the second spot in the Pacific Division and successfully made it to the playoffs during McLeod’s four-year tenure with the Oilers. However, prior to their journey to the Cup Final, where they unfortunately lost in a tight seven-game series against Florida, Edmonton had only managed to advance past the second round on one occasion since their last championship victory in 2006. Their notable achievement came in the 2021-22 season when they reached the Western Conference Final.
McLeod stated that the league is highly challenging to achieve victory in, and the room for error is incredibly slim, making those minor details significant. He further added that throughout 82 games, if approached correctly, things will eventually even out.
Buffalo has reshaped its roster in a bid to get the Sabres back into the postseason. In addition to acquiring McLeod, the Sabres signed free agent forwards Jason Zucker, Sam Lafferty and Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and acquired forward Beck Malenstyn in a trade with the Washington Capitals. Each adds speed and grit to the lineup, part of the Sabres’ plan to be harder to play against.
While attending a friend’s wedding and posing for pictures, McLeod received an unexpected call notifying him about the trade. Although he hadn’t anticipated it, he expressed his enthusiasm to join Buffalo, where he might have the opportunity to play as a center on the third line.
He expressed, “The team possesses abundant skill. Additionally, the back end is also filled with skilled players, which I am eager to experience on the ice. There are many adept puck movers and strong skaters. I am curious to discover my role within the team. Compared to Edmonton, they are a younger group. This is incredibly thrilling and promises to be an enjoyable experience.”
Last season, McLeod achieved his career-best with 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 81 games. Additionally, he scored four goals in 24 playoff games. The Oilers drafted McLeod in the second round (No. 40) of the 2018 NHL Draft. Throughout his career, he has accumulated 75 points (32 goals, 43 assists) in 219 regular-season games and 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 56 postseason games.
He is currently focused on enhancing his offensive skills by increasing his shot attempts and striving to reach the net more frequently.
McLeod expressed his enthusiasm about the opportunity, stating, “In my opinion, it’s a fantastic chance. The team there appears to be exceptional, and it seems like they have a wonderful group of individuals as well. Consequently, I’m eagerly anticipating my arrival there and the chance to meet everyone.”
