Eichel will be in Sabres’ lineup for Monday’s preseason opener

With the Buffalo Sabres opening up training camp on Friday, two players of note weren’t seen when the team took to the ice for the first time in 2015. “When that time comes, if it does come, I’ll make the change from 41 to 15”.

At the end of it all, chemistry between these players with their line mates, as well as with the rest of the team is going to be the most important thing as the season draws near. And I’ve never seen him play live, so that’ll be great.

Although the Sabres are coming off a losing season, in which many people accused them of tanking to the worst spot in the league to guarantee they would receive one of the top two draft picks, the team has a host of fresh talent, including Ryan O’Reilly, a 24-year-old center who the Sabres signed in the off-season.

“We know that there’s a lot that we need to put in place in terms of structure”, Ennis said. This is a duo that I am honestly very excited to see.

“We saw a young kid that maybe would benefit from living with a family”, Moulson said. He said that’s because he didn’t want to assume he’d be in the National Hockey League . “But I’ll be completely watching our (team’s) game”.

“In exhibition, I’m just completely focused on our group”, Yeo said. That’s still the situation.

Bylsma loves that Eichel is taking that approach, even though No. 15 shirts and jerseys are already selling well in the Buffalo area.

Eichel also sounded mature beyond his years about how the Sabres won’t undergo a 180-degree change overnight.

“He is 18, it’s going to be a bit of a learning curve, but he’s a special player for a reason”, defenceman Mike Weber said. With Zemgus Girgensons returning from an ankle injury that ended his 2014-2015 season, the addition of veteran David Legwand, and the solid play of Johan Larsson last season, Reinhart is in for a big test in training camp. “If you’re playing in the game, there’s a reason for it, so you want to make sure you’re using it to prepare yourself”.

It’s a unique pairing with the Sabres traveling to Minnesota not just once, but twice in this seven game exhibition season. “That’s why they drafted me and that’s why they’re giving me this opportunity”.