Was off the grid yesterday. Catching up. Expressed musically, I am good with the hire:
We’ve come full circle since “Lindy ain’t goin nowhere”.
"Then it's back where you started
Here we go round again
Back where you started
Come on do it again"
"Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss."
On the timing of the fire, search, & hire:
Maybe, maybe not.
Friedman has talked about GM's talking to candidates before they fire their coach. They want to know that they have someone "better" as a replacement.
KA could have been talking to available candidates for a while.
Or
Maybe he knew what he was looking for....
Or both.
I personally hate how clear it is that a true search wasn't done to find the best candidate. Not saying Lindy isn't that, but they clearly just called him, asked him to come back and wiped their hands. This feels like a PR choice and not the best choice. Hopefully I'm dead f***ing wrong.
Lindy was fired March 4th. There is no reason to believe there hadn't been
any conversations in the intervening 7 weeks, and every reason to believe there were
several deep conversations.
Adams literally said he knows exactly what he wants and wants it done quickly. There was never going to be an exhaustive search.
Exactly. Even though the above was posted several times in this thread, it can't be overemphasized.
You know Lindy's been watching the Sabres games ever since he left Jersey. I'm sure he already has a lot of ideas.
Exactly.
I have a feeling Adams hired him partly so that there’s another voice insisting on buying out Skinner.
I personally don’t think coaching was the problem this year either. The roster is clearly flawed to anyone with two eyes and not a homer.
To the doubters on the Ruff hire, the importance of the first point can't be over-emphasized, and is not limited to a Skinner buyout. Even if Granato had an "equal voice" in discussions between Pegula, Adams and Granato, Ruff's voice will be "more equal" than Granato's was in such situations.
On foreshadowing the 2024-25 Sabres:
Early predictions:
Lindy's favorite: Dylan Cozens
Lindy's doghouse: Jeff Skinner
4th line player stapled in the top 6 forwards for reasons: Greenway
(and)
i do not seeing this going well for Skinner if he's not bought out. I fully expect him gone before the puck drops next season.
First phone call between Ruff and Skinner in the new coach-player relationship.
[Lindy:] Hi Jeff, it's Lindy.
[Jeff:] Congratulations!
[Lindy:] Look, let's cut to the chase. You have a no-move-clause. Sabres have $20M in cap today, and we can fill out the rest of the roster and still carry you in the press box for 82 games while paying you $9M. Are you willing to spend more than 30 seconds TOI in your own zone each game this year and not lead the team in o-zone giveaways? Or do you want to play hockey elsewhere? Because it's one or the other, Jeff. We'll talk again next week. Congratulations on 1000 NHL games without ever playing a playoff game. Because you're not going to continue that streak if you're playing on my team. You choose, Mr. Calder-winner.
[Jeff:] Uhhh...
[Lindy:] By the way - do you know if Krebsie is okay? Either he's blocking my calls or has cell service issues.
On particular poster's views:
I works still prefer Murray. Drunks can stop drinking. Lindy is never going to be a good enough coach. At this point it's as proven as it can possibly get. He's pushing for all time leader games coached without a cup, and depending on what Florida does he may take the lead with Buffalo. Which I guess would be fitting but I just don't understand why the f*** Buffalo (Pegula) is like this. Just hire competent people. Get competent players. It's not rocket science. Why do they keep doing this shit?
(and)
I didn't say that. I said it would put Lindy #1 on the all-time list of NHL coaches for most games played without a cup. There's probably more records for him too. I haven't looked but I would image he's pretty high on a bunch of futility lists. Has he made a finals since '99?
(and)
This is wild. It's like the twilight zone. This has all happened before, it's the same conversations from more than a decade ago. Just with an additional decade of excuses for Lindy that have built up though. A guy that has coached this long, if he's a good coach, shouldn't need any excuses. There should be actual successes and championships in his past to point too. Has he even gotten to the finals since '99?
(and)
1.) They didn't have a goalie this year. They had a young goalie come on late who was very inconsistent and got lit up in all of the make or break games (all completely predictable for a young developing goalie, which is why good teams don't pin their playoff hopes on them.) If you think Ruff, or any coach, takes this years Sabres team to the playoff with 2-8 Eric Comrie and the fetuses Buffalo had in net this year you are living in lala land. I've already seen multiple people in this same thread use Jersey's goaltending as Ruff's excuse for this year.
2.) Imagine having a Stanley cup winning Captain sitting on your bench and only using him on the 4th line and to stand in front of the net on the PP while missing the playoffs. Most guys that would be the end of their career but old boys network. I thought it was the next year but regardless, it's not like Andreychuk got better as he got older. Ruff didn't play Andrechuk because Ruff plays favorites. And he did it over and over in Buffalo, at the cost of the team
(and)
Benched, as in, sat on the bench. Not scratched. Back then teams didn't roll 4 lines. They rolled 3. Some teams rolled two lines in the 3rd period. The 4th line got spot duty. Sometimes only a couple minutes per game. Check his ice time. And Andrechuk went directly from benched by Ruff to Captain of another team that won a cup. He was a Stanley cup winning Captain.
(and)
Check out the latest Buffalo Sabres Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts and more on Hockey-Reference.com
www.hockey-reference.com
You can sort by TOI. He was 2nd last among full time forwards, ahead of only Rob Ray.
We get it. It's summer 1965 and Mariner 4 is set to launch for the eventually successful first Mars fly-by. And you're the lone geocentrist at Mission Command, explaining to all us heliocentrists that our calculations are off because we're all wrong about the cause of the Martian orbital retrograde.
A poster on Sabrespace named BRAWNDO knows a few people in the organization and has tidbits to drop from time to time. He has this to say:
"Berube and Gallant amongst a few others did have interviews with the Sabres via zoom the past few days
It would not surprise me if Adams mentioned Ruff replacing Granato in season, but was rebuffed by Pegula
Ellis is not guaranteed a spot behind the bench
One member of the staff will be a coach in waiting as mentioned before. Appert is my guess.
If it was Peca, I doubt Lavy or the Rangers would block him from moving.
Ruff will spend a lot of time around the Amerks over the next few weeks getting know the prospects as well as Appert.
And
@Thorny if this does go south, your prediction will come true next offseason. That’s a reason why Adams hired Lindy he knows they can work together. "
The last part is suggesting that if they miss this year, Adams is likely done and Lindy can assume an advisory role in picking the next GM.
IMO this hire is going to help the team one way or another. I don't really get what the angst is - the only available candidates are imperfect for a myriad of reasons, but this is one that has an opportunity to be a real layer between Terry and hockey decisions in the event that it fails - which would not be true of Gallant or Berube.
Thanks for the "insider" info from other boards / sources. I agree with the logic of the bolded.
Hilarious day to be off the grid. Very excited. I'm absolutely buying into the magic of it and leaving most of the worries for when/if they come. Makes sense that the Pegulas wanted to get this announced and pressered before the NFL Draft takes over for a week. Tidy dual ownership...or MASSIVE SMOKESCREEN?!
Pros
- I really like Lindy Ruff. Adore him even, as far as these things go.
- Lindy is still a good coach and we're fortunate that NJ a peer rival stumbled and coughed him up. The legend of Brunette has been addressed - NJ offensive fancy stats were just as strong as their huge 22-23, and this season can be chalked mostly to D injuries/personnel and their much-discussed woeful goaltending. Game hasn't at all passed him by at 64.
- He's the best blend of old school disciplinarian/emotional leader and diverse tactician that was available. And we need both. He (and staff) should be able to embrace our natural attacking while bringing the all-situations structure to NHL standards. He's a fossil in the right places and also progressive in the right places imo.
- Maybe most importantly, Lindy wants to win in Buffalo, for Buffalo. More than anyone in the org - players, staff, owners. Now that RJ has passed, he's probably the most important living figure in franchise history. Getting this team to the playoffs would certainly lock that in. So he's uniquely qualified to inject our petulant young core with the pride and sacrifice that the fanbase and city deserve (and that championship teams play with). As a former captain here and future first ballot HOFer, he can take our culture and leadership group to the next level.
- And relatedly, he can help mend the relationship between the team and the fans. Ofc winning is what will really do that in the end, but if he can get them playing hard-working, attractive hockey they can win back the fans quickly. Hell he's a Buffalo sports fan himself, he gets it. No other coach could really have gotten it. Making the playoffs will be that much sweeter with an old friend at the helm and should get the public behind them. And when a fanbase is as jaded and defeated as ours, helping repair the vibes is crucial to helping break a drought/curse.
- The other assumed options were kind of uninspiring in the end. None stood out from Lindy even before the bonuses he comes with.
Cons
- Like others have mentioned, it doesn't seem like Adams took the opportunity to at least get free consulting from a handful of other veteran candidates. Feels like a no-brainer and I wonder what his honest answer would be to "why not?"
- My one theory is that Adams fired Granato only with Ruff in mind if not tacitly in the fold. I don't think it's a stretch to think that next season it was either Granato or Ruff, which opens up alternate realities I don't even want to entertain. They could have still token interviewed a few in that case, but I could see Adams just wanting to get Lindy on the job.
- If it goes badly to start the season next year, the discourse is going to be unbearable. The patience reserves are empty unfortunately and they need to hit the ground running. Fortunately, I think Lindy keenly understands this and will impart it on the team.
- If it goes badly overall, it's likely the end of the second unsuccessful rebuild and plunges us into a rather unimaginable future. It was always a high stakes hire, but this amps things up even more.
Questions
- Assistants - Jeep and Appert seem like frontrunners. Wilford maybe the upstairs coach but maybe with the D. Think we'll lose Appert soon to another org as an AC soon if we don't promote him. Don't love the idea of Chris Taylor back, but the last four years with Ruff is significant. Peca and Weber feel unlikely to budge. Would really just like the best available professional PP coach - who is that?
- Captain - how does Lindy approach forming a new leadership group?
- Will Lindy be in the owners' box at the Bandits' game Saturday? Because I'll be there and that place will go INSANE.
(and)
Watching old pressers, Lindy's sense of humor is going to be a welcome addition, especially in a year that will surely have its share of fraught emotions. The intensity and accountability everyone craves are more digestible from a leader who can keep things in proper perspective with some well-timed and sage sarcasm (aimed at players, media, other coaches, etc). The pure 100% taskmasters rarely survive long enough to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Lindy seems to have the right balance. Donnie kind of felt like he wanted to be one of the guys but wasn't, and then couldn't pull rank.
Also, the gripes about chasing "nostalgia" rub me the wrong way. Nostalgia isn't the right word for reuniting with a franchise legend (and an NHL coaching legend) who is still firmly in the ranks of current quality coaches. It's honestly incredible that a team as damned as Buffalo has such an accomplished and capable coach in our alumni ranks. This is a guy who has lived in Buffalo for the majority of his adult life. He wants to celebrate playoff wins and championships as much as us fans. If he can't translate that passion to this group of guys, literally no one can. And in turn, we should actually rally behind him and see where this can go, rooting them on and not dwelling on the drought.
Listen to this part of his exit presser re: the fans. I'm going to be ready to run through a brick wall after his intro presser. He's not coming here to make the playoffs, he's coming here to win the Stanley Cup he's been chasing. He's stepping into as loaded a young organization as he could hope for. I imagine he'll articulate an ambitious set of expectations tomorrow that will satisfy most everyone.
Appreciate your rational, measured, responses, and I especially agree with the bolded.
I am not saying I dislike the move (would have liked an actual search), but I do remember when the board was apoplectic envisioning a nightmare scenario where it is 2024 and Lindy Ruff was still the Sabres HC.
Double like for the vocabulary.
On our beloved
@Ace
We’re coming off a coach who couldn’t learn how to pull a goalie let alone beat a clogging D and hired a coach who has adapted through over a quarter century of the league changing…winning with everything from a defensive shutdown team in front of the best goalie ever to a wide open young team just last season. And we are…mad…about it.
(and)
That Adams presser did a number on
@Ace. He’s been more positive since.
(and)
Did someone hack
@Ace account?
Every post in this thread was positive, very factual with little emotion, and basically spot on.
Seriously, I’ve called you out before for stuff I didn’t agree with, so I’ve got to be fair. I’ve enjoyed reading every post you’ve written in this thread. Well done!
Confidently predicting the Bills will draft a WR in both Rd#1 this week, after a pre-draft trade for another starting WR, and
@Ace will wake up Friday morning completely changed like the Christmas morning Ebenezer Scrooge in Dicken's
A Christmas Carol.
Granato was good at development, but could not round out to a pro head coach. Simple as that. You now have a competent, experienced coach who will hopefully have the same in his assistants and get the team to a level they need to be at, play tougher, and up and prepared for ALL games including home.
I was thinking the same thing. Granato continuing after interim was the right move, just as Ruff hiring is now.
My question for GMKA, which is now hypothetical... if the team did squeak into the playoffs this season despite the obvious warts, would Snowballs still have the job?
It would have been interesting to see what could have happen if they hire Lindy immediately after he left NJ. The new coach bump could have sparked the team into 3 or 4 more wins.
That is a VERY interesting hypothetical, indeed.
On our collective and individual abusive relationship with the Buffalo Sabres...
I know a few left because of the Penn State thing. They've told me in person they won't be back. A couple have mentioned the team being bad just makes it not worth their time - I can get behind that. If I was sane and in a stable place, I likely wouldn't be using this as a crutch to maintain some semblance of sanity. Some people drink. Some paint. Some even write. And some poke around on hockey boards while games play in the background while looking for work in a field that doesn't pay in a place that doesn't want them.
If I do all four, I believe that qualifies me as a true renaissance man, right?
Hang in there Chain, "winning" in life is about the journey, not the destination. Even when the journey is crappy and fatiguing. S & E are your enduring legacy.
"Invictus"
Some of you care way to much about the Sabres still even after 13 years of them letting you down especially the last 8 topped with the complete failure of this season with poor management all around.
F*ck the Buffalo Sabres. Move on and stop doubling down on hyperbole. There was no joy for next season regardless who they hired so why get mad about it? Adams refuses to do his job so why should you care?
The loser will probably try and run it back with kids rather than selling them all for actual talent now and Ruff will be left hanging.
It's gardening time where I live, watching seeds germinate, push out of the soil, orient their cotyledon leaves toward the sun, with unfailing innate quest to thrive and grow. I'm similarly not giving up.
Here's to the next step in the Sabres journey!
