Sabres announce Don Granato, Jason Christie and Matt Smith have been relieved of their duties

[DarthEbriate]

8 hours ago, pastajoe said:

Disagree that he was a complete failure. It was his idea to move Tage to center which allowed him to prosper. He gave Dahlin the free reign to make the most of his abilities. He stuck with UPL until he gained the confidence to become a legitimate starter. He got Greenway to become a solid contributor, especially on the PK. He gave Benson more chances to bloom than most 18 year olds get.

It is true that the team emphasis on improving defensively seemed to adversely affect their offense which gave us such hope last season. Granato seemed to go as far as he could with this team. So time to find someone who can take them to the next level.

They may have kept him a season too long (or 3/4 of a season too long for sure), but that's the hindsight after TNT's and Cozens' offense disappeared after injuries. But he got the transition and confidence back after Krueger. And now, thank you, HCDG, and it's time to move on. And that's OK.

This past season, the glaring error is on GM Sheevyn for the roster construction. A d-zone bottom 6 faceoff center (hell, even a Glendening); one heavier checker than KO/Zemgus; a top 4 D, a vet goalie to backup whomever... move VO and get a temporary Quinn replacement (Nyquist, for example). Those were all known possibilities last offseason for a team on the cusp. The GM was too patient.

2 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Dumping the puck in doesn't work in today's game because of the speed of the D men and their general ability to move it out quickly.

However, dumping the puck in combined with a fast and aggressive forecheck can work, and you can reap huge dividends with it. The usual term now is "dump and chase" and it's the chase part that has to be there and you have to be fast, physical, finish your checks and win puck battles relentlessly. 

With the right coach, we could be that team. 

The finishing of the checks is important. If there's no fear, then dump-and-chase is ineffective because the D knows he can turn and still look for the breakout pass anyway because all he has to contend with is a VO flyby stick (which occasionally works, but not consistently).

[Doohickie]

5 hours ago, Thorny said:

I feel like someone around here, maybe it was Randall Flagg (system never allows for him to be tagged) came up with a deep dive on the perils of dumping the puck in for retrieval like half a decade ago haha 

I think it's comparable to run versus pass in football.  If you always try to carry it in, the other team defends that.  To break that you dump it in and get their Dmen chasing the puck so they don't prevent zone entry.  When the drop off because they're expecting the dump in, you carry it in.  The two types of zone entries complement each other.  If you only do one, the opposing defense will stop you.

I think that's part of the reason the offense declined this year:  They scored a lot on the rush last year.  Opposing teams jammed up the middle to make that more difficult and the team never countered it until... late in the season where dump ins and forechecking worked.

Go figure.

[PerreaultForever]

1 hour ago, DarthEbriate said:

This past season, the glaring error is on GM Sheevyn for the roster construction. A d-zone bottom 6 faceoff center (hell, even a Glendening); one heavier checker than KO/Zemgus; a top 4 D, a vet goalie to backup whomever... move VO and get a temporary Quinn replacement (Nyquist, for example). Those were all known possibilities last offseason for a team on the cusp. The GM was too patient.

The finishing of the checks is important. If there's no fear, then dump-and-chase is ineffective because the D knows he can turn and still look for the breakout pass anyway because all he has to contend with is a VO flyby stick (which occasionally works, but not consistently).

I agree. That shopping list/failure list is exactly what I said we needed going in to free agency. I was content with Clifton for the D add but the rest was definitely lacking and that's what I said when the season started too. It was the same thing the year before as well. No progress and I agree it's still the same holes except now we really need a center or two with the Mitts trade. 

As for the forecheck, absolutely. The way we play they even just shield the puck with their bodies and have time to look around and then make the play. It's a physically demanding way of playing but it is incredibly effective in today's NHL and we need a coach who will make them play that way and if they don't they need to be replaced. 

[Sabre The Cup]

2 hours ago, Sabres73 said:

I agree Skinner must go, but we may have to hold on to him one more year before buying him out. I simply disagree with your over-the-top comments about Adams, I firmly believe we're on the path, and he will get us in the playoffs next year, and for several years thereafter. "4 levels above his competency" is just silly and disrespectful.

We can agree to disagree then. 

If there is anybody hopelessly unqualified for the position in the NHL, it is him. 

[The Jokeman]

14 hours ago, seer775 said:

Every now and then Adams does something extraordinary.

Erm an example please?

[PromoTheRobot]

"Mike Augello of The Hockey News gives his take on the firing of Don Granato, the team's inability to add during this past off-season and who might be the next captain of the Sabres." (This discussion begins at 47:33)

https://www.sportsnet.ca/590/jeff-marek-show/l-a-eyes-potential-opponents-buffalo-makes-a-coaching-change/

[eman]

On 4/16/2024 at 2:29 PM, Malazan said:

ok? Not sure of the point here. Should we just not discuss candidates or traits we think are relevant/irrelevant because the Sabres suck at finding the right coaches?

I'm talking about having any faith in the organization getting the correct coach here to get them in the playoffs, based on their previous hiring records and what the end result turned out to be = 13 seasons of failure. I hope that cleared it up for you.

[seer775]

On 4/18/2024 at 5:45 AM, The Jokeman said:

Erm an example please?

Firing Granato.

[Pimlach]

On 4/17/2024 at 10:35 PM, Sabre The Cup said:

We can agree to disagree then. 

If there is anybody hopelessly unqualified for the position in the NHL, it is him. 

It would be interesting to see what the average age, prior Front Office experience (what jobs and how many in years), and any coaching experience in years,  for the 32 GMs in the modern NHL.  

But I am too lazy to do that work. 

Another easier way is to look it up for just for first time GMs like Adams. 

[French Collection]

I was away with limited internet for two weeks but I did see some information on the firings.

I don’t understand how Ellis stays on. Maybe a part of the Amerks next year?

Send him to Arizona to be their coach in waiting.

[dudacek]

Donnie remains classy to the end.

https://theathletic.com/5430238/2024/04/19/don-granato-sabres-coach-fired/

“Nothing surprises you,” Granato told The Athletic by phone Friday. “The situation and the expectations rose to a level that something had to give. The media, the fan base, the pressure that is on that locker room, the team, the organization, something’s got to give. This is what happens. Obviously, there’s frustration, but I don’t have anything to complain about. I really don’t. I could have done things slightly different. You can change some things and can’t change others.”

He added, “I have to ground my memory in that I was given this opportunity by Kevyn and the Pegulas. It’s an opportunity I had been waiting for for a long time. And honestly, I have no regrets and no blame for anyone else. There are always dynamics at work in situations and you cannot fight them all at once, let alone think you can win them all.”

He talked about the difficulty in transitioning from the guy who built this group up and then turning the switch to a different message. It was not anything we haven't been speculating about on here since he took over.

"“I can punish you all day long, which everybody says hold accountable. But the real question is, ‘Are you accountable?’ Do you need to be punished or are you an accountable person? … So if I made the next coach’s job easier, I’m happy for that. Because I love these guys as people and players and I want to see them be successful.”

“Unfortunately I created a bit of my own mess because you had to get these guys to believe in their ability,” Granato said.

Granato grappled with all of the questions you would expect. How hard do you push a guy before you’re demoralizing him? How do you keep players from tuning you out? How many guys can you make an example of before you run out of players to bump up the lineup?

“When you have more experience and more skill, you’re going to have more accountability in your organization,” Granato said. “When people know someone else can replace them, you have automatic accountability. That’s why skill development is so important.”

And finally:

“This is a tough, tough business and this is an extremely tough time in Sabres history because you’re at a threshold of doing something and getting past a barrier that’s been there for years,” Granato said.

“I’m grateful,” Granato said. “I leave this and know I’m better. To be in this pressure, to elevate in this pressure and develop all of these relationships. There’s no question I’m better by working through all of this and that excites me.”

The next Sabres coach will inherit a 13-season playoff drought, the longest in league history. But these Sabres are also coming off 91 and 84-point seasons. Those are the two best seasons this franchise has had since Lindy Ruff got fired. That those seasons disappointed Sabres fans shows Granato how far they moved the expectations from when he took over.

“It cost me my job, but I’m proud of that,” Granato said.

Edited April 20 by dudacek

[Believer]

Always said Granato is a first quintile analyst… Clearly self-aware… Gave it his best.