Confirmed with Link: Lindy Ruff named Head Coach, Press Conference at 1:00 PM EDT

[OkimLom]

"Do you want a new picture?

Can you give me a one from 79?"

"Do you Validate Parking?"

"How much are we putting in the card? Do you have change for a $5?"

 

[BuffaloMango]

I hate it even more if this hire is just a vehicle to get Appert behind the bench.

I see 2 possible scenarios:

1. This whole thing works out, Lindy Ruff retires/ gets promoted into a senior advisor or POHO role and will be at the head of the table to select the next HC of the Buffalo Sabres. It may or may not be Appert, but we will have been successful and this will be viewed as good coaching development if it does turn out to be Appert.

2. This experiment fails and Lindy Ruff will be at the head of the table as some POHO/Senior Advisor, Adams will be sent packing and Lindy will select both the next HC and GM of the Buffalo Sabres. Likely not Appert in this version of the simulation.

 

[Zman5778]

Nah, it's all because Andrew Brunette went to Nashville.

Has nothing to do with the goaltending position at all.

 

[DapperCam]

One thing that Lindy has over the other veteran retread coaches that were in contention for the job, is that he bleeds blue and gold. I think he would do anything possible to bring the Sabres back to the playoffs. It is his legacy.

That kind of enthusiasm can really improve the performance of a team. Granato could impart cliches and motivational words, but the players will know there is nothing empty or hollow when Ruff speaks.

 

[Chainshot]

Which player benefits the most from a Lindy Ruff hire? My vote is Dylan Cozens.

Power. Think back to the years Ruff worked on getting something out of Campbell.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Lindy's deal is 2 years per Lance.

 

[old kummelweck]

I hate it even more if this hire is just a vehicle to get Appert behind the bench.

You'd be against Ruff mentoring Appert and furthering his coach development? I think anyone they would bring in as an apprentice would be thrilled to learn from Ruff.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Nah, it's all because Andrew Brunette went to Nashville.

Has nothing to do with the goaltending position at all.

Doesn’t Lindy’s system make it hard on goaltenders though? I bet Boston could make those same goaltenders look solid. Los Angeles too.

Lindy's deal is 2 years per Lance.

Of course it is. The fact that he’s willing to take a small contract had to play a decent-sized role in his selection. Not that it’s a bad thing.

 

[Tatanka]

Power. Think back to the years Ruff worked on getting something out of Campbell.

Or Myers?

 

[Jim Bob]

I see 2 possible scenarios:

1. This whole thing works out, Lindy Ruff retires/ gets promoted into a senior advisor or POHO role and will be at the head of the table to select the next HC of the Buffalo Sabres. It may or may not be Appert, but we will have been successful and this will be viewed as good coaching development if it does turn out to be Appert.

2. This experiment fails and Lindy Ruff will be at the head of the table as some POHO/Senior Advisor, Adams will be sent packing and Lindy will select both the next HC and GM of the Buffalo Sabres. Likely not Appert in this version of the simulation.

Two scenarios popped into my head when I saw this:

1) Lindy had 2 years left on his NJ deal and he wants to renegotiate a new deal after that deal expires.
2) They have a plan to have a coach in waiting on the staff to take over in 2 years and Lindy gets that bump up into a management role.

 

[Chainshot]

Two scenarios popped into my head when I saw this:

1) Lindy had 2 years left on his NJ deal and he wants to renegotiate a new deal after that deal expires.
2) They have a plan to have a coach in waiting on the staff to take over in 2 years and Lindy gets that bump up into a management role.

#2 seems likely. It's the Sabres so always expect #2.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I don’t know enough about coaching to say if it’s a good hire or not, but I love Lindy Ruff. An actual sense of humor is very much appreciated.

Now go get this man a full roster of NHL players and don’t saddle him with the perpetually youngest team in the league like you did with Granato.

 

[Tatanka]

So it is done. Can’t change it now. Two thoughts:

1. I do not think the position is as desirable as many think and Lindy was willing to take on the role. He has the gravitas to demand accountability as everyone claims they want.

2. This roster had warts. Lots of them. KA didn’t act to address them quickly enough re sending Levi down or replace Quinn or provide another Greenway type player. A more thorough search would have at least yielded some insights into the roster makeup that could have been beneficial as @TehDoak pointed out. I do not think coaching alone cost the Sabres a shot at the PS. They addressed one of them. I will wait and see of they address the others.

Lindy is a good guy. I met him a few times at events and he is the kind of guy you would want for a neighbor. He can lead. Question is will others follow. I hope this signals a course correction to win now and not wait on the pipeline. This franchise needs to win now. Good luck Lindy gitter done. Go Sabres.

 

[Diaspora]

[ . . . ]

I'm not mad about the hiring of Lindy. But I'm a little ticked off that they did such little work in trying to find a new head coach. Hiring Lindy so quickly points me to the direction that they already have an idea on the longer term head coach for the Sabres, but they need a transitional coach in the meantime.

I don't get this line.

Every list of coaching candidates is comprised of "noobs", "retreads", and successful coaches in secure circumstances. We don't want the first category, and we can't get the third category. That leaves retreads. Ruff was #1 or #2 on the retreads list.

What's one thing we know about Adams? He talks to everybody. If, as Adams said at the press conference, the decision to fire Granato was not made on the plane ride back from Tampa -- then it makes sense that there were several weeks toward the end of the season where he was laying the groundwork for this action. There were no limits on him reaching out to Berube, Gallant, or any other of the coaches not currently behind an NHL bench. His history shows that Adams is anything but impetuous -- we bitch all the time about taking too long to do things. Formal interviews or not, it's out of character to think that he woke up yesterday morning and offered Lindy a contract out of the blue.

As far as Ruff being a transitional figure, that's fine with me. If they have an idea of a younger guy who they want to have mentored from a noob into a long-term coach in the organization, I can't think of someone available better than Ruff to do it.

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

 

[1point21Gigawatts]

You'd be against Ruff mentoring Appert and furthering his coach development? I think anyone they would bring in as an apprentice would be thrilled to learn from Ruff.

Yeah, if the sole purpose of the hire is to prep Appert then i am definitely against it. I also don't see how we expect Appert to make the leap from development/AHL coach to NHL HC when Granato wasn't capable of flipping that switch despite a healthy amount of assistant coach experience.

 

[BuffaloMango]

Two scenarios popped into my head when I saw this:

1) Lindy had 2 years left on his NJ deal and he wants to renegotiate a new deal after that deal expires.
2) They have a plan to have a coach in waiting on the staff to take over in 2 years and Lindy gets that bump up into a management role.

I think this only happens if things go really well. And if that is the case, and Lindy signs off on it in 2 years it will look like good coaching development and there won't be many complaints at that time.

But if this falls in the category of mediocre or bad? I think the only thing written in stone is that Lindy is still employed in some capacity. I don't think Appert or Adams are safe in that scenario.

The only way I see Appert being a part of the succession plan is if this is a 105-110 point team under Ruff. I don't see this franchise being able to move on from Ruff and move to Appert in if they get to 95 points and lose to Boston in 4 in the first round. I know Adams may be thinking it or floating it. But I have difficulty finding a realistic path to get there other than that.

One way or another I think Adams just hired his new boss starting today.

 

[Jim Bob]

Yeah, if the sole purpose of the hire is to prep Appert then i am definitely against it. I also don't see how we expect Appert to make the leap from development/AHL coach to NHL HC when Granato wasn't capable of flipping that switch despite a healthy amount of assistant coach experience.

Appert is his own coach and I think painting him as the same thing as Granato isn't fair to him. Plus, what the team will need in two years might not be the same thing that they need today.

 

[MOGlLNY]

Perfect.

 

[HolyGhost]

when I saw this I thought it was a joke....not sure how I actually feel about this

 

[Dingo44]

 

[Chainshot]

Appert is his own coach and I think painting him as the same thing as Granato isn't fair to him. Plus, what the team will need in two years might not be the same thing that they need today.

Well said.

 

[Chainshot]

Something something never meet your heroes something something.

 

[Dirty Dog]

So, in thinking about this, a few thoughts:

1. If still think firing Granato and hiring Ruff was an Adams choice, i don't know what to say. The one good thing we've learned about Adams is he typically goes by committee and he moves slow. He's very deliberate with his moves and doesn't do things rashly. Firing Granato is fine....firing Granato before getting feedback from the players is definitely not an Adams move. And hiring a new coach without an interview process or waiting to see if any coaches get canned after the 1st round is another fast move. This firing/hiring stinks of Terry taking over the process and getting what he wants versus the front office going through a discussion and deciding what is best for the team.

2. The dynamic between Ruff/Adams/Pegula has the potential to be problematic. The gravitas that Ruff holds with the Pegulas and the personal relationship there is going to be a problem if Adams and Ruff have a disagreement. The Regier/Ruff era had a decade plus of established dynamic between GM and coach. Ruff is coming back a conquering hero tasked with fixing the problems of the organization since he was fired. I'm not saying it WILL be a problem, these are all adults and professionals, but there is certainly POTENTIAL to be a problem here.

3. Not doing a formal interview process also I think is also bad. Worse case scenario, you could have gotten 3-4 professional coaches give you a deep dive on the construction of your roster and what needs to be changed. There also could have been the absolute perfect fit for this team that you didn't get to see because you rushed for the good press fan service hire.

Overall, I still like the hire, because I believe Ruff is a good coach and like what he did with NJ. There is a fit here even if you remove the name Ruff and his history with the org. However, I think the underlying issues with the owner and GM still exist. I like having fresh eyes on the org though. I'd really like to see a senior advisors or extra AGM brought in outside the org to really just take a fresh look at the organization as a whole at how the team can improve their processes and management.

You had to think to reach your conclusion that: 1) pegula is running things; 2) things can go bad because of ownership dynamics; and 3) the Sabres didn’t have a thorough process? Because those are always your exact conclusions my guy

 

[dortt]

Lindy was always a Cpt Sobel when he was here the first time

Excellent teacher. Poor leader