Speculation: Coaching Search - Part III: Dan Bylsma deal "imminent"

[radar493]

I'm shocked that the Bills or Sabres would even give the Snooze interviews .

 

[Jacob582]

because I don't ever pay attention to what bucky says, just out of curiosity, what did he say?

Well, Dreger's angle is the Sabres job is highly sought after.

Bucky's angle:

"but it’s not as if candidates are climbing over one another for Buffalo."

"How much do coaches value the Sabres?"

 

[radar493]

Well, Dreger's angle is the Sabres job is highly sought after.

Bucky's angle:

Bucky is such an ass . I'm surprised he can even find a job. Oh, that's right, he is with the Snooze so that's not really a job I guess.

 

[Jacob582]

"DeBoer snubs sinking Sabres, selects San Jose" -The Buffalo News

So the three top coaching candidates (Babcock, McLellan, DeBoer) have choosen other teams over the Sabres!

 

[radar493]

So the three top coaching candidates (Babcock, McLellan, DeBoer) have choosen other teams over the Sabres!

Bylsma is ahead of DeBoer on Sabres list by all accounts. Not sure where they had McClellan .

 

[MCDJr244]

Well, Dreger's angle is the Sabres job is highly sought after.

Bucky's angle:

Bucky has no sources. He never has and never will. He's flip flops his opinion once a week and writes articles trashing them no matter what they do.

At TBN Vogl, Graham and Carucci are the only ones with any inside sources in regards to the Sabres and Bills.

 

[Bps21*]

A coach we've never been linked too nor reportedly talked too went to another team.

"Got em" -Bucky

 

[OkimLom]

Well, Dreger's angle is the Sabres job is highly sought after.

Bucky's angle:

Why oh why did I read the comment section?

 

[Sabretip]

So the three top coaching candidates (Babcock, McLellan, DeBoer) have choosen other teams over the Sabres!

Bylsma is ahead of DeBoer on Sabres list by all accounts. Not sure where they had McClellan .

They were obviously all in on Babcock. There was a report Murray talked to McLellan before the IIHF tournament so one would think they didn't see a great fit.

Other than a theory floated by Friedman about DeBoer, there were no reports the Sabres even considered him, much less spoke to him.

 

[Karate Johnson*]

Where's this?

It's a prediction

 

[Zip15]

All kidding aside, you know that if Jersey fills its vacancy before Buffalo, Gleason will be salivating at the opportunity to suggest that Buffalo was the least attractive destination--"and the pro-tankers think this franchise is in a great place!"--and had to settle for a guy the other teams passed on. He will do this even if it's Bylsma. You just know it. Given Bucky's recent article and his writing style in general, I'll go with the "_________ was not Buffalo's first choice, but the feeling was mutual" theme to create an impression of a forced marriage.

 

[Zip15]

Yohe is pretty plugged in when it comes to the PIT sports scene, and used to be a Pens beat writer. This may be just reading the tea leaves, but he does probably know something.

 

[Myllz]

All kidding aside, you know that if Jersey fills its vacancy before Buffalo, Gleason will be salivating at the opportunity to suggest that Buffalo was the least attractive destination--"and the pro-tankers think this franchise is in a great place!"--and had to settle for a guy the other teams passed on. He will do this even if it's Bylsma. You just know it. Given Bucky's recent article and his writing style in general, I'll go with the "_________ was not Buffalo's first choice, but the feeling was mutual" theme to create an impression of a forced marriage.

"According to a source close with the Sabres, Bylsma really wanted to go to Toronto, San Jose, Edmonton or New Jersey, but settled on Buffalo as a last resort."

 

[Karate Johnson*]

Bucky tweeted that Bylsmas wife got food poisoning from the Dinner on Pegulas Yacht, and is now urging him to take a job in the Toronto ticket office.

 

[Moskau]

At this point you have to think it's Bylsma or Richardson. Don't see any other surprise candidates that it could be. No way Boston is resolving Julien until Buffalo makes a decision and even then there's really no one to replace Julien so he likely stays.

 

[Beerz]

I'm gonna say we'll get word tonight or tomorrow that Dan Bylsma is the new Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres.

I think its done.

 

[Sabretip]

From Puck Daddy's power rankings on Yahoo:

So it seems as though Buffalo, ever the second-place finisher, is going to be getting its second choice for coach as well.

One of the reasons you often hear floated as why they are likely to target Dan Bylsma is that he coached Jack Eichel at Worlds. Which isn't a good reason because that was, what, eight games? Know what Bylsma saw of Eichel in those eight games? The same thing everyone else did: Eichel is good. By this token, Mark Osiecki could be a candidate for Sabres coach because he ran the bench for the US at World Juniors. Or BU coach David Quinn, who coached Eichel for 41 games this year. Or Don Granato, who coached Eichel a bunch for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program a few years back.

The reason to hire Bylsma, though, is that he's a good and proven NHL coach. Makes sense, right?

He always got more blame than he should have in Pittsburgh, because Shero slowly but surely took away any decent depth players the team had, and he also had to navigate lengthy injuries to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, while also ballet dancing his way through a mental minefield with Playoffs Marc-Andre Fleury. It was not an ideal situation and he caught the brunt of it even if he should not have necessarily done so.

This Sabres team isn't as far along as the Penguins were when he took over. Not even close, actually. But If he can work with actual young, developing stars and not bred-to-be-a-mega-star-since-he-was-12 kids like Sid Crosby (who was 21 and in his fourth NHL season when Bylsma took over), which he almost certainly can — not that Shero ever gave him a chance to prove it — then he'd almost certainly be the best possible candidate.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...lsma-s-future--scoring-stamkos-150757487.html

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

At this point you have to think it's Bylsma or Richardson.

I read something yesterday that reported on Richardson. Apparently, as of yesterday, Murray hasn't reached out to him yet. Take that with a grain of salt though since I can't find the article. I think it was a local Binghamton article maybe?

 

[Sabretip]

I'm gonna say we'll get word tonight or tomorrow that Dan Bylsma is the new Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres.

I think its done.

The notion one post made about timing being important, relative to the scouting combine next week, has some merit. It may not be tomorrow but I do think some news may happen by the weekend.

 

[DazedandConfused]

I read something yesterday that reported on Richardson. Apparently, as of yesterday, Murray hasn't reached out to him yet. Take that with a grain of salt though since I can't find the article. I think it was a local Binghamton article maybe?

It would be news if he did because like Bylsma and Babcock, Richardson is not a FA yet. He'd be required to get permission from Ottawa to talk to him.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

Agreed - it's hard to decipher out of all the Pittsburgh (and some non-Penguin) fans commentaries what is objective and fact versus subjective and opinion. Granted, former players can have the same positive or negative slant, based on personal experience with a former coach, but in this case, McKee sounds like he's speaking more on behalf of concerned Sabre fans what he sees as a good fit, just like some of the Pittsburgh media interviews of late. I lean more on those kinds of assessments and trust Murray's judgment as well about the kind of coach he wants and the core needs.





Dreger said in the WGR interview that Bylsma was in Buffalo today - so I guess that confirms what everyone knows already: his information is better than Gleason's.



Very true - and I don't think Murray would be shy about pulling the plug on a hire he made if it doesn't work out as he originally thought it would. He's too eager to build a winning team to let things slide or go off track.

Bylsma's players absolutely loved him until his last season in Pittsburgh. He was completely a player's coach, and it would shock me if someone like McKee didn't support him. However, that doesn't mean hiring him would be any less of a mistake.

 

[Myllz]

It would be news if he did because like Bylsma and Babcock, Richardson is not a FA yet. He'd be required to get permission from Ottawa to talk to him.

Which he hasn't done. It's been reported nobody's contacted Ottawa to speak with Richardson.

 

[Karate Johnson*]

I'm gonna say we'll get word tonight or tomorrow that Dan Bylsma is the new Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres.

I think its done.

I kind of agree.

So if Friday evening rolls around and no Bylsma does that mean we're going in another direction?

 

[Sabretip]

I read something yesterday that reported on Richardson. Apparently, as of yesterday, Murray hasn't reached out to him yet. Take that with a grain of salt though since I can't find the article. I think it was a local Binghamton article maybe?

It would be news if he did because like Bylsma and Babcock, Richardson is not a FA yet. He'd be required to get permission from Ottawa to talk to him.

Bruce Garrioch of Ottawa Sun tweeted over the weekend that the Senators haven't yet been contacted by any teams for permission to speak to either Paul Maclean or Luke Richardson.

https://twitter.com/SunGarrioch/status/602928567177990144

That would lend credence to the idea that Richardson is more of a back-up plan than a preferred choice.

 

[Moskau]

I read something yesterday that reported on Richardson. Apparently, as of yesterday, Murray hasn't reached out to him yet. Take that with a grain of salt though since I can't find the article. I think it was a local Binghamton article maybe?

Does he really have to interview him right now if he's learning everything he can about Bylsma? He knows Richardson well enough that if Richardson is his guy he can setup an interview with him whenever he wants.