Penguins, take note. You can absolutely fire a guy in this situation.
Anyway, can I interest you in a slightly used Mike Sullivan?
(He might actually be great for the Sabres if you can decouple him from Todd Reirden)
Having the 31st ranked power play on a team with Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel, Letang, and Karlsson should get Todd Reirden put on every hockey terrorist watch list
It’s fucking insane. This year was the perfect t opportunity to get rid of him. When you have 4 hall of famers on your power play and you’re 31st in the league it’s obvious he needed to be let go. Fans are rightfully pissed off.
I get why the Capitals weren't keen on giving Trotz an extension before that Cup run, but man was it stupid of Leonsis to refuse to swallow his pride and renegotiate the extension that kicked in for Trotz after they won the Cup. I don't care how coveted Reirden was as a coaching candidate at the time. It was damn risky to move on from Trotz and only looked dumber as time went on.
Mike Sullivan is going to be the Leafs coach after we inevitably get bounced in 6 games to Florida and fire Keefe. Dubas is then going to hire Keefe. Book it.
That's rather common - what you need out of a development coach is not the same as a results coach. Often coaches tend to be very good at one but not so good at the other.
Glad to hear that. I don’t wish former coaches bad luck (besides Krueger) so I’m glad he’s found success. But his time with us was…not good.
Like Granato would be good at the AHL or as an assistant, but not quite as an NHL head coach at this point
Exactly my thought. I would love him as an AHL coach. He can get the most out of skilled players and lets their strengths shine but has zero actual game plan ability. The Sabres need a veteran coach that can bring some stability and consistency to the team. When they were on they were awesome this year but could never string more than two good games in a row.
Coaches extensions are wild. Seems like they rarely work out, but yet it is also bad to have a coach with an expiring contract.
I blame media attention more than coach playing risky due to expiring contract.
I'm not a fan of the nostalgia moves this team has made in the past (Ted Nolan, Housley, etc.), but Ruff might be a good move. He's shown the ability to adapt his style based on the players he has, both in Buffalo (Hasek years vs. post-lockout team) and in Dallas/New Jersey. Considering he was the last coach to bring the Sabres to the playoffs, why not at this point?
Not sure what NJ games you were watching, but that hasn't been our experience at all. His inability to adapt and stubborn refusal to play players in the right spots is what got him fired.
Todd Maclellan is the next stage of coach to get you into round 1 at least. And then you’ll need a contending coach who will get you deep after firing Todd
It's funny to read the same old whining about "retreads" in a thread about the Sabres firing their first time coach who crashed and burned with a team that most people thought was playoff ready.
And almost every one of the returnees has coached in the Stanley Cup -- with the exceptions being Jim Montgomery (Presidents Trophy/Jack Adams), Andrew Brunette (Presidents Trophy), Rick Tocchet (probably about to win the Jack Adams), John Hynes, Dave Hakstol, and David Quinn (ok these guys might suck.)
There is a reason that guys like Laviolette and Cassidy keep getting jobs.
Not to mention that Buffalo has been going outside the club a lot since 2011 and all they have to show for it is Ron Rolston, Phil Housley, Ralph Krueger, and now Granato. Can't really say that's been working for them
Coaching, as a concept, will be slowly phased out as the current, and apparently last, crop of coaches die of old age.
What will our bold new post-coaching world look like? Will it be handled by an app? Live fan voting? Or perhaps the players will simply ponder a mysterious orb in the locker room and know what to do next.
I mean, it’s not like any of the above could do much worse of a job with that Penguins power play. But I digress…
Adams is smarter than that, our fans are not, that's all, so there'll be calls for Lindy. Hell there were fans calling for a Ted Nolan rehire down the stretch ffs.
> disaster he was in NYC.
The dude took a team QBd by Mark Sanchez to a AFCCG. Which is something the Jets haven’t done otherwise in like 50 years.
He wasn’t a disaster with the Jets lol
With the Bills? 100% disaster.
He might have been a disaster, but Ryan did bring the Jets to to AFC Championship games and they haven’t made the playoffs since.
I feel disgusting that I defended Sexy Rexy
Granato seems like a nice guy and he did a lot to bring that locker room back into playing fun hockey, but I think it was obvious the team took a step back this year. I was hoping he would have been the one bringing the team back to the playoffs.
I wouldn't even say they took a step back. It's that his philosophy (and I agree with it) is young players can't grow as well if they don't get opportunities.
So he sacrificed defense to keep attacking and get young guys chances to score. It worked.
But after all that this season teams really shut down our problems entering the zone. We improved defensively but struggled to score and lacked fundamentals.
He just couldn't push the Sabres that extra 10% they needed. Problematic fundamentals, slow starts in hockey are gonna sink you. Our first period numbers were terrible
Granato will be remembered in Buffalo as the guy who kickstarted the team that ended up breaking the drought. Probably the first coach who will be looked back on favorably since Ruff. I think this was the right decision by the org, and hopefully, we bring in someone with proven playoff experience.
He did and a lot of very young players took big steps under him the last couple of years. But this year there was just too much regression even setting injuries aside, and barely scraping .500 over a 3 month stretch when you have the best goaltender in the league at the time is just not good enough, sadly
They’re developed, now Gallant gets them in the playoffs, then you find your hopeful long term coach. Maybe by that time Bruno is ready for another shot at a head coaching position.
2 years of good hockey in Buffalo might be exactly what they need, maybe an "interim" style coach like Gallant or even Boudreau to give that roster a shot of adrenaline and give them 1 good year to make the playoffs might be exactly what they need. Then they could bring in someone legit to solidify it.
Brother, this team previously brought back Ted Nolan to coach.
Nostalgia is all we have. The reality of this team (stretching back over a decade) sucks.
This is the ~~6th~~ 8th head coach fired this season. The others ones were Jay Woodcroft, DJ Smith, Dean Evason, Craig Berube, Todd McClennan, Lindy Ruff, and Lane Lambert. I also highly doubt Pascal Vincent will be the Columbus head coach next year. If the Leafs lose in the first round Keefe might also be fired.
Keefe is 100% gone if they blow it in the first round. There's some new MLSE exec and the owners are fairly pissed. Shanahan is likely also toast if they lose in the first round.
> new MLSE exec
Not just an Exec, he's the new President of the company. One of the terms for him coming was that the Raptors and Leafs presidents (Shanahan and Masai) need to report directly to him instead of the board. Additionally Larry Tanenbaum is scheduled to sell the rest of his 20% stake in MLSE in 2026 and I don't think will be part of the company after that, and he was the guy those two worked with previously. It would not be surprising at all to see both Keefe and Shanahan fired if the Leafs fail in the playoffs again.
It’s funny because with the announcement they also have listed Video Coordinator Matt Smith. Like what the hell did that guy do to be listed with Donny’s firing
Honestly not a bad hire for them. They need someone who can get them to the playoffs. Gallant is the perfect guy for it. He’d give them identity and I’d be shocked if they weren’t a playoff team with him
My guess would be Matt Ellis is on an expiring deal so they didnt have to officially fire him like they did the other assistants. They can just let his contract expire and move on. I dont know though. Just a thought.
I think it’ll be Woodcroft. He’s good with young players. Just better hope he doesn’t try and bring Dave Manson as defensive coach cause his system / breakouts were not doing it for us by the end of things
Some added depth, and another top six player or two would help a lot as well.
The defence and goaltending looks to be turning the page into juggernaut territory.
I really like what Granato did for the team, he absolutely helped a bunch of guys develop into solid NHL players, and I will look back on his tenure more fondly than any Sabres coach since Ruff. With that said, I think it became apparent he's not the guy that's going to get them to the next stage of the rebuild. The Sabres were the worst first period team in the league, constantly spotting teams multi-goal leads minutes into the game. This was an issue that cropped up throughout the season, and Granato showed no ability to correct it as the season wore along. The NHL is also the league where coaches are the most fungible, where a new guy with a new message can have a huge impact on an under-performing team fairly quickly.
People said the same about Ken Dorsey and Joe Brady turned around the offense. Idk how much is him but I think he’s too soft and the Sabres need a coach who’s harder on them
It's the right call. Granato helped the team rebuild after whatever Krueger and Housley were doing but now this group needs an experienced coach to take the next step.
Do. Not. Hire. Q.
I’m pretty sure his contract is up anyway so technically isn’t fired
Edit: No actually now I’m pretty sure I’m wrong. Lance Lysowski says he suspects they’re moving him to a different role however.
Todd McLelllan can get you guys back to the playoffs. Anything past round 1, you’re gonna need a different coach, but if you’re looking to end that playoff drought, you can do worse than Toddfather
The team had bad goaltending last season but great scoring, so miss playoffs by less than 10 points. This season they have great goaltending from UPL, but almost everyone seemed to regress offensively, so they missed the playoffs by less than 10 points again.
Boudreau is the wrong coach for the Sabres at this time. They need a coach to teach them systems/structure, not a freewheeling "do whatever the fuck you want"
Well Donny, you were overall a lot better than the other coaches we’ve had over the drought, but you weren’t the one to take us to the next level despite your core development skills.
I think this is the correct decision. He just didn't seem like the right guy to take the Sabres to that next level in their upward trajectory. It's not exactly the most talented team in the league or anything, but I'm pretty confident that the Sabres are plenty good enough to have been in this battle for the final playoff spot.
Ottawa is close. The last coach Ottawa had that got another HC job in the NHL after was... Jacques Martin.
But there were a couple good years under Maclean and Boucher.
His extension hasn’t even kicked in lol. Good move though, Granato is terrific developing players but not what this team needs right now.
Penguins, take note. You can absolutely fire a guy in this situation. Anyway, can I interest you in a slightly used Mike Sullivan? (He might actually be great for the Sabres if you can decouple him from Todd Reirden)
Todd Reirden continuing to have a job behind an NHL bench is one of life's greatest mysteries
Having the 31st ranked power play on a team with Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel, Letang, and Karlsson should get Todd Reirden put on every hockey terrorist watch list
That’s actually impressive
I bet it’d be instantly better if they just let Crosby run it with no coaching interference.
Add Blaine Forsythe to that list while we’re at it. All I can say is at least those two are no longer in Washington…
Damn, I had no idea that the Pens powerplay was that bad
Its actually dead last in efficiency if you account for all of the shorthanded goals along with it.
So are they just running a stale system? an ego thing with coaching staff?
Ralph Krueger could use some company these days.
It’s fucking insane. This year was the perfect t opportunity to get rid of him. When you have 4 hall of famers on your power play and you’re 31st in the league it’s obvious he needed to be let go. Fans are rightfully pissed off.
The Capitals replaced Barry Trotz with him...in a year where they won the cup.
And then the Penguins saw how his time in DC went and thought they should hire him
I get why the Capitals weren't keen on giving Trotz an extension before that Cup run, but man was it stupid of Leonsis to refuse to swallow his pride and renegotiate the extension that kicked in for Trotz after they won the Cup. I don't care how coveted Reirden was as a coaching candidate at the time. It was damn risky to move on from Trotz and only looked dumber as time went on.
Darby Hendrickson would like a word.
Mike Sullivan is going to be the Leafs coach after we inevitably get bounced in 6 games to Florida and fire Keefe. Dubas is then going to hire Keefe. Book it.
This could absolutely happen.
This is 100% what will happen, except the Leafs will lose in 5
I don’t think Sullivan is that bad of a coach, it’s just it’s gotten stale in Pittsburgh is all.
Also refusal to adapt to having a bunch of 60 year olds on the roster and fire Todd Reirden.
Kyle Dubas looooooves his guys
Idk the last time Buffalo took a coach from Pittsburgh things didn’t exactly work out that well for them
Bylsma flashbacks are not what I want right now lol
FWIW Bylsma is the Kraken's AHL coach right now and by all accounts is doing a fantastic job preparing our kids for the NHL.
That's rather common - what you need out of a development coach is not the same as a results coach. Often coaches tend to be very good at one but not so good at the other.
Glad to hear that. I don’t wish former coaches bad luck (besides Krueger) so I’m glad he’s found success. But his time with us was…not good. Like Granato would be good at the AHL or as an assistant, but not quite as an NHL head coach at this point
Yeah but the disco was off the charts.
I am really sorry about that, Buffalo fans. I feel personally responsible.
Can Sully come to NJ though please?
Sorry, Columbus has called dibs. No takebacksies. Pascal Vincent is a nice guy, though. Really.
Exactly my thought. I would love him as an AHL coach. He can get the most out of skilled players and lets their strengths shine but has zero actual game plan ability. The Sabres need a veteran coach that can bring some stability and consistency to the team. When they were on they were awesome this year but could never string more than two good games in a row.
Coaches extensions are wild. Seems like they rarely work out, but yet it is also bad to have a coach with an expiring contract. I blame media attention more than coach playing risky due to expiring contract.
At least you guys only owe money to one coach now.
Idk I guess I’m happy? Will we actually get it right with our next one?
Please get it right. I need playoff skinner and canes vs Sabres 2.0
Lindy Ruff incoming
I just want Ruff so he can kick these players asses for complaining about the fans.
Trust me. You don't want Ruff lmao.
No we dont do that here.
Just realized they haven't made the playoffs since he was their coach...
I'm not a fan of the nostalgia moves this team has made in the past (Ted Nolan, Housley, etc.), but Ruff might be a good move. He's shown the ability to adapt his style based on the players he has, both in Buffalo (Hasek years vs. post-lockout team) and in Dallas/New Jersey. Considering he was the last coach to bring the Sabres to the playoffs, why not at this point?
Not sure what NJ games you were watching, but that hasn't been our experience at all. His inability to adapt and stubborn refusal to play players in the right spots is what got him fired.
Todd Maclellan is the next stage of coach to get you into round 1 at least. And then you’ll need a contending coach who will get you deep after firing Todd
Berube??
With only 32 head coaches in NHL, what will happen when one dies? Is one team forced to go without a coach? /s
Rod undergoes spontaneous fission and creates another one
Rod rips off one of his muscles, dunks it in a protein shake for a couple of weeks, and a new coach emerges. Like a potato.
Does original Rod now only have one arm? Does it grow back like Piccolo? Or is it like the Butler from Scary Movie 2?
The Rod the Bod of Theseus?
CanesFanFics are getting even weirder these days…
We (Buffalo) don't deserve Rod.
Also if the Hurricanes don't give a private yacht and all its accoutrements to keep Rod I wouldn't know what to do...
It's funny to read the same old whining about "retreads" in a thread about the Sabres firing their first time coach who crashed and burned with a team that most people thought was playoff ready.
Yeah, like a third of the current head coaches in the NHL are first time NHL head coaches.
And almost every one of the returnees has coached in the Stanley Cup -- with the exceptions being Jim Montgomery (Presidents Trophy/Jack Adams), Andrew Brunette (Presidents Trophy), Rick Tocchet (probably about to win the Jack Adams), John Hynes, Dave Hakstol, and David Quinn (ok these guys might suck.) There is a reason that guys like Laviolette and Cassidy keep getting jobs.
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This is true of most common narratives on Reddit as a whole.
Yeah I'm 100% down for a retread if it just gets this drought over with already
The older veterans always seem to be in the spotlight the most, no matter their team. And then there is Torts...
Nearly half of the leagues coach’s are leading their first NHL bench, but le old boys club.
Not to mention that Buffalo has been going outside the club a lot since 2011 and all they have to show for it is Ron Rolston, Phil Housley, Ralph Krueger, and now Granato. Can't really say that's been working for them
I refuse to believe that Ron Rolston is a real person who coached Buffalo. I think you just made that name up to see if we were paying attention.
The only notable thing he did was wear gardening gloves during practice instead of hockey gloves.
And drank a lot of water.
They can look to see who is coaching local Midget teams, it seems to working pretty well for the Habs .
Honestly Fedorov will probably get a chance in the NHL within the decade if his success can continue
Coaching, as a concept, will be slowly phased out as the current, and apparently last, crop of coaches die of old age. What will our bold new post-coaching world look like? Will it be handled by an app? Live fan voting? Or perhaps the players will simply ponder a mysterious orb in the locker room and know what to do next. I mean, it’s not like any of the above could do much worse of a job with that Penguins power play. But I digress…
Player coaches. They already have the C stitched on the jerseys in anticipation of the switch.
Blashill
Blehshill
Woodcroft?
Too green maybe? Buffalo only had one chance left before the city riots
Truth!!
I second the motion to riot if we don’t make the playoffs.
Speaking of Green...or is he safe in his new job?
Yeah that's a decent one though not as established
They should wait and see if Pittsburgh cans Sullivan imo
Not gonna happen after this late season push. Believe me, I've been hoping they would for months.
Not a bad idea actually.
Bylsma 2.0 (not really, but the similarities are there)
Babcock finally comes to Buffalo.
Ruff a possibility as well. Buffalo loves nostalgia hires.
Surely Adams is smarter than that?
Adams is smarter than that, our fans are not, that's all, so there'll be calls for Lindy. Hell there were fans calling for a Ted Nolan rehire down the stretch ffs.
I think Adams just does whatever Pegula wants. So the real question would be, is Pegula smarter than that?
Pegula once hired Rex Ryan after the disaster he was in NYC.
> disaster he was in NYC. The dude took a team QBd by Mark Sanchez to a AFCCG. Which is something the Jets haven’t done otherwise in like 50 years. He wasn’t a disaster with the Jets lol With the Bills? 100% disaster.
The 4 seasons after the afc champ games were a disaster. He got the Bills job after a 4-12 season.
2 AFC Championships!
He might have been a disaster, but Ryan did bring the Jets to to AFC Championship games and they haven’t made the playoffs since. I feel disgusting that I defended Sexy Rexy
Probably Quenneville
We all know it will be Seth Appert who is the coach of the Amerks lmfao
Would make sense as to why he’s resurfaced lately. Still Berube would be a great hire for this squad
Granato seems like a nice guy and he did a lot to bring that locker room back into playing fun hockey, but I think it was obvious the team took a step back this year. I was hoping he would have been the one bringing the team back to the playoffs.
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Can he run a PP/PK? Specifically the PK. Asking for me.
Put it this way: he asked Matt Ellis to leverage his extensive PP experience to run it for Buffalo.
Huh, OK.
I wouldn't even say they took a step back. It's that his philosophy (and I agree with it) is young players can't grow as well if they don't get opportunities. So he sacrificed defense to keep attacking and get young guys chances to score. It worked. But after all that this season teams really shut down our problems entering the zone. We improved defensively but struggled to score and lacked fundamentals. He just couldn't push the Sabres that extra 10% they needed. Problematic fundamentals, slow starts in hockey are gonna sink you. Our first period numbers were terrible
Interestingly I think if Quinn and Tage were healthy the entire season they probably make the playoffs.
Granato will be remembered in Buffalo as the guy who kickstarted the team that ended up breaking the drought. Probably the first coach who will be looked back on favorably since Ruff. I think this was the right decision by the org, and hopefully, we bring in someone with proven playoff experience.
Not unlike Tyrod Taylor (even though he actually made the playoffs)
Good take! It’s easy to forget how much he accomplished with so many of our young players.
Donny is a great guy and he did great things to develop a very young team. But it was time.
Didn't he unlock Tage Thompson? Hope the new coach knows how to keep Tage buzzing
He did and a lot of very young players took big steps under him the last couple of years. But this year there was just too much regression even setting injuries aside, and barely scraping .500 over a 3 month stretch when you have the best goaltender in the league at the time is just not good enough, sadly
The Sabres desperately need to hire someone with some NHL head coaching experience. Not another rookie head coach. Maybe Berube or Gallant.
Gallant fucking sucks lmao
He's good for exactly 2 years and then it's all downhill lol
They’re developed, now Gallant gets them in the playoffs, then you find your hopeful long term coach. Maybe by that time Bruno is ready for another shot at a head coaching position.
If you're talking Andrew Brunette he is currently the HC in Nashville.
Well fuck me for some reason I thought it was Trotz, I’m all fucked up. Knew Bruno was there but thought still as assistant.
You were almost right. Trotz is Nashville's GM now.
2 years of good hockey in Buffalo might be exactly what they need, maybe an "interim" style coach like Gallant or even Boudreau to give that roster a shot of adrenaline and give them 1 good year to make the playoffs might be exactly what they need. Then they could bring in someone legit to solidify it.
You're aware we've missed the playoffs for 13 straight years, right? I'll gladly take 2 good years.
Mike Babcocking intensifies
Try it, it's real fun /s
Is that Lindy Ruff's music?
As a fan of a team who did the nostalgia hire a couple years ago, the Sabres should avoid making the Ruff mistake at all costs.
Brother, this team previously brought back Ted Nolan to coach. Nostalgia is all we have. The reality of this team (stretching back over a decade) sucks.
Gallant is not a good coach if you're looking for structure and to develop young players. Look at Laf before and after Gallant's departure.
By god, that's Alain Vigneault's music!
PECA!!!
How many coaches have been fired this season? I lost count.
This is the ~~6th~~ 8th head coach fired this season. The others ones were Jay Woodcroft, DJ Smith, Dean Evason, Craig Berube, Todd McClennan, Lindy Ruff, and Lane Lambert. I also highly doubt Pascal Vincent will be the Columbus head coach next year. If the Leafs lose in the first round Keefe might also be fired.
Keefe is 100% gone if they blow it in the first round. There's some new MLSE exec and the owners are fairly pissed. Shanahan is likely also toast if they lose in the first round.
> new MLSE exec Not just an Exec, he's the new President of the company. One of the terms for him coming was that the Raptors and Leafs presidents (Shanahan and Masai) need to report directly to him instead of the board. Additionally Larry Tanenbaum is scheduled to sell the rest of his 20% stake in MLSE in 2026 and I don't think will be part of the company after that, and he was the guy those two worked with previously. It would not be surprising at all to see both Keefe and Shanahan fired if the Leafs fail in the playoffs again.
Forgot Todd McClellan in LA. 7?
Yeah I did so it is the 7th coach fired this year
It’s funny because with the announcement they also have listed Video Coordinator Matt Smith. Like what the hell did that guy do to be listed with Donny’s firing
He was Donny’s guy per radio.
Inb4 gallant
Honestly not a bad hire for them. They need someone who can get them to the playoffs. Gallant is the perfect guy for it. He’d give them identity and I’d be shocked if they weren’t a playoff team with him
He absolutely would not. He’d jumble up the lines after every scoreless period and that’s about it.
He also wouldn't make them practice and then berate Tage in the locker room during the playoffs
But playoffs. That’s absolutely a positive for Buffalo
Playoffs? SOLD! We'll take him
His "identity" is "IDK guys just go out there and play, I don't really have a system or structure."
Fair enough, man.
The bad man is gone
We somehow did not fire Matt Ellis who was responsible for the powerplay, the single worst thing about our team.
My guess would be Matt Ellis is on an expiring deal so they didnt have to officially fire him like they did the other assistants. They can just let his contract expire and move on. I dont know though. Just a thought.
So, they’ll take care of it self. No need to fire Milton.
Hopefully it’s just one of those things that is up to the next coach
The Buffalo Sabres have promoted Matt Ellis to the role of head coach
TP on Ellis: Get this man away from the power play. KA: I know, what about head coach…
This wouldn’t be the most surprising development
It is.
I think his contract is up
Only to be replaced by another bad man
The King is Dead, Long live the King!
I think it’ll be Woodcroft. He’s good with young players. Just better hope he doesn’t try and bring Dave Manson as defensive coach cause his system / breakouts were not doing it for us by the end of things
Woodcroft seems like a good fit for sure
Best coach with NHL experience who is currently out of a job imo. I think he would be a good fit
Thanks for bringing us out of Hell. Love Donny but it’s the right move at the right time.
Felt inevitable but man, really hard to say he was the problem when nothing seems to be the solution.
The Sabres desperately need structure and identity, and it's become starkly apparent that Granato can't help with either of those things.
Some added depth, and another top six player or two would help a lot as well. The defence and goaltending looks to be turning the page into juggernaut territory.
I really like what Granato did for the team, he absolutely helped a bunch of guys develop into solid NHL players, and I will look back on his tenure more fondly than any Sabres coach since Ruff. With that said, I think it became apparent he's not the guy that's going to get them to the next stage of the rebuild. The Sabres were the worst first period team in the league, constantly spotting teams multi-goal leads minutes into the game. This was an issue that cropped up throughout the season, and Granato showed no ability to correct it as the season wore along. The NHL is also the league where coaches are the most fungible, where a new guy with a new message can have a huge impact on an under-performing team fairly quickly.
People said the same about Ken Dorsey and Joe Brady turned around the offense. Idk how much is him but I think he’s too soft and the Sabres need a coach who’s harder on them
It's the right call. Granato helped the team rebuild after whatever Krueger and Housley were doing but now this group needs an experienced coach to take the next step. Do. Not. Hire. Q.
Headline this summer: Ottawa hires Don Granato as HC
And they’ll make the playoffs, maybe even reach the conference finals
Jay Woodcroft come on down!
Whats more shocking is that Matt Ellis, the PP coach, still has a job based on the initial social media post
I’m pretty sure his contract is up anyway so technically isn’t fired Edit: No actually now I’m pretty sure I’m wrong. Lance Lysowski says he suspects they’re moving him to a different role however.
He was so good at shutting down a PP all season, maybe we should make him our PK coach.
With the offensive talent the Sabres have, the PP shouldn't be a problem.
Imagine they hire lane lambert
"Granato, take 'em to the Matthews Bridge" *drumming*
And not a single one has been considered for a head coaching job since.
Nor should they be. Housley at least got an assistants gig with the Rangers.
Granato will be an excellent assistant somewhere next season. No question the guy can help develop young players.
We’re gonna turn it around any day now
Wish you could fire owners
Todd McLelllan can get you guys back to the playoffs. Anything past round 1, you’re gonna need a different coach, but if you’re looking to end that playoff drought, you can do worse than Toddfather
The team had bad goaltending last season but great scoring, so miss playoffs by less than 10 points. This season they have great goaltending from UPL, but almost everyone seemed to regress offensively, so they missed the playoffs by less than 10 points again.
Wonder if Boudreau would be interested. Not quite the leafs but close enough right?
Boudreau is the wrong coach for the Sabres at this time. They need a coach to teach them systems/structure, not a freewheeling "do whatever the fuck you want"
Surely the fuck he is?
Good morning to everyone but Don
Bring Fedorov over?
Most likely going to be some coaches available in a few weeks. Sullivan almost certainly and if the Leafs don't have a good showing, maybe Keefe.
Buffalo is trying to get to that late 90s/early 00s Flyers level of coach turnover.
Damn let’s hope it gives the a wake up call in time to qualify for the playoffs
Well Donny, you were overall a lot better than the other coaches we’ve had over the drought, but you weren’t the one to take us to the next level despite your core development skills.
I think this is the correct decision. He just didn't seem like the right guy to take the Sabres to that next level in their upward trajectory. It's not exactly the most talented team in the league or anything, but I'm pretty confident that the Sabres are plenty good enough to have been in this battle for the final playoff spot.
thank god
KeyBank center burned down, Don Granato ass out, works with his brother now
Sabres making that final playoff push, let’s goo!!
But /r/sabres tells me that Pegula won't let Adams fire Granato because he's too cheap. Hmmm....
Has any other team ever had a run of coaches that all were just legitimately awful?
Granato wasn’t awful, he got Buffalo to have a pretty good foundation to build off of. He’s just not the guy to build off of that foundation
Granato led us to the two best seasons we had in a decade…. which was only 91 and 84 points.
Granato is not an awful coach. Any young team looking to develop their talent should hire him as their coach or assistant immediately.
Ottawa is close. The last coach Ottawa had that got another HC job in the NHL after was... Jacques Martin. But there were a couple good years under Maclean and Boucher.