General Manager Jason Botterill spoke with the media following Monday’s Trade Deadline.
He was very excited about the addition of Brandon Montour and what he brings.
“Montour is excited about our young players we have here and is excited about the style of hockey we play…We felt this was a move that helps our group right now…but someone that can still develop into a better NHL player.” – Botterill
Botterill said he underestimated what Jeff Skinner would bring. He said the players got excited about it and they're excited about Montour too.
— Paul Hamilton (@pham1717) February 25, 2019
GM Botterill: “Montour will be watching tonight’s game…getting on the plane and will be in the lineup against Philadelphia. We’re trying to set him up for success in our organization. He’s excited about coming home.” pic.twitter.com/f7ECHE8nmh
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) February 25, 2019
Botterill then touched on the team’s recent performance and understand why people are disappointed. He made it clear that not winning back-to-back in seemingly forever, but he showed confidence in the group nonetheless:
“We’re happy with what we’ve done. We weren’t getting the results the past couple weeks, but we were pressed and happy with some of the things we were seeing behind the scenes.”
“It’s going to be very difficult getting to the playoffs. This is the next challenge for our group here, it is to find ways to win games in the second half of the season.”
The Sabres take on the Maple Leafs tonight and are back at it against Philadelphia on Tuesday.