“It’s An Ongoing Battle” | Buffalo Sabres Coach Don Granato Gives Updates On Skinner, Frustrations

“It’s An Ongoing Battle” | Buffalo Sabres Coach Don Granato Gives Updates On Skinner, Frustrations

You I know you’re waiting for results from Jeff Jeff’s uh Imaging and stuff but how worried are you that it might be a little bit or do you just don’t know until until you get the Imaging yeah we we won’t know until we get the Imaging

And then the final doctors uh you know look at it and assessment but um it doesn’t look like it’s going to be long that’s the hope and uh we can only stick to that right now how Kyle was much better today I’ll have another conversation with him I talked to him a

Little bit before he got off and talked to our medical team uh and Vic uh similar getting back into it um they both were good today today was a big day for him you you haven’t handed out letters when guys have been out but on Saturday Alex

Got one clearly meant a lot to him why did you why did you guys do that just uh you know I think it’s it’s been he’s been here a while I think guys he’s a fit he just fits that um and it was uh you know just a fit in so many different

Ways I could go on and on and on but uh but it was a fit and it was you know um lots of other guys are are very uh good leaders for us there’s some some really good leaders in that room as I mentioned

A week ago to Paul I rattled off five or six guys um and and obviously Alex is in that category as well uh you know we have guys that have different personalities that lead different ways and I think uh you know there’s guys in lots of guys in the lock room that look

Up to Alex and that was probably the most important I know there’s a couple of years of you know examples that he set for the team that leads that decision but that what he did in Montreal also play into it just playing through sickness and the

Way that he played and kind of dragged you guys into you know into the fight a lot of times yeah I mean what he you know he played under the weather in Montreal that was that was big but you know we were already thinking of it

Prior to that um because of so many other things he he has he has so many good qualities obviously and he’s a great communicator so so for me and and the coaches he’s a help in that regard um and he communicates well to his team

And teammates and um he’s got a lot of experience and he works hard and again I could go on and on about about why so many reasons uh it was an easy decision at that end and you mentioned the Montreal that was a heck of a job by him

In Montreal uh do you expect for Ryan Johnson to be in tomorrow and what could he gain from just a couple of games watching from a different perspective you know he’s a young player so you know anytime you you do have a different perspective it usually does help you and

Uh yes I would expect he’ll be in tomorrow although that decision isn’t final yet but uh but yeah when you have sickness kind of going around your room and a couple of more than a couple of guys have been sick do you guys do anything different in there are there

Any different protocols that maybe you follow to try to stop that from getting to more players yeah I mean we do we’ve obviously kept guys home kept guys a distance some guys wear you know wear masks a little bit um but our training room does I think a really good job of

Um you know it’s been a slow spread we haven’t fortunately haven’t had 10 guys out at the same time but it seems like it’s three or four and it’s been you know unfortunately alternating and obviously these guys live their lives and it’s in our community and it’s it’s

It’s all over the place uh this time of the year uh but but it uh you know the fact that we haven’t had 10 10 in one time is is actually a good thing um we’ve we’ve had to manage some other you know smaller um deals and guys are still fighting

Through it in playing which is great and um yeah so so yes we do adjust there were times last night where guys played frustrated I know that’s not something you want to see did you feel the need that you had to address it quickly since you get a team coming in tomorrow that

Likes to frustrate opponents in in more ways than one yeah I mean it’s it’s this is not a not real conducive good does not come from being frustrated really um so so it is a it’s an ongoing battle and you know um you have when you have competitive people lots of times that’s

The case they get frustrated faster so you know you’ve got you’ve got to manage it every day you got to manage it that’ll never ever go away because guys demand more and and want more just back to Alex I mean he’s he’s played through a lot this year I he’s been hurt and

He’s he’s starting to get to his kind of normal production what’s allowed him to kind of grind through that and get to his his game I guess yeah I I would think person perseverance uh love of the group in there and the team and the game

Itself you know he’s a guy that’s um collects a lot of energy from others um you know he’s inspired by others and he inspires others and and so he’s always in it he’s always you know he’s never satisfied if he’s not playing the way he

Needs to play and he takes it hard when he’s not because he cares and uh you know it’s it’s he’s gotten healthier obviously he was dealing with a nagging injury that uh that didn’t go away and he played you know under 100% quite a few times and now I think he’s getting

Back to to speed and back to Pace uh you know where he’s more comfortable and more confident as a result

Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato spoke with the media after practice on January 10, 2024. He gave an update on Jeff Skinner’s injury, Alex Tuch wearing an A, and more.

Subscribe to the Buffalo Sabres YT Channel: https://bit.ly/2G1G8eT
For More Sabres Action: https://bufsabres.co/2XAYg5m

#BuffaloSabres #Sabres #NHL

For more Sabres action: Sabres.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/BuffaloSabres
Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/buffalosabres
Follow us on Instagram: Instagram.com/buffalosabres
Follow us on TikTok: https://bufsabres.co/TikTok