After getting a workout in at the gym, Conor Sheary was headed home Wednesday morning when he got a call he says he wasn't expecting.
Sure, he'd heard the internet rumors that the Penguins could be interested in moving him and was well aware that he didn't have the season that Pittsburgh -- or he -- would have liked.
That didn't take away from the sting, though, when Penguins assistant general manager Bill Guerin called to inform him that he was being dealt to Buffalo from the only organization he'd known and one he'd helped win two Stanley Cup championships.
"I was initially just in shock," Sheary told Buffalo reporters. "I wasn't expecting it. But at the same time, you have to look at the positives. I'm super-excited with the new chapter I have in my life and have to put my Pittsburgh years behind me."
Along with Matt Hunwick, Sheary was dealt to the Sabres for just a conditional fourth-round pick in next year's draft. The deal said more about Sheary's $3 million salary than it did about his talent. Despite having a 23-point drop in production, he still managed 18 goals -- sixth-most on the Penguins -- in 2017-18.
However, in the span of a day, Sheary goes from a perennial Cup contender to a team that hasn't qualified for postseason play since 2011, going 197-273-79 since. But with a core of young talent, including Jack Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin, the first overall pick in last weekend's draft, the Sabres are building for the future.
"They have the pieces in place there. If these young players can play up to their potential and we can build around them, that will be awesome for us," said Sheary.
Some already have penciled him in to play on the Sabres' top line with Eichel. Sheary found his most success in 2017 with the Penguins while playing on a line with Sidney Crosby.
"When you're playing with a guy like that, you try to get him the puck as much you can," Sheary said. "I think a big part of my game is creating turnovers and getting chances for my linemates. Hopefully we can create some chemistry there. That'd be awesome. Maybe we'll grow something with that."
The Sabres certainly are well aware of what Sheary can bring. It was Buffalo GM Jason Botterill who helped bring him to Pittsburgh as an undersized left wing from UMass. Sheary was signed to an amateur tryout offer in March of 2014 and worked his way up the organization, reaching the NHL in 2015-16 and helping the Penguins to two championships.
In Buffalo, Sheary almost certainly will play an expanded role after averaging 13:57 in ice time last season. One of those roles will be a leader. Though he's just 26, Sheary has 61 games of playoff experience. Only 35-year-old Jason Pominville and 31-year-old free agent Benoit Pouliot have more on the roster.
"I think the experience that I had there will help me tremendously," Sheary says. "If I can just bring a little bit of that playoff experience to the locker room and try and change that culture, that'll be a good thing. There's a lot of young players and lot of good players that are in Buffalo's system right now. If I can be a leader on the ice and in the locker room, that'll help the team for sure."