BUFFALO, N.Y. - After five days away from the ice, the Sabres were back skating at KeyBank Center. Players said it was a refreshing change of pace to have so much time off.

"I went down to Florida with the family," says forward Kyle Okposo. "Your body gets pretty beat up during the year. Your body's gonna heal some of those nicks and aches and pains."

"It's more of a mental break than anything," says forward Evander Kane. "In five days, you're not gonna lose all your skills. You're not gonna lose your conditioning. It was a good break. I felt good. We responded  pretty well."

The bye week also gave the Sabres some more time to bump up their trade demands for Evander Kane. According to TSN's Darren Dreger, the Sabres are looking for a first round pick, a conditional pick, an NHL player and a minor-league prospect.

"I'm not gonna hold by breath," says Kane, who has endured trade rumors going back to his time in Winnipeg. "I'm aware of the situation that our team's in and the position I'm in with my contract. It's part of the business, but it's not something I worry about much or concern myself much with."

The NHL trade deadline is February 26th.