In the end, Ullmark stayed, and he blamed himself for the result after allowing 16 goals in a three-game sweep against Syracuse.

"Obviously, that was a tough situation at that point," Taylor recalled. "You respect the hell out of a guy who does that. His character has never been in question with me. I know him as a guy in the room that all he cares about is wherever he puts that sweater on he’s for that team. That’s the way he played for us last year."

Ullmark's personal loss was not revealed until the Sabres released a video this season in which he spoke of the playoff defeat. Rather than suppressing his sadness, Ullmark said, he wishes now that he had expressed his emotions and made more time for family. He realized the value of such introspection last offseason, he said, when former Sabres teammate Robin Lehner spoke publicly about seeking counseling for mental health and addiction. Lehner is having a breakout season with the New York Islanders.