It’s been a tough couple decades for the Buffalo Sabres as year after year it seems the team puts forward a disappointing result. In terms of the players, there’s been no one more open, honest, and outspoken about the frustrations that Sabres captain Jack Eichel.

The former #2 overall draft pick hasn’t been afraid to speak his mind in the past, a trait that you don’t see very often in the NHL. For the most part, it seems as though the Sabres faithful respects his honesty, and it’s not like he’s saying anything the rest of the world isn’t thinking anyway.

Whenever Eichel speaks critically, he’s met with the obligatory “Free Jack!” responses. Despite showing clear frustration at times, Eichel maintains that he wants to win with Buffalo.

Now, the Sabres are suddenly in a position where they are more excited to start playing than recent years. Offseason acquisitions of Taylor Hall, Eric Staal, and Cody Eakin seem to have breathed new life into the Sabres, and into Eichel in particular.

As written by NHL.com, Eichel was just as open about his current excitement as he’s been with his criticisms in the past. He gushed over some of the moves incoming GM Kevyn Adams has made in a way that seems to be very genuine.

"We're really excited," Eichel explained. "They're great moves from management in the offseason. Now, more than anything at this point, you want to get back to playing.

"I think it's great. I think it definitely sparked some excitement in me and other guys in the room."

He went on to mention how important it was that the Sabres seek veteran presence in order to properly develop some of the young guys.

"Whenever you can add people like Taylor Hall and Eric Staal and Cody Eakin to your roster and the locker room, they not only bring talent to the ice but also veteran presence to the locker room," he said. "In a situation like ours where we're trying to find a winning culture with a young group and trying to figure out the right way to do things at times, I think having older guys can help you out especially during periods of adversity. […] It's awesome."

It's clear that Eichel thinks the Sabres are making all the right moves, and it’s encouraging when you see a team captain chomping at the bit to get back out there. The Sabres have a lot to prove, and they finally feel like they have the tools to do it.

(H/T NHL.com)