Goaltending and Environment: Kevin Woodley of InGoal Magazine on the Instigator Podcast

[Pimlach]

9 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I’m not as harsh on Granoto’s looser approach to team defense as most others  are. He was trying to get his players to play a more open style of game than the stricter and more rigid style that Krueger demanded. 
 

I think what Granato was trying to do was change their mindset from worrying about not making mistakes by rigidly adhering to the system instead of allowing his players to express their talents and play with less inhibition. In my view, Dahlin was a big beneficiary of that previous coaching change.

I’m also aware that at some point that the players needed to play a more responsible two-way NHL game. As you point out. 

Dahlin would thrive on any of the other 31 teams, he is a star player.   Sure, Krueger held him back, he was not an NHL HC either.   He was just another failed Terry Pegula hire.  

Edited Friday at 09:25 PM by Pimlach

[JohnC]

7 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Dahlin would thrive on any of the other 31 teams, he is a star player.   Sure, Krueger held him back, he was not an NHL HC either.   He was just another failed Terry Pegula hire.  

Terry Pegula is a third rate owner.

KA is a third rate GM.

Ruff and his coaches are a third rate coaching staff.

How do you break through when you are dealing with so many liabilities? It’s a catch-22 situation that has kept this franchise stuck. The Sabres have become a dog chasing its tail franchise.

 

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

And so has the coaching 

Yes absolutely. Said that in a follow up post. The coaching and the general team philosophy since Bylsma has been offense first. I was surprised Ruff didn't teach and bring in a more detailed defensive system but maybe (going out on the optimism limb) the Euro trip messed all that up. Maybe with a full camp they can bring in a properly structured defensive system. Then we see if these guys are willing to play it and can play it. This team hasn't had good defensive structure in a really really long time. 

[LGR4GM]

11 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Yes absolutely. Said that in a follow up post. The coaching and the general team philosophy since Bylsma has been offense first. I was surprised Ruff didn't teach and bring in a more detailed defensive system but maybe (going out on the optimism limb) the Euro trip messed all that up. Maybe with a full camp they can bring in a properly structured defensive system. Then we see if these guys are willing to play it and can play it. This team hasn't had good defensive structure in a really really long time. 

Or Lindy Ruff isn't a good head coach. 

[Thorny]

Hutton was half blind 

Comrie hasn’t amounted to being a starter - anywhere - not just in Buffalo.

Adams takes shots in the dark at fixing the position and also handcuffs his own bets by assembling the rest of the team with the poor logic he uses to handle the goaltending position. It would be a stretch to think his ineptitude wouldn’t conform to the shape of the roster in totality when it’s as mobile, unstoppable, and fluid as water 

the goalies have been bad. The talent around them has also been bad. We don’t need to pigeonhole problems when you are historically bad: there’s room for them all, it’s a big party! 

You are doing too much when you eliminate blame, you’ll find some under every overturned stone when you are the worst team of all time 

Edited Saturday at 05:13 PM by Thorny

[PerreaultForever]

7 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Or Lindy Ruff isn't a good head coach. 

Well yes, that's definitely a possibility. It's also possible he's just old and burned out (relatively speaking) and most of the team doesn't have the sort of reverence for him that Tuch has. Whether he's too old, out of touch or just bad really doesn't matter. Bottom line is he did a bad job last year but no coach here has done a good job under Pegula have they. 

In my opinion the biggest problem however is not enough veterans who already know how to play the right way. Guys who basically coach themselves (and their team mates). Constant stream of young guys requires very good assistant coaches and lots of one on one time between them and we just don't have that. Head coach can't do his job properly and also babysit and mentor all these youngsters. So for me, it's a wider organizational problem that they seem to fail to recognize. 

[LTS]

On 8/15/2025 at 4:13 PM, Archie Lee said:

I’m not going to pound the table for Wilford. I don’t think he is responsible, though, for the team’s overall defensive structure. 

Who do you think is?  I mean, he's the consistency between Granato and Ruff.  His coaching is what allows opponents to stand between the defender and goaltender, consistently.

And yeah, we can go back through different coaches, etc.  I'm not interested in dissecting the pre-Kevyn Adams era as the team is barely the same.  Right now there are a lot of issues but if you start from a broken foundation it won't matter who the players are because it's going to fall down.

[JohnC]

22 minutes ago, LTS said:

Who do you think is?  I mean, he's the consistency between Granato and Ruff.  His coaching is what allows opponents to stand between the defender and goaltender, consistently.

And yeah, we can go back through different coaches, etc.  I'm not interested in dissecting the pre-Kevyn Adams era as the team is barely the same.  Right now there are a lot of issues but if you start from a broken foundation it won't matter who the players are because it's going to fall down.

Ruff is the HC. If the assistant coach is constructing a system that isn't working, then isn't it the HC's obligation to intervene and require an adjustment? The same responsibility applies to the system on the PP and kill units. If the system isn't working, then he is the one that should require a change/alteration in systems. If the assistant is so inadequate, then why wasn't he replaced this year. There is a hierarchy of responsibility here. If the HC isn't satisfied with the performance of a particular assistant, then he has the authority to replace him. Or does he really have that authority to make the change/s? 

HCs have different styles of coaching. Some are dominant in all phases of the game and others are delegators. Each coach has a system they are comfortable in. But let's not forget that ultimately the assistants are accountable to the HC. If the HC is comfortable with the status quo, then the problem lies with the HC. That's how I see it.  

[Archie Lee]

2 hours ago, LTS said:

Who do you think is?  I mean, he's the consistency between Granato and Ruff.  His coaching is what allows opponents to stand between the defender and goaltender, consistently.

And yeah, we can go back through different coaches, etc.  I'm not interested in dissecting the pre-Kevyn Adams era as the team is barely the same.  Right now there are a lot of issues but if you start from a broken foundation it won't matter who the players are because it's going to fall down.

I’m no expert on NHL coaching. My understanding though, is that generally the system or structure that a team uses is the preferred structure of the head coach and that the implementation is a shared responsibility with the assistants. Last year when Ruff spoke out about Cozens and Thompson struggling, he didn’t say that they are struggling with Wilford’s system, he said they are struggling with what he asks centres to do in his system. 

[dudacek]

Structure and system is ultimately dictated by the head coach. Assistant coaches assist with design and implementation they don't dictate it.

The most obvious recent example here was when offensive assistant Granato took over for Krueger and dramatically changed the way the team played.

[Taro T]

45 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Structure and system is ultimately dictated by the head coach. Assistant coaches assist with design and implementation they don't dictate it.

The most obvious recent example here was when offensive assistant Granato took over for Krueger and dramatically changed the way the team played.

True, the assistants don't dictate the system.  But they're the ones actually working with the players and they're the ones implementing the drills that the players use to learn where they're supposed to be and how they're supposed to play when the games actually happen. 

Guarantee that in practice they aren't correcting the D and the F's when they allow somebody to be alone at the back door nor missing somebody sneaking down from up high where the F's are covering to down low where the D are expected to cover.  Why?  Because that #### happens multiple times every game.

Guarantee that they're teaching them that stupid nearly 100' drop pass on the PP.  Why?  Because THAT #### happens every game and Power insists on it even when a F has snuck behind him anticipating the drop pass.  Rather than react to the situation as it evolves, they continue to do what they've been taught to do.  The ONLY guy that DOESN'T ALWAYS make that stupid drop pass is Dahlin.  He does it until the other team starts cheating and then he takes the easy 4 on 3 entry that he's now been given.

(And that stupidity on the PP goes back to what's being said about what they do on D; it's just way easier to describe without having a video example to accompany it.  This coaching staff is awful.)

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

True, the assistants don't dictate the system.  But they're the ones actually working with the players and they're the ones implementing the drills that the players use to learn where they're supposed to be and how they're supposed to play when the games actually happen. 

Guarantee that in practice they aren't correcting the D and the F's when they allow somebody to be alone at the back door nor missing somebody sneaking down from up high where the F's are covering to down low where the D are expected to cover.  Why?  Because that #### happens multiple times every game.

Guarantee that they're teaching them that stupid nearly 100' drop pass on the PP.  Why?  Because THAT #### happens every game and Power insists on it even when a F has snuck behind him anticipating the drop pass.  Rather than react to the situation as it evolves, they continue to do what they've been taught to do.  The ONLY guy that DOESN'T ALWAYS make that stupid drop pass is Dahlin.  He does it until the other team starts cheating and then he takes the easy 4 on 3 entry that he's now been given.

(And that stupidity on the PP goes back to what's being said about what they do on D; it's just way easier to describe without having a video example to accompany it.  This coaching staff is awful.)

Are you including Ruff in your assessment of the staff? And if you believe that Ruff is satisfied with the staff because he made no changes to the group, then isn't he the most culpable for its mediocre performance? And as you pointedly note, the same shiiiit goes on game after game. Well, if the HC is tolerating the sub-par staffing performance, then shouldn't he be held most responsible for the coaching inadequacies? 

What's apparent to everyone is that the ownership is third rate, the GM is third rate and the coaching staff is third rate. That's not a recipe for success! 

[Cityo'Rasmii]

Sorry, Ruff is not 3rd rate. That's a from the cuff, not thought through, low blow. Assistants, ok possibly so.

go Sabres

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, Cityo'Rasmii said:

Sorry, Ruff is not 3rd rate. That's a from the cuff, not thought through, low blow. Assistants, ok possibly so.

go Sabres

The coaching staff is Ruff’s staff. He inherited them when he first took over but kept them on the following season. Again, this is his staff!

[Cityo'Rasmii]

4 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The coaching staff is Ruff’s staff. He inherited them when he first took over but kept them on the following season. Again, this is his staff!

You consistently seem very insistent with your opinions on all topics. I wasn't there at the beginning of last season in the strategy room, were you? Maybe our illustrious owner required that the assistants be retained. Can you disprove this? You seem to have inside information which form your conclusions.

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, Cityo'Rasmii said:

You consistently seem very insistent with your opinions on all topics. I wasn't there at the beginning of last season in the strategy room, were you? Maybe our illustrious owner required that the assistants be retained. Can you disprove this? You seem to have inside information which form your conclusions.

This is Ruff’s staff. If the owner is not allowing him to hire the staff he wants, then he took the job under conditions that most HCs wouldn’t accept. When he first took-over he inherited the staff. This is a new year. This is his staff. If there are problems within the staff, then it is his responsibility to address. 
 

If you believe that the Sabres are a well coached team, I’m confident that it is a minority view. 

 

[Cityo'Rasmii]

8 minutes ago, JohnC said:

This is Ruff’s staff. If the owner is not allowing him to hire the staff he wants, then he took the job under conditions that most HCs wouldn’t accept. When he first took-over he inherited the staff. This is a new year. This is his staff. If there are problems within the staff, then it is his responsibility to address. 
 

If you believe that the Sabres are a well coached team, I’m confident that it is a minority view. 

 

I won't accept your profiling me. I never said that, you have inferred such. Nice job on the last word as usual.

go Sabres

[JohnC]

Just now, Cityo'Rasmii said:

I won't accept your profiling me. I never said that, you have inferred such. Nice job on the last word as usual.

go Sabres

What are you talking about? Profiling? Odd thing to say. 

[Cityo'Rasmii]

7 minutes ago, JohnC said:

What are you talking about? Profiling? Odd thing to say. 

whatever

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, Cityo'Rasmii said:

Sorry, Ruff is not 3rd rate. That's a from the cuff, not thought through, low blow. Assistants, ok possibly so.

go Sabres

A first rate coach would have fired all the assistants and brought in better ones. 

[LTS]

19 hours ago, JohnC said:

Ruff is the HC. If the assistant coach is constructing a system that isn't working, then isn't it the HC's obligation to intervene and require an adjustment? The same responsibility applies to the system on the PP and kill units. If the system isn't working, then he is the one that should require a change/alteration in systems. If the assistant is so inadequate, then why wasn't he replaced this year. There is a hierarchy of responsibility here. If the HC isn't satisfied with the performance of a particular assistant, then he has the authority to replace him. Or does he really have that authority to make the change/s? 

HCs have different styles of coaching. Some are dominant in all phases of the game and others are delegators. Each coach has a system they are comfortable in. But let's not forget that ultimately the assistants are accountable to the HC. If the HC is comfortable with the status quo, then the problem lies with the HC. That's how I see it.  

Yes, but under no circumstances do I operate under the assumption that Ruff has any say in the coaching staff. Ruff taking the position was a way for him to make some money, help out his hometown team, and let Pegula clear the books a bit before the next phase in coaching took over.

So, knowing that, the administration of the Buffalo Sabres kept Wilford, who, in my opinion is the problem here.  It doesn't matter to me if someone above is responsible for keeping him, Wilford is accountable for coaching the defensive scheme. Let's go RACI charts!

12 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

A first rate coach would have fired all the assistants and brought in better ones. 

Yes.. but we know the Sabres don't have one of those.  The GM won't allow it and I'm still not sure Pegula wants it.

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, LTS said:

Yes, but under no circumstances do I operate under the assumption that Ruff has any say in the coaching staff. Ruff taking the position was a way for him to make some money, help out his hometown team, and let Pegula clear the books a bit before the next phase in coaching took over.

So, knowing that, the administration of the Buffalo Sabres kept Wilford, who, in my opinion is the problem here.  It doesn't matter to me if someone above is responsible for keeping him, Wilford is accountable for coaching the defensive scheme. Let's go RACI charts!

Yes.. but we know the Sabres don't have one of those.  The GM won't allow it and I'm still not sure Pegula wants it.

As you describe Ruff's authority, or lack of it, is a demonstration why this Pegula hockey organization is a failed organization that is structured in an unusual way. If Ruff doesn't have the authority to hire his staff at this point, then this organization deviates from how a normal franchise operates. It's ridiculous. 

[Taro T]

15 hours ago, JohnC said:

Are you including Ruff in your assessment of the staff? And if you believe that Ruff is satisfied with the staff because he made no changes to the group, then isn't he the most culpable for its mediocre performance? And as you pointedly note, the same shiiiit goes on game after game. Well, if the HC is tolerating the sub-par staffing performance, then shouldn't he be held most responsible for the coaching inadequacies? 

What's apparent to everyone is that the ownership is third rate, the GM is third rate and the coaching staff is third rate. That's not a recipe for success! 

Whether he wanted the assistants he has to work with or merely accepted them, considering he's seen their results 1st hand and didn't punt any of them makes him part of the problem.

Credible rumors he wanted to replace Wilford.  But at the end of the day, he didn't.  And that is unacceptable. At an absolute minimum he, Appert, and Ellis should've been handed their walking papers.