The process for Dan Bylsma and Tim Murray in Buffalo will not be an easy one.
The Sabres were, after all, the worst team in the NHL last season - whether intentionally or not - and despite a plethora of young talent filling the pipeline, it will be no small feat to turn Buffalo back into one of the NHL's powerhouse franchises.
Still, Bylsma says he's ready for the challenge and, more importantly, excited by the opportunity to work with players like Evander Kane and the not-yet-a-Sabre, but almost-certain-to-be-a-Sabre, Jack Eichel, who he coached as an assistant with the American team at the IIHF World Championships in Prague.
"Right away in the tournament - versus Finland, versus Russia - he showed he could play against men, 16-18 minutes," Bylsma said, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.ca. "There were times he skated right by them...special plays from a special player."
Per Friedman, Bylsma was especially impressed by Eichel's performance against Montreal Canadiens forward Tomas Plekanec, a player Bylsma knows all too well from his time with Pittsburgh, in the bronze medal game.
"From what we know, (Eichel's) power numbers are extremely good," said Bylsma. "His vertical, again from what we know, would be the second-best among the Sabres...so there's a powerful base. He still needs to work on strength and to get bigger, but what he generates is an enormous amount of power. The way he can accelerate, you don't see someone do that every day."
Kane and Eichel, once he's drafted, are likely to be paired on the top unit together in Buffalo.
Kane, who Bylsma sat down with for three hours after taking the Sabres job, per Friedman, likes to carry the puck, a duty usually reserved for the center, potentially creating a sticky situation if Eichel feels more comfortable controlling the pace of attack.
While Bylsma conceded that it could be an issue, he seemed mostly excited at the proposition of finding a way to perfectly pair the bruising Kane and the uber-talented Eichel.
"If that can work, imagine it coming at you."
Kane's time as a Winnipeg Jet ultimately ended in disappointment and it will be up to both he and Bylsma to turn around a once-promising NHL career that has been rockier than expected to date.
Eichel, the almost-assured second-overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, finished his first season at Boston University with 26 goals, 45 assists and a plus-51 rating. Were it not for Connor McDavid, he'd likely be the top pick in the June draft.
For a Sabres team desperate to return to relevancy, Eichel's development and Kane's redemption will be key storylines to follow in the coming seasons. It will be up to Bylsma, who said he spent his season out of the NHL coaching ranks reviewing tape, studying tendencies and questioning his own approach, to find a way to bring it all together and create a consistent winner in Buffalo.
