Friedman Says Ralph Kruger has a Legit Shot at Sabres HC Position

[dudacek]

6 hours ago, Thorny said:

In my view it's too much of a risk to hire a first time NHL coach, especially for this team. 

If some of the risk is mitigated because Botterill is under no pressure to turn this thing around any time soon, and next year is another "building" year, then whatever, we'd be screwed anyways. Hire Gronborg. 

Furthermore, we were told McLellan turned down the job, and Jeremy White's secret source (who he vouches strongly for) said recently that it was "Tippett's job if he wants it". The perception that Botterill is moving-on-down his list of choices isn't all-together comforting.

Maybe Kreuger was his first choice all along, or nobody rejected them and he decided on Kreuger, and he'll be amazing and turn this team around. Doesn't smell like that though. 

Has Jeremy Whites secret source ever been right?

We were told McLellan was never made an offer.

 

Maybe Quenville, McLellan, Vigneault, Keefe, Tippett, Richards and Martin have all declined the position or even an interview.

Maybe Botterill had a list of a dozen candidates and has interviewed every one of them and is now having second interviews with the top three candidates.

Maybe Lindy has already accepted the job in Europe and they are waiting to make a big splash presser when they get back.

Pretty much everything in this coaching search is pure speculation. And our reaction to the eventual choice will be pure speculation, just like it was for Nolan and Bylsma and Housley. 

It’s fun to talk about, but I’m not getting too worked up about it.

[Brawndo]

Regarding his Source 

 

[WildCard]

Sounds professional

/s

[LGR4GM]

 

 

Edited May 14, 2019 by LGR4GM

[shrader]

Just now, LGR4GM said:

https://twitter.com/WGR550/status/1128316722530983937

Dead link

[sabills]

[LGR4GM]

 

[...]

2 hours ago, shrader said:

I won't say all the time, but he does that a lot when he edits posts.

Just keeping the memory alive.

[Thorny]

6 hours ago, ... said:

You have Botterill's list?  Why are you holding out on us?  Post that thing!

 

 

Yes, I have Botterill’s ***** list and im not just speculating because I’m on a GD message board 

I put “seems to me” in there specifically, and I’ve been consistent in that. Do I need to frame every post that way multiple times and is anyone else doing that? 

Edited May 14, 2019 by Thorny

[Thorny]

3 hours ago, Brawndo said:

Regarding his Source 

 

Ok, but you should post the part where he agrees with me (I’m in that thread) that the most likely scenario is that it was Tippett’s if he wanted it and we weren’t getting our first choice 

5 hours ago, dudacek said:

Has Jeremy Whites secret source ever been right?

We were told McLellan was never made an offer.

 

Maybe Quenville, McLellan, Vigneault, Keefe, Tippett, Richards and Martin have all declined the position or even an interview.

Maybe Botterill had a list of a dozen candidates and has interviewed every one of them and is now having second interviews with the top three candidates.

Maybe Lindy has already accepted the job in Europe and they are waiting to make a big splash presser when they get back.

Pretty much everything in this coaching search is pure speculation. And our reaction to the eventual choice will be pure speculation, just like it was for Nolan and Bylsma and Housley. 

It’s fun to talk about, but I’m not getting too worked up about it.

White says his source has “never been wrong”. 

We were also told McLellan did turn down the position. So it depends on who you believe. White certainly seems to be pretty confident on his source re Tippett 

Edited May 14, 2019 by Thorny

[nfreeman]

Am I the only one who thinks this is nucking futs?

The guy's total NHL experience consists of 1 season -- 2012-13! -- with the Oilers, in which his record was 19-29.

Since 2013, his only hockey coaching experience of any kind was coaching Team Europe in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

He's been running a GD soccer team -- which finished 17th in a 20-team league last year and 16th this year.

I have no reason to doubt that he's a smart, talented guy, but still.  This is an irrational fascination with the latest exotic flavor-of-the-month.

I will be amazed if JB puts what are probably his remaining NHL GM eggs in this basket.

[Eleven]

1 minute ago, nfreeman said:

Am I the only one who thinks this is nucking futs?

The guy's total NHL experience consists of 1 season -- 2012-13! -- with the Oilers, in which his record was 19-29.

Since 2013, his only hockey coaching experience of any kind was coaching Team Europe in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

He's been running a GD soccer team -- which finished 17th in a 20-team league last year and 16th this year.

I have no reason to doubt that he's a smart, talented guy, but still.  This is an irrational fascination with the latest exotic flavor-of-the-month.

I will be amazed if JB puts what are probably his remaining NHL GM eggs in this basket.

As others have said, the bases are loaded, there are no outs, and this is either a grand slam or a ground ball triple-play.

I'm done with the conservative approach.  Swing for the fences, Jason!

[shrader]

13 minutes ago, Thorny said:

White says his source has “never been wrong”.

Seeing as how he has no source, would this be like dividing by zero where there is no real answer?

[Thorny]

8 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Am I the only one who thinks this is nucking futs?

The guy's total NHL experience consists of 1 season -- 2012-13! -- with the Oilers, in which his record was 19-29.

Since 2013, his only hockey coaching experience of any kind was coaching Team Europe in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

He's been running a GD soccer team -- which finished 17th in a 20-team league last year and 16th this year.

I have no reason to doubt that he's a smart, talented guy, but still.  This is an irrational fascination with the latest exotic flavor-of-the-month.

I will be amazed if JB puts what are probably his remaining NHL GM eggs in this basket.

No, I agree it seems nuts. 

I’m convinced we’d only land on this guy failing several other options. 

Its possible Botterill thinks he is a genius and he’s completely willing to put his job on the line with it. And I guess it’s possible that Botterill’s job isn’t on the line with this coach at all, that he’s not feeling the pressure to turn things around quick, so he’s just taking another swing here before he moves onto the next guy.

But those 2 possibilities don’t seem likely in my personal estimation. 

1 minute ago, shrader said:

Seeing as how he has no source, would this be like dividing by zero where there is no real answer?

So he’s lying flat out? 

Edited May 14, 2019 by Thorny

[Thorny]

7 minutes ago, Eleven said:

As others have said, the bases are loaded, there are no outs, and this is either a grand slam or a ground ball triple-play.

I'm done with the conservative approach.  Swing for the fences, Jason!

I think we are the defending team in this scenario 

[Eleven]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

I think we are the defending team in this scenario 

Nope, we're at bat.  But we're down 3-0 in the series and also 3-0 in the game.  And it's the ninth.

Edited May 14, 2019 by Eleven

[dudacek]

27 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Am I the only one who thinks this is nucking futs?

The guy's total NHL experience consists of 1 season -- 2012-13! -- with the Oilers, in which his record was 19-29.

Since 2013, his only hockey coaching experience of any kind was coaching Team Europe in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

He's been running a GD soccer team -- which finished 17th in a 20-team league last year and 16th this year.

I have no reason to doubt that he's a smart, talented guy, but still.  This is an irrational fascination with the latest exotic flavor-of-the-month.

I will be amazed if JB puts what are probably his remaining NHL GM eggs in this basket.

You guys are ranking resumes filtered by your distant perception of what our coaching needs are.

Botterill is ranking people based on his first-hand knowledge of what our coaching needs are.

 

@thorny, who is your source for McLellan turned us down?

Mckenzie broke the news that McLellan wasn’t coming here April 12 with this Tweet:

 

Todd McLellan is no longer a consideration to be the head coach in BUF. The Sabres identified McLellan as a candidate and had some dialogue this week but an offer/deal was never formalized/finalized. The expectation is McLellan may be the next head coach in LA.

Edited May 14, 2019 by dudacek

[dudacek]

It’s entirely possible - in my view likely - that McLellan told Buffalo he was sticking with the path he had already carved with the Kings prior to the Sabres making contact, but that doesn’t translate into he turned them down or that they turned him down. Semantics perhaps, but you can’t turn someone down if an offer was never made and you certainly can’t conclude McLellan was their number one choice when it was reliably reported today that they have interviewed at least seven candidates.

Edited May 14, 2019 by dudacek

[Thorny]

2 minutes ago, dudacek said:

It’s entirely possible - in my view likely - that McLellan told Buffalo he was sticking with the path he had already carved with the Kings prior to the Sabres making an offer, but treat doesn’t translate into he turned them down or that they turned him down. Semantics perhaps, but you can’t turn someone down if an offer was never made and you certainly can’t conclude McLellan was their number one choice when it was reliably reported today that they have interviewed at last seven candidates.

That’s fair. I think it’s a case where the Sabres had real interest, and Todd graciously declined. He may not have been their choice in the end, anyways, but I don’t think that option could be fully explored. I’ll see if I can dig up the person saying it was a decline from Todd. 

With Tippett it seems quite likely given the apparently validity of White’s source that it was his job to turn down. 

10 minutes ago, dudacek said:

You guys are ranking resumes filtered by your distant perception of what our coaching issues were.

Botterill is ranking people based on his first-hand knowledge of what our coaching issues were.

 

@thorny, who is your source for McLellan turned us down?

Mckenzie broke the news that McLellan wasn’t coming here April 12 with this Tweet:

 

Todd McLellan is no longer a consideration to be the head coach in BUF. The Sabres identified McLellan as a candidate and had some dialogue this week but an offer/deal was never formalized/finalized. The expectation is McLellan may be the next head coach in LA.

Krueger doesn’t have a resume, that’s the point 

[Radar]

There are members here that think the worst. Somewhat understandable to be frustrated as a fan but to be negative about the unknown? There will be plenty of time to be negative once someone's hired because it really doesn't matter who they hire. If Keefe is hired there will be criticism as well. Just the way it is.

[Thorny]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

 

I find this to be quite scary. 

This idea of a “bridge coach” is picking up traction and to me it sounds like the franchise signing up for another 2 “culture change” years with little expectation. 

“While they wait”..... ?

Edited May 14, 2019 by Thorny

[dudacek]

2 minutes ago, Thorny said:

That’s fair. I think it’s a case where the Sabres had real interest, and Todd graciously declined. He may not have been their choice in the end, anyways, but I don’t think that option could be fully explored. I’ll see if I can dig up the person saying it was a decline from Todd. 

With Tippett it seems quite likely given the apparently validity of White’s source that it was his job to turn down. 

Do you think it is likely an offer has been made to Tippett, and Tippett has either turned out down or is still weighing his options (read Edmonton or his current gig)?

i wouldn’t be surprised if they made Tippett an offer. He seems to strike all the known boxes.

And I wouldn’t blame Tippett for exploring or even taking the Edmonton offer, Connor McDavid is pretty attractive and he apparently has a relationship with Ken Holland, whose GM resume is pretty damn good, despite the past few years.

[dudacek]

3 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I find this to be quite scary. 

This idea of a “bridge coach” is picking up traction and to me it sounds like the franchise signing up for another 2 “culture change” years with little expectation. 

“While they wait”..... ?

They actually makes sense in terms of what we know about Krueger: he is coach in terms of setting the tone and being the buck stops here guy, while grooming a young associate coach to take over in a year or two when he moves upstairs into Kim Pegulas role, which he is immensely qualified for.

With Krueger, you are hiring him for his organizational leadership skills.

He actually talks about wanting to be in the centre of an organization where he hires people to do the jobs they are better at than he is.

[Thorny]

There’s the bit on McLellan, comes from Scott Burnside of the Athletic via Vogl. 

Granted, the quote includes Grongorg’s name being “thrown into the mix” and we know he didn’t get an interview. Whether or not he was ever discussed, hard to say. Weirdly, the Sabres official Twitter was all over Gronborg for a time around when this came out. 

[Thorny]

4 minutes ago, dudacek said:

They actually makes sense in terms of what we know about Krueger: he is coach in terms of setting the tone and being the buck stops here guy, while grooming a young associate coach to take over in a year or two when he moves upstairs into Kim Pegulas role, which he is immensely qualified for.

With Krueger, you are hiring him for his organizational leadership skills.

He actually talks about wanting to be in the centre of an organization where he hires people to do the jobs they are better at than he is.

Botterill hiring his future boss makes no sense to me. 

Is he a coach in terms of getting wins? Cause that’s what we need next year. Not all of the other noise. 

Not a tonal and culture shift for two years, wins.

Edited May 14, 2019 by Thorny