General coaching talk thread

[Ace]

It's just so depressing when you read things like that because it's painfully obvious that the coach and his staff ARE the problem and hiring a competent coach and staff would literally turn everything around almost overnight.

It’s true. But even if they would fire Granato…would anyone worth it come here? No coach with a resume is signing up for Adams’s bullshit. They would want a full, competitive roster. Not a pile of futures and cap space. They need a serious GM first. And any GM who keeps Granato around isn’t that.

 

[Chainshot]

Greenway is it.

One of the problems is the structure of the offense that is designed around skill. Generate a rush from the D zone or neutral zone, and try and force the opposing team to make a mistake in coverage, creating an odd man chance or an open shooter. But when that doesn't happen, you get that low danger shot with no net front, or the puck ends up behind the goal line with the opposing team connecting on their break out. Sabres are happy to pressure that in the neutral zone, reload, then do that once again. It feels like they possess the puck this season, but with little to no offense. I do give them credit for finally learning how to play in their own end, improving the PK, and only recently have they started to play a fore checking game, but getting those bodies to the front of the net continues to be a problem.

They don't forecheck much and one result is not a lot of settled offense going from below the goal line to the front of the net. It's not part of what they do.

This is why there are very few untouchable prospects not on the Sabres IMO. The drafting has really been hyper-focused on BPA, and with high picks, those are skill guys. "I know what people are going to say, another small forward." Yes, Kevin, we do say that because it's true, but switch small with soft, and we'd have more honesty. Benson was a rarity and the Sabres got really lucky there. Can this team really afford a season or two of Savoie figuring out his game to add that gritty skill set? I'd hang on to Poltopov and Wahlberg, but anyone else should be leveraged to refactor on the wing and the bottom six.

And ameteur scouting needs a change in philosophy as well. They have a lot of picks, stop trying to hit a home run on that hidden gem, and draft some character, grit, and yes, toughness.

The lack of demand and ramifications to go to hard areas and do physical things is certainly something this staff has been accused of and admitted to. Draft-wise, they did seem to lean that way last year with Strbak and Wahlberg and sprinkled some others throughout most years in depth roles like Kozak and Novikov and even Komarov. They haven't done a good job of identifying, developing and then retaining those sort of folks.

It's no surprise...ZERO...that the Sabres don't practice as hard as better teams. They have looked like they're stuck in the mud to start the majority of games this season. It's been plain as day that they aren't prepared to go 100% at puck drop.

Just to point out that Marcus Foligno made the same comment when he went to Minnesota years ago. That was three front offices ago.

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

It’s true. But even if they would fire Granato…would anyone worth it come here? No coach with a resume is signing up for Adams’s bullshit. They would want a full, competitive roster. Not a pile of futures and cap space. They need a serious GM first. And any GM who keeps Granato around isn’t that.

Depends on if they're any other opportunities available. Its one of only 32 jobs.

I will say I'm still sour about them passing on Tocchet for donny... Look what that guys done in Van

 

[sabremike]

Hilarious stat: all 5 of the coaches with a longer tenure than Granato have at least a .600 career point percentage (98 points per season). Donny's is .480 (78 points per season).

 

[kirby11]

I was a tiny bit on the fence, but after watching how they completely gave up tonight...not anymore.

You can't bring Granato and his band of underqualified idiots back next year and expect to be anything but a laughingstock.

 

[Taro Tsujimoto]

This team isn't sniffing the playoffs until they stop being cheap and actually bring in a known, experienced coach.

 

[sabremike]

SAVE US LINDY

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

They need a coach that isn't scared to ream these guys out and keep his players accountable.

 

[toddkaz]

Soft coach, soft team.

If that was a home game they would have gotten booed.

Granato would have been handing out tissues to guys making 5m a season cause it hurts their feelings.

 

[toddkaz]

They need a coach that isn't scared to ream these guys out and keep his players accountable.

The players know its not going to happen, the guys know there is no accountability so they give up and don't bother.

I listen closely to Granato's words. He disassociates himself from the product on the ice.

People should listen closely. He doesn't say we he says them. I have mentioned it before and people say I am being petty but team verbiage is important.

He absolutely doesn't hold himself accountable and he doesn't hold the players accountable either.

I remember a game where they got spanked and players left before interviews which is against NHL rules. They all ran out of the room. When the media asked Granato about the players he didn't even know the players left!

Again no accountability. I remember again people calling me petty when I brought that up.

Its the totality of it all. Guys are not being held accountable and you can pick up on these little things and get a sense of whats going on.

 

[OkimLom]

The players know its not going to happen, the guys know there is no accountability so they give up and don't bother.

I listen closely to Granato's words. He disassociates himself from the product on the ice.

People should listen closely. He doesn't say we he says them. I have mentioned it before and people say I am being petty but team verbiage is important.

He absolutely doesn't hold himself accountable and he doesn't hold the players accountable either.

I remember a game where they got spanked and players left before interviews which is against NHL rules. They all ran out of the room.

Again no accountability. I remember again people calling me petty when I brought that up.

Its the totality of it all. Guys are not being held responsible and you can pick up on these little things and get a sense of whats going on.

It’s been 13 seasons of terrible hockey. At this point us fans should be fluent in reading the signs of when the bottom is about to drop out.

I have to say this has been the least held accountable group of guys this organization has had in this “phase” of ownership of the Sabres.

Granato has long passed his usefulness for the organization. He’s not fit to be a NHL coach. It says a lot of the grasp he actually has on the room when the pressure is on that the team consistently folds. Says a lot of the players as well. It’s easy to play loose when there’s no pressure on. That might be a good thing to play when you are trying to change to mood in the room. Not when you are trying to build up an actual competitive level of the team.

At this point we need more, and Donny ain’t it.

 

[Ace]

Maybe a good way to turn things around would be to have a standard and consequences for failing to meet it.

 

[toddkaz]

It’s been 13 seasons of terrible hockey. At this point us fans should be fluent in reading the signs of when the bottom is about to drop out.

I have to say this has been the least held accountable group of guys this organization has had in this “phase” of ownership of the Sabres.

Granato has long passed his usefulness for the organization. He’s not fit to be a NHL coach. It says a lot of the grasp he actually has on the room when the pressure is on that the team consistently folds. Says a lot of the players as well. It’s easy to play loose when there’s no pressure on. That might be a good thing to play when you are trying to change to mood in the room. Not when you are trying to build up an actual competitive level of the team.

At this point we need more, and Donny ain’t it.

Remember Mittelstadt's comment in Colorado? I haven't sweated this hard in a while.

its a country club here.

 

[Beerz]

Anybody think this goes on at a Granato practice?

 

[Gabrielor]

Fire him.

 

[elchud]

If KA doesn't fire Granato this offseason, then he (KA) will be looking for a new job in 2025. He must know this.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

I have never been more disgusted with the state of the franchise. Krueger was a bad experiment, this is just neglect. UPL and this team don’t deserve this idiocy.

 

[Mattilaus]

If KA doesn't fire Granato this offseason, then he (KA) will be looking for a new job in 2025. He must know this.

And he will wait until the last possible minute to do so. If the Sabres are floundering around the end of 2024, having another bad start, the earliest we can expect a coaching change is like the end of November next season.

 

[Chainshot]

They need a coach that isn't scared to ream these guys out and keep his players accountable.

A guy who demands they play on the right side of the puck. A guy who installs SOME sort of structure. A guy who demands they pay a physical price. A guy who can draw defense out of 1-way guys. A guy who can get the expensive players to engage enough to win.

They need a lot of guys.

 

[OkimLom]

Remember Mittelstadt's comment in Colorado? I haven't sweated this hard in a while.

its a country club here.

I didn't see that comment from him. Sadly, as much as it says about the state of standards of the organization, which were pretty obvious that they weren't high enough, it also says a lot about Casey as well.

 

[Dubi Doo]

I have never been more disgusted with the state of the franchise. Krueger was a bad experiment, this is just neglect. UPL and this team don’t deserve this idiocy.

If KA doesn't fire Granato this offseason, then he (KA) will be looking for a new job in 2025. He must know this.

Fire him.

A guy who demands they play on the right side of the puck. A guy who installs SOME sort of structure. A guy who demands they pay a physical price. A guy who can draw defense out of 1-way guys. A guy who can get the expensive players to engage enough to win.

They need a lot of guys.

Man, it sucks that we've all turned on Granato. I'm there with you guys, but I actually had hope for him, and I do think he genuinely cares. It just sucks this is where we ended up with him, but it was time to move on in December. Honestly, it may have saved the season.

My hope, and I've said it a few times before, is the team does enough losing to close out the year that the choice is easy for Adams. Donny needs to completely lose the locker-room. Unfortunately, the locker-room seems to love Granato like a fun uncle.

If he's still around next year, then it's on Adams for not having the spine to make the hard choice and break the vibes because 'the vibes' are clearly not progressing this team in the right direction.

Granato played his role well in keeping morale high during some tough times and progressing the offensive output for some young players. Now, they need to turn the page to a new chapter. A leader who gets these guys committed to playing 200ft hockey would be a great start.

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

Unfortunately for us, he's not soooo

 

[toddkaz]

I didn't see that comment from him. Sadly, as much as it says about the state of standards of the organization, which were pretty obvious that they weren't high enough, it also says a lot about Casey as well.

 

[joshjull]

I didn't see that comment from him. Sadly, as much as it says about the state of standards of the organization, which were pretty obvious that they weren't high enough, it also says a lot about Casey as well.

If you read his quotes, it’s pretty obvious he’s impressed by how they do things and excited to be a part of it.

 

[Jim Bob]

If you read his quotes, it’s pretty obvious he’s impressed by how they do things and excited to be a part of it.

I would be surprised if going from a franchise that hasn't made the playoffs in over a decade to a legit SC contender and recent champions did not lead a player to be impressed by the way their new team does things.

Adams seems to think that Granato has it in him to coach the Sabres to the playoffs. There are legit reasons to have serious doubts about that given how this season has played out and the regression in performance by so many of the core guys on the roster.

If there are not major changes to the coaching staff this offseason, I will not be hopeful about the Sabres making the playoffs next season.