BUFFALO – In his early days with the Chicago Blackhawks, Sabres newcomer Louis Crevier couldn’t settle down. He said he played too nervously, afraid he would make a mistake.
“It was just mental,” the 6-foot-8, 236-pound defenseman said following Friday’s session of training camp in LECOM Harborcenter.
So Crevier, who joined the Sabres on June 23 in the blockbuster trade that sent defenseman Bowen Byram to the Windy City, tackled his problem.
By working closely with Chicago’s mental coach, Crevier said he began “carrying less in a good way.” He learned to relax and put himself in a better place.
“I just went out there and played,” said Crevier, who made his Sabres preseason debut Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets in KeyBank Center.
Freeing his mind allowed Crevier, 25, to generate confidence and unlock his potential.
“That was the best thing that could have happened to me,” he said of the belief he developed in his talents.
Last season, his first full NHL campaign, Crevier set career highs across the board, scoring seven goals and 25 points in 78 games.
Chicago’s generous package to pry Byram from the Sabres certainly raised some eyebrows. How many teams coming off a 109-point season like Buffalo end up with the fourth overall selection?
Acquiring that coveted pick – the Sabres used it to draft defenseman Daxon Rudolph – overshadowed Crevier’s arrival. But the Quebec City native was an integral part of the deal.
“He’s one of those guys that has earned his way, played pretty well for Chicago, and is such a big man (and) covers,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “He gets in the way a lot. I mean, I’ve watched a lot of film on him, watched the way he moves the puck. He can cover a lot of space in a very short period of time. So I think he can be a very valuable piece for us.”
Crevier, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery, has been practicing alongside Conor Timmins during camp, although Ruff said he plans to move the right-handed shots up to play with some of the Sabres’ lefties.
“I’m not going to particularly look at playing them together a lot,” Ruff said. “They may see some shifts together.”
Crevier’s style – “My game is simple,” he said – could complement some of the Sabres’ aggressive defenseman like captain Rasmus Dahlin.
“Hopefully, the guys when I’m there, they know where the puck’s going to go,” Crevier said. “They know what I’m going to do simple plays, hard plays. I think my defensive game is my main attribute, and, yeah, I think I have a pretty good shot as well.
“So I kind of found this last year, and I want to keep on shooting on net whenever I have the chance.”
Ruff said Crevier has “got a bomb for a shot.”
“He’s got some offense in him,” he said. “I think getting puck to the net is a quality he has that can help our team.”
Crevier, a seventh-round pick in 2020, 188th overall, has beaten long odds to crack the NHL, let alone stick. He has played 128 NHL games. The rest of the players drafted in the final round that year have combined for 102 big league appearances.
“It’s, for sure, something I’m proud of to have been drafted in the seventh round and make it here,” Crevier said. “ It’s something I’ve worked a lot on. I think I had great opportunities in Chicago that were offered to me, and I just took them and made the best out of it. …
“Maybe I was a little bit later than others, but I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be right now.”
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With the exception of backup goalie Colten Ellis, the lineup the Sabres dressed for Tuesday’s game is likely the one they field for their season opener Oct. 1 in Columbus.
With only four preseason games and veterans who have played 100 NHL games now limited to just two appearances, Ruff figured he would put his main group together Tuesday against the Blue Jackets’ B team.
Among the 18 skaters, only forward Jiri Kulich played in Monday’s 4-1 road loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Ruff said Kulich, who hadn’t played a game since Nov. 1 as he recovered from a blood clot, will likely play every exhibition contest.
“That’ll be a test, for sure,” Ruff said. “I think a year off of hockey – highly competitive hockey – puts him in a situation to start to get comfortable on ice.”
Kulich skated 19 minutes, 39 seconds in Monday’s loss, the highest among Buffalo’s forwards. Winger Conor Sheary’s injury – he lost a tooth when he was elbowed in the face – forced Kulich to play wing and center, his natural position.
“It was a fake one anyways,” Ruff joked of Sheary’s tooth. “It’s not a real loss.”