The Buffalo Sabres are rolling-and not just on the ice. With a red-hot 19-3-1 record over their last 23 games, the team is playing with the kind of swagger that’s been missing in Buffalo for years. And if you ask Josh Doan, some of that competitive fire is spilling over into the locker room poker games.
Doan, fresh off signing a seven-year, $48.7 million contract extension, joined the 32 Thoughts podcast this week and gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at one of hockey’s oldest traditions: the team card game. It turns out, the Sabres’ poker table is just as intense as their forecheck.
“I think right now, honestly, Ryan McLeod might be the leader,” Doan said when asked who’s got the best poker face in the room. “It might even go in the opposite direction-you can't tell if he's being serious or not, and it gets guys in trouble quite a bit.
I think it's his strength at the poker table. You don't know for sure if he has it.
Nine times out of 10 he does, but then the one time you fold, he doesn’t-and it's quite frustrating.”
That kind of unpredictability? It’s pure McLeod.
The same calm, composed demeanor that makes him a steady presence on the ice seems to translate perfectly to the felt. And in a room full of ultra-competitive NHLers, that kind of edge doesn’t go unnoticed.
“This is going to cause some turbulence in the room,” Doan added with a grin. “I think everyone thinks they're a good player on our team. I don't know if any of us are actually good.”
Doan also gave a nod to center Peyton Krebs, whose poker game mirrors his on-ice style-disciplined, relentless, and a little bit annoying (in the best way possible).
“Krebsy plays the most by-the-book poker,” Doan said. “I think guys give him a hard time for that. He’ll play by how you should play.”
It’s a lighthearted glimpse into a locker room that’s clearly having fun-and why wouldn’t they be? The Sabres have caught fire since mid-December, and the vibes are as strong as the forecheck.
But the team’s resurgence isn’t just about chemistry or card games. There’s been a seismic shift in the front office, and it’s already paying dividends.
Enter Jarmo Kekalainen.
The longtime NHL executive took over as Buffalo’s general manager after Kevyn Adams was let go, and according to those around the organization, he wasted no time setting a new tone. Known for his ultra-competitive nature-there’s even a story about him refusing to believe a less-athletic exec could outrank him in pickleball-Kekalainen brought a no-nonsense attitude that clearly resonated with the Sabres’ core.
Tage Thompson, one of the franchise’s cornerstone players, recalled the new GM’s first meeting with the team.
“You are all pretty much expendable, and no one is safe,” Thompson remembered him saying. “We are going to start working, and if you don’t want to work, you’re not gonna be on the team.”
That message landed. Hard.
And since then, Buffalo has looked like a different squad-faster, tougher, more relentless. The compete level has gone through the roof, and it’s not just lip service.
The Sabres are backing it up with results, night after night.
Yes, the roster was largely assembled by the previous regime. But there’s no denying the impact of the leadership change.
Sometimes, a new voice and a new standard can unlock something that’s been sitting just beneath the surface. That’s exactly what seems to be happening in Buffalo.
The Sabres haven’t punched their postseason ticket just yet, and there’s still plenty of hockey left to play. But for the first time in a long time, there’s real belief in that locker room.
They’re competing like a playoff team. They’re carrying themselves like a playoff team.
And whether it’s battling for pucks or bluffing with a pair of twos, this group is showing it’s not afraid to go all-in.
Buffalo’s back-and they’re not just playing to win. They’re playing with purpose.