Who will be the next Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres?

[Archie Lee]

12 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Pretty much every coach gets fired.  Berube wins a cup, eventually they can’t sign everyone, they make moves but the team weakens.  Coach gets fired to wake up the players. Happens all the time. 

Agreed. The Blues roster was flawed and Berube was most likely getting as much out of them, give or take a few points, as there was to get. But, in my view, that’s what Granato did.  The Sabres were not a playoff team.  Some of that was on coaching, some was on the players underperforming and some of it (most in my view) was on poor roster construction.  There are coaches who might have gotten this year’s team closer, but at best our roster was one that could stay with Washington and Philly and Detroit and NJ.  Berube won’t drag us to being a contender without significant roster upgrades /changes.  

 

[SwampD]

On 4/18/2024 at 1:45 PM, Flashsabre said:

Man they all threw Donny under the bus. 
 

Im sure whoever the coach is they will run hard, organized practices.

I think I have a different take on this than a lot of people here. Even now, the players are not taking the responsibility themselves for playing like garbage, and they’re blaming the coach. Weren’t they the one’s who had a hissy fit when the fans chanted fire Donnie, so they had to punish the fans by ignoring them?

Gimme a break.

We’ll see. Talk is talk, and we’ll see just how motivated these spoiled brats are next season. I sooo want to like my team again.

Edited April 21 by SwampD

[JohnC]

9 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Really?   The Devils were a playoff team and set a team record for points two season ago.  They just need a goalie 

The Blues have a winning tradition and sell out every game.  
 

Ottawa and Buffalo are about the same.  Buffalo has the Pegula factor which is not good.  

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. 

[bunomatic]

33 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Really?   The Devils were a playoff team and set a team record for points two season ago.  They just need a goalie 

The Blues have a winning tradition and sell out every game.  
 

Ottawa and Buffalo are about the same.  Buffalo has the Pegula factor which is not good.  

Unfortunately it all starts with Terry. Until he changes or gets out of the way nothing will change with this team. 

[Pimlach]

4 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

Unfortunately it all starts with Terry. Until he changes or gets out of the way nothing will change with this team. 

Yes.  Terry needs to change AND get out of the way.

Maybe the change is coming now?   He agreed to fire DG and eat the contract extension.   Now he has to allow Adams to increase his cap position and break away from the EEE policies.  

They need fans in the seats that root for the home team.  

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, JustOneParade said:

I thought the exact same thing as I started listening. What I found funny was that the reporters could see he was ready to cut loose so they kept feeding him the same type questions until he did. Entertainment value aside, I would love to know how he addressed those top players who he felt were not competing enough.

I can tell you some of his top players are very young and they cried in the locker room interviews when he was fired.   They knew they let him down but the reality is they lost a lot of really good players (and leadership) from the Cup team and they need to rebuild.   Young guys like Thomas and Kyrou are very good, but they cannot carry the team like the veterans did without some help.   

Which is why I am concerned about Adams' rebuild from within using his prospects almost exclusively.   They could get in, but will not have a playoff team makeup to go very far in the playoffs.   When that finally happens Adams will have to do what Yzerman is trying to do right now, mix your home grown talent with the right vets.  Yzerman is now one point closer than we were last year, but still not there.   

Edited April 21 by Pimlach

[Archie Lee]

58 minutes ago, JohnC said:

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. 

Was it the coach?  Or was it their experience and their players understanding how to win close games and drag games into extra time and manage the ups and downs of the long season.  I have no reason to be critical of their coach, but I think I heard they have the worst for/against radio of a playoff team in history. I’m not ready to say they made the playoffs because of great coaching.  

[Jorcus]

Keeping in mind we probably would not even be looking for a coach if Granato could have solved our power play problems. 15 goals behind league average this year and 26 goals behind last years output. Fix those numbers and we were probably in the playoffs. I think Gallant would be a better choice for our team. I want a coach who will use our speed and skill players He has coached those types of teams.  I don't think we can bring in a coach who will want to retool half the roster to fit his style of coaching. We are not a heavy team that is going crash the net every play the way we are built now. Yes we need more of it but are you going to tell Thompson with the fastest slap shot in the NHL to stand 3 feet in front of the net? I want a coach who will continue to build on what we have and make it better not one who will try to rip it apart. A lot of things were going in the right direction toward the end of the year except the stinky power play which sucked all year and never got us goals when we needed them.  

[PASabreFan]

2 hours ago, Jorcus said:

Keeping in mind we probably would not even be looking for a coach if Granato could have solved our power play problems. 15 goals behind league average this year and 26 goals behind last years output. Fix those numbers and we were probably in the playoffs. I think Gallant would be a better choice for our team. I want a coach who will use our speed and skill players He has coached those types of teams.  I don't think we can bring in a coach who will want to retool half the roster to fit his style of coaching. We are not a heavy team that is going crash the net every play the way we are built now. Yes we need more of it but are you going to tell Thompson with the fastest slap shot in the NHL to stand 3 feet in front of the net? I want a coach who will continue to build on what we have and make it better not one who will try to rip it apart. A lot of things were going in the right direction toward the end of the year except the stinky power play which sucked all year and never got us goals when we needed them.  

So many things were going right the Sabres were a .500 team down the stretch with every incentive to win... End the drought plus other teams were collapsing.

Granato's problems ran deeper than his peeper.

[JohnC]

3 hours ago, Archie Lee said:

Was it the coach?  Or was it their experience and their players understanding how to win close games and drag games into extra time and manage the ups and downs of the long season.  I have no reason to be critical of their coach, but I think I heard they have the worst for/against radio of a playoff team in history. I’m not ready to say they made the playoffs because of great coaching.  

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. 

[Curt]

I’m all for a real tough HC this time around.  Someone who isn’t going to tolerate any nonsense and is well respected around the league.

I don’t even care that much if he is an excellent x and o’s guy.  If he is well respected, good assistant coached will want to come work with him.

Berube, McLellan, or maybe Ruff make sense to me.

[nfreeman]

It doesn’t sound like the Penguins are going to fire Sullivan (from the Athletic):

 

“• Dubas praised the coaching staff and said the Penguins’ issues were his fault but also stopped short of saying the entire coaching staff will be retained. Rather, Dubas said he will discuss the staff with head coach Mike Sullivan before any final changes are made.”

[Flashsabre]

It will be interesting to see the Quenneville situation play out. If Bettman reinstates him he will have teams with coaches in place already that will be approaching him.

One point that a couple people have made is that Quenneville wrote a letter of recommendation for Aldrich that allowed him to get his next job.  The official report says that is false: 

“After leaving his employment with the Blackhawks, Aldrich went on to work and volunteer at USA Hockey, the University of Notre Dame, Miami University of Ohio, and Houghton High School.621 None of the witnesses we interviewed recalled anyone at the Blackhawks providing a written or verbal reference for Aldrich to his future employers. When interviewed, Aldrich stated that he did not list any Blackhawks employees as references on job applications, nor did he ask anyone from the Blackhawks to vouch for him or make any calls on his behalf.622 USA Hockey reported to us that they identified no records reflecting a reference provided for Aldrich by the Blackhawks.623 We gathered records from Miami University regarding Aldrich’s employment and found no evidence of references, whether written or oral, provided by the Blackhawks. Miami University published an investigative report on September 24, 2021, which stated that Aldrich did not provide references on his resume when he applied to Miami, that the then-head coach of Miami University’s hockey team received Aldrich’s name from the coach’s collegiate hockey connections, and that the head coach and others spoke to the University of Notre Dame about Aldrich and received favorable information.624 The Miami investigative report does not describe any references provided by the Blackhawks.625 The University of Notre Dame declined to share information or records with us, other than to confirm Aldrich’s dates of employment at the university. Houghton High School reported to us that they identified no records reflecting a reference provided for Aldrich by the Blackhawks.626 The head hockey coach at Houghton High School told us that Aldrich did not formally apply for volunteer hockey coaching positions in 2010 and 2012.627 The head coach explained that Aldrich’s uncle, who was the assistant coach in 2010, had told the head coach that Aldrich was not working and asked if the team could help Aldrich.628 In 2012, the team re-hired Aldrich as a volunteer based on his work as a volunteer in 2010.629 The head coach said that he did not contact the Blackhawks about Aldrich at any time.630”

 

I think the situation sucked and that Aldrich is a piece of garbage. The situation should have been handled better but it is important that the facts are out there too and not just hearsay.

Edited April 21 by Flashsabre

[shrader]

54 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

It doesn’t sound like the Penguins are going to fire Sullivan (from the Athletic):

 

“• Dubas praised the coaching staff and said the Penguins’ issues were his fault but also stopped short of saying the entire coaching staff will be retained. Rather, Dubas said he will discuss the staff with head coach Mike Sullivan before any final changes are made.”

Or maybe the Penguins’ issues start with them all being 95 years old. 

[ndirish1978]

Haven't been keeping up with the search. Have we interviewed anyone?

[Flashsabre]

13 minutes ago, ndirish1978 said:

Haven't been keeping up with the search. Have we interviewed anyone?

There has been no indication of any names being interviewed. Doesn’t mean they haven’t just that nothing has leaked out.

[Brawndo]

2 hours ago, nfreeman said:

It doesn’t sound like the Penguins are going to fire Sullivan (from the Athletic):

 

“• Dubas praised the coaching staff and said the Penguins’ issues were his fault but also stopped short of saying the entire coaching staff will be retained. Rather, Dubas said he will discuss the staff with head coach Mike Sullivan before any final changes are made.”

I do wonder if another Toronto First Round Exit spells the end for Sheldon Keefe. That could start a cascade as Dubas and Keefe are close from their days with Soo Greyhounds and possibly free up Sullivan.

[Sabre The Cup]

7 hours ago, Jorcus said:

Keeping in mind we probably would not even be looking for a coach if Granato could have solved our power play problems. 15 goals behind league average this year and 26 goals behind last years output. Fix those numbers and we were probably in the playoffs. I think Gallant would be a better choice for our team. I want a coach who will use our speed and skill players He has coached those types of teams.  I don't think we can bring in a coach who will want to retool half the roster to fit his style of coaching. We are not a heavy team that is going crash the net every play the way we are built now. Yes we need more of it but are you going to tell Thompson with the fastest slap shot in the NHL to stand 3 feet in front of the net? I want a coach who will continue to build on what we have and make it better not one who will try to rip it apart. A lot of things were going in the right direction toward the end of the year except the stinky power play which sucked all year and never got us goals when we needed them.  

We need a coach that will help us win the Stanley Cup. I don’t care what he does as long as it happens. 

[nfreeman]

2 hours ago, Brawndo said:

I do wonder if another Toronto First Round Exit spells the end for Sheldon Keefe. That could start a cascade as Dubas and Keefe are close from their days with Soo Greyhounds and possibly free up Sullivan.

For what it’s worth, Lance Lysowski and Joe Yerdon both of whom I’m kind of lukewarm on, said on their most recent podcast that they think it’s highly unlikely that Sullivan is fired.
 

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, Brawndo said:

I do wonder if another Toronto First Round Exit spells the end for Sheldon Keefe. That could start a cascade as Dubas and Keefe are close from their days with Soo Greyhounds and possibly free up Sullivan.

Can't see this happening unless Crosby wants Sullivan gone. Not this year anyway.

If it did though I'm not sure Sullivan is what we need. Remember Bylsma had success with Crosby too. 

[Brawndo]

9 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Can't see this happening unless Crosby wants Sullivan gone. Not this year anyway.

If it did though I'm not sure Sullivan is what we need. Remember Bylsma had success with Crosby too. 

This version of the Sabres has a lot more talent than Bylsma’s Sabres. 
Eichel and Reinhart were first and second year players during their two seasons with him. 
Not sure that’s the best comparison, especially since Bylsma wore out his welcome with Crosby and Malkin very rapidly. 

 

[Doohickie]

13 hours ago, Curt said:

I don’t know for sure what will happen, but it was Adams himself who hinted that this would probably be his last shot at hiring a coach if it doesn’t work out.

We don't need Kevyn to hint at that.  That's the Pegula pattern:  Two coaching hires and that's it.

[SDS]

The list of coaches that people say they want is always the same few people every year (they’ve been mentioned 1000 times in this topic). I don’t really keep tabs on other teams, so I’m not a coaching authority, but I would say I have never heard of 50% of the current NHL coaches in the league. 

I’m certain there’s lots of qualified people out there that nobody has ever heard of, nor one that anyone mentions. I think the constant focus on just three or four high profile guys is really setting us up for disappointment. 

[Doohickie]

12 hours ago, JohnC said:

And after some initial success then it floundered and couldn't make the next leap.

I was really hoping we be talking about this in the context of Granato not being able to get the team deep into the playoffs.  Oh well.

Edited April 22 by Doohickie

[PerreaultForever]

4 hours ago, Brawndo said:

This version of the Sabres has a lot more talent than Bylsma’s Sabres. 
Eichel and Reinhart were first and second year players during their two seasons with him. 
Not sure that’s the best comparison, especially since Bylsma wore out his welcome with Crosby and Malkin very rapidly. 

 

I'm saying Sullivan has worked with a locker room filled with seasoned veterans and at least one of the best leaders in the league. How he'd function in a room like we have is unknown. 

Bylsma had ROR when he was still loving it.