JohnC

You make an excellent point about him not being an inflexible coach with a rigid system that can't be deviated from. As you point out, he adjusts the system to the players' talents and not vice versa. In an interview he noted that the players of today are not the players of yesterday. And as a coach he had to have the flexibility to the adjust to individual players.

In a disappointing season, the two biggest surprises for me were the play of UPL and Benson. Usually, young players start to falter at the end of a long and grinding season. His play never declined. There was a consistent energy and grit to his game that were impressive. I can envision him on the second line next year with Cousins and Quinn. Although he has a youthful countenance, he plays like a man.

If Lindy can get more players to follow Benson's example of having a net presence in their offensive zone, I would be very pleased.

Hopefully, under Lindy, this team will be better at winning more draws.

It's obvious (at least to me) that Ruff was the replacement coach before the declared process even started. The qualifications that were laid out prior to the so-called search favored him as a candidate. The announced criteria fit Lindy who was going to be selected right from the start. There was no need to expand the pool of candidates and extend the search because the GM and the owner knew in advance who they were going to select. In my view, the search was a charade. The person that was going to be hired before the process even began was the person who was hired. If there would have been an authentic search process, it's not inconceivable that Ruff would have ultimately been the hire. My issue isn't that Ruff was hired. My issue is that this wasn't a genuine search for the best candidate. A case can be made that after a more extensive search that he would have been the best selection at the end of the search. The reality is that there was no need to rush the process out of fear that the organization would have lost Lindy to another organization. There were no reports that any other team had an interest in him. I would have had more respect for KA if up front came out and said the owner and I discussed the issue and felt that Lindy would be the best selection for this team at this time instead of going through this charade. I wish Lindy the best. Now the onus is on the GM to make the right moves to put this new coach in a position to succeed.

As you point out, regardless who the coach is, the critical issue relates to the composition of the roster. That includes bringing in talent and better balancing the roster so it is not simply a collection of players but the proper construction of a team. It's about getting players slotted into the right roles. In my view, getting the right players to play in the lower lines is more important than addressing the top two lines. It is these lower lines that will determine whether the Sabres become a more rugged and difficult team to play. The Okposo and Olofsson spots will need to be filled. And most likely players such as Rousek, Jost, Robinson and maybe Girgs and Krebs spots will be open. That means that somewhere in the range of 4-6 positions will need to be addressed. These types of players are available at a reasonable price. It's a question of smartly using your assets to get the right type of support players on to your roster. I'm not looking for blockbuster Jack-like deals; I'm looking for judicious deals that makes this a more competitive team.

My criticism isn't the specific hiring of Lindy. He may turn out to be an excellent hire. You ask why lengthen the process? There is a simple and good answer for that: You may end up with a better candidate by waiting a little longer when other candidates could have been available. Yes, Lindy fit the criteria that the GM laid out when the hiring process was established. That doesn't mean that by waiting other candidates wouldn't also fit the desired criteria. Quite the contrary, by waiting a little longer there would have been a longer list of candidates to choose from. What's wrong with that? Why the urgency to get Ruff in the fold right now? What other franchise was knocking on his door? I'm rooting for Ruff to do well. In my mind, this hiring process was too limited and rushed. As @LGR4GM aptly stated: the organization hired the candidate that they wanted before the process was meaningfully gone through. That's not the best way to conduct business when doing a candidate search.

It wouldn't be a surprise that a decision was made on Granato before the season was over. I'm not focusing my attention on the hiring of Lindy in this process. My complaint is that there was not a meaningful process that allowed for consideration coaches who were already with other teams or teams that would shortly be available after their teams lost in the playoffs this year. The candidate list was shrunk before it needed to be. That's my main complaint. Ruff may turn out to be the right coach at the right time. It's an open issue for me. But why the rush to hire him? I doubt if any other organization was pursuing him. And if there was interest in him, I doubt that there was an imperative by any organization to get him signed so soon. The Sabre coaching search was a surprisingly truncated process. In my opinion, this was a third-rate process that seems very perplexing to me. I certainly wish Lindy well.

I'm hoping that Ruff will turn out to be the right coach at the right time. But what I can say is that this so-called "coaching search" process was amateurish and third-rate. It's very likely that the clueless owner who has already bungled this franchise was the driving force for this hire. It makes no sense to me. Not because of the end result but because it ended with a decision before a legitimate process could be activated. The extended length of Lindy's contract also makes absolutely no sense. If we were bidding for Brind'Amour, the length of contract would be understandable. But that wasn't the case here. Ruff was not a prized catch that a lot of other organizations were pursuing. The reality was no other organization was interested in this recently fired coach. Our owner has this inexplicable reflex that when stumped resort to nostalgia for a solution in this modern world of analytics. The way this hiring process has been handled goes beyond being inept. It has gotten to the point of being weird. How this hire was done makes no sense to me.

To Granato's credit, he was able to take the over the roster from Krueger and install a looser system that allowed our young players to play more freely. It's inarguable that players such as Dahlin and Tage benefited under that less restrictive system. There are different stages in developing a player and building a roster. In the learning process you have to master A, B, C before getting to X, Y, Z. There came a point that the roster under Granato couldn't make the next leap. This team was stuck in a rut and spinning its wheels. It's now time for a change. Granato believed in his learning process. We're beyond that now. We are now in the production stage.

We had the better point differential. And in my opinion, we had the better roster. What it came down to is that in a long and grinding season, this inferior team (my opinion) was the more mature and consistent team that was able to grind it out and be consistent enough to earn a playoff spot. Even after shedding players at the end of the season they more resolutely fought on through the end of season pressure period to stay in contention. The Sabres on the other hand faltered at the end of the season when they still were in a position to qualify for the playoffs. That's both a players and coaching issue. In the sports world and in the workplace in general, it's not only about talent so much as effort and production. We simply weren't consistent and mentally tough enough.

There are maybe half a dozen teams in the same strata as the Sabres are in, such as Islanders, Ottawa, Detroit, Jersey, Philly, Washington etc. The difference between making the playoffs or not for these lower playoff qualifying teams is very small. Take Washington as an example. I believe we had the better roster. And it often showed when we played them. What was the difference that got them eking into the playoffs and kept us out? Their coach was the difference in getting the most out of his players and have a system that maximized their talent. And this was accomplished even after a late season shedding of players to playoff teams. I'm not here to bash Granato. It's pointless to do so now. He was successful to a point in elevating the team he took over. And after some initial success then it floundered and couldn't make the next leap. Few people would argue against the obvious fact that additions need to be made to this roster. And few people will not deny the fact that this roster needs to be better balanced, especially in the lower lines. My point is that getting the right coach and making a few judicious roster moves can make a big difference for us next season.

I have not heard (rumor or specifically mentioned) of any player who was considered a cancer in the locker-room. With respect to the issue of players that underperformed that is another issue. The better approach is not getting rid of players who didn't pull their weight because there are a number of players who fall in that deficient category. The more important issue is getting these underperforming players to upgrade their game. Players such as Tuch, Tage and Cozens slipped in performance compared to the prior year. I wouldn't deal any of them. The issue is to get the right coach to collectively get the players to play better. There is no question that this team needs additions. The organization has the wherewithal to accomplish that without dealing off the key talent it already has on its roster. The critical need is getting the right coach who can implement the right system and hold the players more accountable than it has previously done.

I worked for the federal government in a police/security agency. So I never had to contend with the anxiety that my job would be in jeopardy. I'm just curious so you don't have to answer my question: did you sign a contract that with your employer that stipulated a length of time and company renewal option when you joined this particular company? It used to be that working in the medical profession was mostly a calling with medical decisions mostly influenced by medical considerations. Now many medical decisions are overly influenced by business factors that make it a big challenge to work in your noble and challenging field of endeavor. I wish you the best.

You make a good point that selling a fraction of the team to a minority owner would help to finance the new stadium. If you include the PSL $$$ to a small selloff of his team, much of the financing he was responsible for would be taken care of.

Benson's value to his team wasn't based on his offensive production. But his play never hurt the team. Quite the contrary. As both @French Collection and @Wyldnwoody44 point out he demonstrated to his more experienced teammates the right way to play, that is playing smartly, with tenacity and consistently. If more players would have emulated his play, this team would be in the playoffs. This season was a disappointment for me. However, he was a pleasant surprise. He's a player you would want to build with.

It wouldn't help him or the big club to play in Rochester. What would be the point? Even if it was allowable to go to Rochester, it would make no sense from an organizational standpoint. I could foresee him on a second line with Cozens and Quinn. A lot of more experienced players on this team would do well to emulate his play. He's tough and smart. A terrific draft pick who will become an impactful player.

I pointed out Hamilton's observation that was a conjecture of his. My observation was that for a period of time after the fight he was not the same player. I'm not saying that his sluggish play was a lingering effect from the fight. But after that fight there was something off about his play for a spell.

I listened to the WGR segment with Hamilton that you are referring to. Your comments about Cozens's ability to handle the pressure of higher expectations reflected what was said on that particular segment. Hamilton also speculated that he observed that Cozens was not the same for a long time after he instigated a fight to arouse his teammates. He seemed to suggest (not know for sure) that there were lingering effects (concussion) from that fight that affected his play. Hamilton pointed out that he once had a concussion that it took him a long time before those effects were finally gone.

I agree with your observations on this post and other posts on this topic. However, I strenuously disagree with the notion that Ruff should be the next coaching selection. (I recognize that you are not saying you would agree with his selection just that you can foresee it.) Now is not the time to look at the past for solutions. We need a fresher and different approach when considering who would be the best option as the new HC. There are a number of candidates who fit the criteria of NHL experience and a sterner style of coaching that KA is seeking. In my opinion, looking to our franchise past for that candidate would be a mistake.

Sometimes the unvarnished truth is a tough pill to swallow. You, as an individual, may have the awareness, character and maturity to accept accountability in the workplace. But within a group setting in any workplace it usually doesn't happen by everyone in the group. That's where the boss/supervision comes in. They have the responsibility to determine where the deficiencies are and how to correct those deficiencies. In the sports arena it is usually done by controlling playing time. Anyone who watched the last two Sabre/Cap games should easily conclude that overall the Sabres were the better team. We won both of those games. But from a day in and day out standpoint in a long and grinding season the Caps were the more mature and resolute team. That's why that less talented team is in the playoffs and we are not. Players need to be held accountable and so do the coaches. That's the way this particular bottom line (record) business operates. The Granato and most of the staff being fired should not be a surprise.

I like his demeanor. However, he appears to be the caliber of player who whether dealt or retained isn't much of a difference maker. This front office needs to be focused on adding a player to replace Mitts. In my opinion, that's a player who is better than Krebs. I'm not giving up on Krebs but he needs to get better to carve out a role and roster spot for next year.

I wish but I don't see it. I'm not into throwing him away due to frustration over the entire situation. This particular young player has had enough time to show he has value or not. Whether he stays or goes I'm not sure it makes much of a difference. He seems to have good hockey intelligence and some grit but it doesn't translate into much production.

I have no problem with keeping him or including him in a package that could give you a good return. What I'm not willing to do is pencil him in any role. He will have to compete and earn whatever role he is assigned to. Is there an upside to him? I don't know. He may be what he is now i.e. an inconsequential fringe player. Can he elevate his game like Mitts did over time (not necessarily to that extent)? That's up to him to demonstrate. Benson came to camp last year with the expected likelihood that he would be sent back to the juniors. (Because of age rule he couldn't be sent to the AHL.) Benson earned a roster spot. That's my feeling on Krebs. He's still a relatively young player but he's played in enough games where potential, whatever it is, needs to be translated into actual performance and production. How much value does he have? Right now, it is very little.

Nostalgia is a rash that keeps coming back. The Ruff era is in the past. It's time to look for fresh solutions and look to the future instead of trying to reprise the past. A Lindy hire would make absolutely no sense.