When I began this process, there were a lot of priorities I needed to weigh.

I wanted to be in a place where I believed the team would be competitive. It's a long commitment, so being comfortable in the community was important. And, of course, I thought about my family and considered their opinions.

Once the season ended and I had time to step away and reflect, I felt that the Sabres checked all those boxes.

We didn't reach our goals as a team last season. That was disappointing. But, coming into a new locker room, a new community, a new organization - all those adjustments felt positive.

Going into last season, I knew Kyle Okposo a bit from summer workouts. Other than that, I came into Buffalo with no personal relationships. I got to know a group of people who left me feeling confident about the direction of the organization.

It starts with our captain. I'm excited to be able to play with Jack for a long time. He's one of the top centermen in the league, which is a nice thing to have as a winger.

But what's amazing is that Jack is still so young. He's only going to get better. That goes without saying, in my opinion.

I think that way about a lot of the young players on our team. With the pieces that we have now and the development of some of our younger players, I believe we have a chance to be consistently competitive for a long time.

It will be fun to see how Ralph Krueger helps us reach the next level. Before I even had the chance to speak with him, I had a few different people reach out and tell me about their positive experiences with him. Our conversation on the phone seemed to confirm all those things.

He's obviously a great leader, and his resume speaks for itself. What stood out from our conversation was how excited he was to be in Buffalo. I think his excitement is genuine and reflects the feeling we have as players.