The Sabres' selection of C Jack Eichel at the NHL Draft on Friday night "was the least-suspenseful pick in team history," but there was still "plenty of excitement," according to John Vogl of the BUFFALO NEWS. The team now "has the potential superstar it coveted, and Sabres fans inside the arena cheered wildly as Eichel pulled on a white jersey and put a Sabres cap on his head." Eichel: "The fans and people there, they’re so welcoming and so passionate about hockey. ... Buffalo as a city and the Sabres as a team are heading in a great direction" (BUFFALO NEWS, 6/27). In Buffalo, Mike Harrington wrote Eichel "fits Buffalo" at this point in Sabres history. He "has the potential" to join Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane as "the face of American hockey, at a time when Buffalo is clearly becoming a hub for USA Hockey." Eichel arrives at a time when the city is "undergoing a downtown renaissance" and when its hockey team is "desperate for a renaissance of its own." Eichel is "confident without being cocky." He is "self-assured, but not arrogant." He "speaks clearly, not with the whisper" that Oilers C Connor McDavid, the first-overall pick in the draft, does. Eichel "looks you in the eye," and sometimes he will "even ask you what the heck your question means." Sabres President Ted Black said of Eichel, "Doesn’t have a posse around him, good or bad. That really strikes me -- the level of maturity for a 17- and 18-year-old kid that’s comfortable and confident to get around on his own without the need of adult supervision." Harrington wrote the Sabres had a "bizarro season" in '14-15 "unlike any other we'll ever see." Black said, "We knew we wouldn’t get love letters from anyone because it is a difficult process. If you don’t have the stomach to do a rebuild, you’ll be doing it again in three years" (BUFFALO NEWS, 6/28).
AFTERNOON DELIGHT: Harrington noted the Sabres will have "10 home matinees in First Niagara Center next season," including seven Saturday afternoons with 1:00pm ET starts. That number is "unprecedented in franchise history." Black termed it "an experiment." He added that the decision "was made for hockey reasons in consultation" with GM Tim Murray and "not for marketing." Black: "With the team we have, Tim’s belief is that playing earlier in the day is probably advantageous. For the players that have families, it’s good for them too. They can get home." He added of the feedback he expects, "It’s going to be a mix. There’s no one sentiment. For folks with families, they may say it’s great. For folks that like to go out a lot, they may not be as happy" (BUFFALO NEWS, 6/26).
