BUFFALO – Marc Bergevin has spent his first days as the Sabres’ associate general manager getting up to speed on an organization he only knew from afar.
As he worked as a senior advisor for the Los Angeles Kings, Bergevin, 60, said he knew the Sabres possessed a talent-laden roster.
“But why they haven’t made the playoffs?” he asked. “… They have good players. There’s a reason why, and … it’s impossible to tell unless you’re inside the day-to-day (operations).
“That’s one of the reasons they brought me here, to give my views of where the team’s at and where they need to be.”
Right now, having won 13 of their last 15 games entering Wednesday’s contest against the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center, the Sabres have found a good spot. Entering Tuesday’s games, they held the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot.
New GM Jarmo Kekalainen hired Bergevin and assistant GM Josh Flynn on Dec. 21, in the midst of the 10-game win streak the Sabres began under former GM Kevyn Adams.
Of course, Bergevin sees that franchise-tying run as a positive. Still, he knows it’s a small sample size.
“I’m trying to stay levelheaded as far as where we’re at and where we need to be,” he said following Tuesday’s practice. “And we’re not there yet.”
Bergevin said his nine-year run as GM of the Montreal Canadiens taught him an assistant or associate GM must “give an honest opinion” and “be up front.”
“You have to trust your instinct and you have to be patient, especially with young players,” he said. “But at some point, nobody knows your player more than people in place. So that’s what I learned over the years.”
Bergevin, a hockey lifer, played 1,191 NHL games as a defenseman with eight teams over 20 seasons.
He began his post-playing career working for the Chicago Blackhawks, first as a scout before moving up to director of player personnel and assistant GM. He won the Stanley Cup in his player personnel role in 2010.
Shortly after Bergevin took over the Canadiens in 2012, Kekalainen took over as GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“Over the years at GM meetings, we hung out,” said Bergevin, who led the Canadiens to the 2021 Cup final. “Jarmo’s a guy that’s very active on the phone, and so was I, so we got a lot of discussion about players. That’s how we got to know each other.”
What’s it like to negotiate a trade with Kekalainen? Not easy, Bergevin said.
“Jarmo is black and white, he never led you on the wrong path,” he said. “You knew within the first 10 minutes there was something that could make sense for both teams.”
Bergevin met the Sabres on Jan. 3 in Columbus after serving as GM of Canada’s entry at the Spengler Cup in Switzerland and watching the World Junior Championship in Minnesota.
As GM at the Spengler Cup, Bergevin worked alongside Stacy Roest, who served as Canada’s associate GM, for the first time.
The Sabres on Tuesday hired Roest, 51, as a pro scout.
Roest spent 11 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, serving as director of player development and later assistant GM. He won the Cup in 2020 and 2021.
His roles also included duty as GM of the Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate.
Roest played 244 NHL games as a forward with the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild over five seasons.
“When I got here, one of the things Jarmo mentioned is our need (for) more coverage on the pro side,” Bergevin said. “So he ran Syracuse. He was in player development, but since last year he hasn’t worked because Tampa let him go.”
Roest lives near Vancouver, so he gives the Sabres some much-needed coverage out west.
“We’re kind of spread thin on the pro side, we felt, and bringing Stacy (in) brings us that element,” Bergevin said.