Girgensons explains the decision not to play for the Latvian national team and comments on future plans

The “Sabres” have not played in the Stanley Cup since 2011, but this season they were close to entering the playoffs, until which they missed a couple of points in 82 games. Girgenson has spent his entire NHL career with Buffalo and his current contract will expire this summer.

“I would definitely like to stay here, but as we all know, this is also a business. There are still a lot of talks ahead on this issue,” said Girgenson, stressing that at the age of 29, it is too early to think about the end of his career.

Girgensons has experienced several unsuccessful team rebuilding processes with the Sabres, but this season he finally managed to stabilize his performance.

“I’m disappointed that we came up just a few points away from the Stanley Cup, but we’ve taken a big step forward this season. You could see at the end of the season that everyone was paying more attention to the details. A lot of the credit for the performance goes to Kyle [komandas kapteinim Kailam Okposo],” Girgenson emphasized.

According to Girgenson, the head coach of the last two seasons, Don Granato, has also invested a lot in the team’s performance. “After his arrival, I have changed several things in my game. He is a great motivator,” said the Latvian.

Although it was previously reported that Girgensons expressed his readiness to help the Latvian national team in the upcoming championship in Riga, however, at the end of the season, the situation with injuries and the end of the contract made him reconsider his decision. “I have a couple of injuries that require a little treatment without surgical intervention. I would definitely like to play at home, but health is a priority,” revealed the hockey player.

Girgenson had the most games out of the nine played this season – 80 out of 82. Like the previous season, the Latvian finished this season with ten goals and eight assists, but he played 56 matches in the 2022/2023 regular season.