New Head Coach search

[Bleedred]

Why the hate for Berube?

I’m more interested to know why the love with for him?

Probably because he coached a cup winner fairly recently and that’s it.

And he’s a mean guy and this team needs a disciplinarian or something?

 

[jkrdevil]

I don’t think Berube would be a fit, but he is a better coach than some are giving him credit. He came in an win the Cup within the Blues, but they stayed a top team after that. They were first in the West when the pandemic hit. Stayed a playoff team next two year after Pietrangelo left.

 

[MartyOwns]

i've been on the savard train for a couple of months (as an assistant coach). the guy definitely knows how to run a power play.

I've talked myself into Evason as well. I don't think those Wild rosters were really that great and he got good results out of them, albeit with playoff disappointment.

Savard's highest head coaching gig is the OHL. Doesn't mean he can't coach in the NHL right now, but I kinda would prefer a guy with at least AHL experience.

Zero interest in Berube.

sounds like evason is the new gronberg around here

 

[Unknown Caller]

i've been on the savard train for a couple of months (as an assistant coach). the guy definitely knows how to run a power play.


sounds like evason is the new gronberg around here

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If anything, Sullivan is the Gronborg around here.

 

[justHypnos]

Hiring Bylsma would be the personification of everything wrong with the team’s management since Lou left. Cronyism over competence.

His 2 seasons between 2014-15 and 2017-18, his Sabres had a significant uptick in performance before regressing back after the “bad coach” was gone. Wasn’t until last year that they finally beat his first year there, the very year after their tank for McDavid.

He did very well with the penguins whenever both Crosby and Malkin were injured at the same time, as I remember it. Much unlike Ruff this season. I think he’s an excellent coach.

 

[MadDevil]

Evason might actually jump the glass and fight Laviolette if we have another situation like Wednesday.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

I’m more interested to know why the love with for him?

Probably because he coached a cup winner fairly recently and that’s it.

And he’s a mean guy and this team needs a disciplinarian or something?

I don't know if he is a good coach or not, but he has similarities with Tocchet and Tortorella, who are both tough coaches and got a lot of heat and underestimating when they got hired to their current jobs.

 

[Bleedred]

I don't know if he is a good coach or not, but he has similarities with Tocchet and Tortorella, who are both tough coaches and got a lot of heat and underestimating when they got hired to their current jobs.

Tocchet got a lot of heat and underestimating because his record before Vancouver was shit in 2 different cities. And one playoff berth in the bubble year. The same playoffs that brought to you Travis Green's lone playoff appearance in the NHL.

The only reason I gave the Torts hiring by Philly heat was because Philly sucks and it seemed beyond pointless to hire Torts. It also seemed beyond pointless for Torts to take that job because of how shitty the roster was. Torts well into his 60s taking over a bad/rebuilding team (They weren't really rebuilding when they hired him, they were just bad) just seemed to kind of not make sense from either side.

And it's definitely hurt them this year making them better than they should be, and it's really gonna hurt a lot if they stayed in the playoff race/playoff spot all year only to miss out in the final week.

 

[jkrdevil]

His 2 seasons between 2014-15 and 2017-18, his Sabres had a significant uptick in performance before regressing back after the “bad coach” was gone. Wasn’t until last year that they finally beat his first year there, the very year after their tank for McDavid.

He did very well with the penguins whenever both Crosby and Malkin were injured at the same time, as I remember it. Much unlike Ruff this season. I think he’s an excellent coach.

It’s less about Bylsma as a coach than it would be another hire based solely on prior relationships.

 

[McDuffz88]

I’m more interested to know why the love with for him?

Probably because he coached a cup winner fairly recently and that’s it.

And he’s a mean guy and this team needs a disciplinarian or something?

Pretty much sums it up . Idk I've always been a Torts fan boy and wish he was our coach. Berube sounds like the poor man's version of him so ill take it.

 

[Bleedred]

Pretty much sums it up . Idk I've always been a Torts fan boy and wish he was our coach. Berube sounds like the poor man's version of him so ill take it.

He may be a decent coach, but I don't think he's anything great.

It seems the media has already given both him and Ottawa the idea that he should go there to coach Brady Tkachuk lol.

I'd think the new owner isn't too cheap to pay him like the old one was.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Sullivan is a pipe dream and basically done with this Pittsburgh run, temper expectations at this rate

 

[Bleedred]

Sullivan is a pipe dream and basically done with this Pittsburgh run, temper expectations at this rate

If they still fall short he may still go. They could still go on another streak, only this time a losing one.

Any interest in Lalonde, who is reportedly on the way out in Detroit if they miss the playoffs? Multiple time cup winner as an assistant. Friedman and Marek were talking up how smart of a hockey guy he was when he subbed on Sports Net during the playoffs last year!

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

If they still fall short he may still go. They could still go on another streak, only this time a losing one.

Any interest in Lalonde, who is reportedly on the way out in Detroit if they miss the playoffs? Multiple time cup winner as an assistant. Friedman and Marek were talking up how smart of a hockey guy he was when he subbed on Sports Net during the playoffs last year!

I think Dubas will hang his hat on the fact they didn't fold after Guentzel which we can say more about the Devils....., and I rather watch John Hynes hockey than watch Gollum from LOTR on our bench next year lol

 

[NjDevsRR]

Evason might actually jump the glass and fight Laviolette if we have another situation like Wednesday.

Well im sold

 

[Bleedred]

I think Dubas will hang his hat on the fact they didn't fold after Guentzel which we can say more about the Devils....., and I rather watch John Hynes hockey than watch Gollum from LOTR on our bench next year lol

Funny you mentioned Hynes, because I was reminded of Nashville's run last year post-deadline after they traded people off. The idea was maybe they'd keep Hynes because of how much the team won down the stretch and just barely missed the playoffs, but they didn't keep him in the end. If Poile had returned as GM and didn't retire maybe he would have kept him for this year?

I am not at all familiar with lord of the rings. I didn't even know that's what LOTR was until I looked up Gollum on google. They showed the actor and I was like ''Who's he calling Gollum? Green? This guy is a bit better looking than Travis Green lol'' it was just a picture of the actor. Not the character.

Then I looked up a picture of the character and I was like ''Ohhhhh, that's Lalonde lol''.

I always thought he looked just like Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies.

I was only kidding about him. Not sure if he's good or not. Detroit isn't any good, but he also cost them points earlier in the year by running Ville ''I played about as badly as Vitek Vanecek this year'' Husso out there every night. On one hand, Husso's injury probably kept them up in the standings for longer. They would have maybe been buried already if he was still playing. But on the other hand, it cost them points earlier in the year that they could use right now.

And Dr. Evil seemed to be the only person in the world that didn't know that Husso was probably the worst goalie of the 3 on his roster.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Funny you mentioned Hynes, because I was reminded of Nashville's run last year post-deadline after they traded people off. The idea was maybe they'd keep Hynes because of how much the team won down the stretch and just barely missed the playoffs, but they didn't keep him in the end. If Poile had returned as GM and didn't retire maybe he would have kept him for this year?

I am not at all familiar with lord of the rings. I didn't even know that's what LOTR was until I looked up Gollum on google. They showed the actor and I was like ''Who's he calling Gollum? Green? This guy is a bit better looking than Travis Green lol'' it was just a picture of the actor. Not the character.

Then I looked up a picture of the character and I was like ''Ohhhhh, that's Lalonde lol''.

I always thought he looked just like Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies.

I was only kidding about him. Not sure if he's good or not. Detroit isn't any good, but he also cost them points earlier in the year by running Ville ''I played about as badly as Vitek Vanecek this year'' Husso out there every night. On one hand, Husso's injury probably kept them up in the standings for longer. They would have maybe been buried already if he was still playing. But on the other hand, it cost them points earlier in the year that they could use right now.

And Dr. Evil seemed to be the only person in the world that didn't know that Husso was probably the worst goalie of the 3 on his roster.

Haha yeah, I haven't either but people have made that Gollum joke with Hynes and well, Lalonde fits the joke as well lmao

 

[Bleedred]

Haha yeah, I haven't either but people have made that Gollum joke with Hynes and well, Lalonde fits the joke as well lmao

I always called Hynes powder.

Because of that lame movie from the mid 90s about that boy who got struck by lightning when his mother was pregnant with him, and then got some weird superhuman powers because of it.

Dude was perfectly bald. Like not even a shadow on his head at all and he didn't have eyebrows either. Hynes barely has eyebrows.

There was a ranking basing coaches on looks from 1-32. It was completely stupid for the most part.

Woodcroft came in first (that's more than fine), but I'm pretty sure after him the top-5 consisted of Darryl Sutter (WAT?), Lalonde (AHHHHHH!!!!), John Hynes (Huh?) and Paul Maurice (better than those last 3 I guess?).

Lalonde, Sutter and Hynes should be the bottom 3, not in the top 5.

Lalonde is definitely 32 if I had to rank them this year. Sutter doesn't coach anymore, so he doesn't count. At least Sutter is funny looking and he provides laughter because of how goofy he looks. Lalonde is HORRIBLE. So is Hynes, though not as bad as Lalonde.

Laviolette came in 32nd.

With guys like Lalonde, Hynes and Sutter in the top 5, I'm confused as to whether I'd be closer to 32nd or 1st.

My buddy is gay and I asked him his thoughts. I figured maybe I just had a heterosexual bias and maybe Lalonde, Sutter and Hynes are real sex symbols among the NHL coaching fraternity. He absolutely called BS on some of those.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I always called Hynes powder.

Because of that lame movie from the mid 90s about that boy who got struck by lightning when his mother was pregnant with him, and then got some weird superhuman powers because of it.

Dude was perfectly bald. Like not even a shadow on his head at all and he didn't have eyebrows either. Hynes barely has eyebrows.

There was a ranking basing coaches on looks from 1-32. It was completely stupid for the most part.

Woodcroft came in first (that's more than fine), but I'm pretty sure after him the top-5 consisted of Darryl Sutter (WAT?), Lalonde (AHHHHHH!!!!), John Hynes (Huh?) and Paul Maurice (better than those last 3 I guess?).

Lalonde, Sutter and Hynes should be the bottom 3, not in the top 5.

Lalonde is definitely 32 if I had to rank them this year. Sutter doesn't coach anymore, so he doesn't count. At least Sutter is funny looking and he provides laughter because of how goofy he looks. Lalonde is HORRIBLE. So is Hynes, though not as bad as Lalonde.

Laviolette came in 32nd.

With guys like Lalonde, Hynes and Sutter in the top 5, I'm confused as to whether I'd be closer to 32nd or 1st.

Yeah I remember seeing that too, lol. Sutter looks like damn big Bird so idk how that makes sense lol

 

[Bleedred]

Yeah I remember seeing that too, lol. Sutter looks like damn big Bird so idk how that makes sense lol

Sutter looks like bitter beer face/beaker from the muppets.

I didn't come up with Beaker, other people were calling him that, but after comparing the two it definitely checked out.

But Sutter, especially when he got old looking started to look like bitter beer face from the 90s Keystone beer commercials where the guy drinks ''Bitter beer'' and his face turns into what Sutter would wind up looking like 15 years later.

People that are younger than 35-40 probably won't remember this commercial, unless you have a really good memory.

 

[Team Concept]

Name DOB Regular Season Playoffs
Jay Woodcrot 8-11-76 133-79-41-13 .643 28-14-14 .500
Todd Reirden 6-25-71 151-89-46-16 .642 15-5-10 .333
Dean Evason 8-22-64 251-147-77-27 .639 23-8-15 .348
Dan Bylsma 9-19-70 565-320-190-55 .615 78-43-35 .551 (Won a Cup)
Craig Berube 12-17-65 543-281-190-72 .584 58-27-31 .466 (Won a Cup)
Todd McLellan 10-3-67 1144-598-412-134 .581 88-42-46 .477
Mike Yeo 7-31-73 542-263-217-62 .542 39-17-22 .436
Bill Peters 1-13-65 438-199-175-64 .527 5-1-4 .200

I'd hire Bylsma. Early post about the Sabres point improvement in his first year and the regression that followed after his second season as coach was spot on.

He has won a Cup. Has won playoff rounds.

Doing an awesome job in the AHL right now with the Coahella Valley Firebirds:

2023-2024 64-41-14-5-4 91 points
2022-2023 72-48-17-5-2 103 points (lost in Calder Cup Finals in Game 7 in OT)

I think he is the best candidate on paper. A proven winner. I know it seems like nepotism with his past history with Fitzgerald, but you can also argue that is a plus.

 

[Bleedred]

Didn’t the Sabres regress after Bylsma left because Lehner didn’t have as good of a season as he did the two Bylsma years?

Unless you think Bylsma made him look better, but Trotz/Islanders made him look better than he ever did under Bylsma.

I don’t know why Bylsma’s name has resurfaced. He’s been relegated to AHL head coach after several years bouncing around from NHLN to assistant coach in Detroit.

There’s retreads who continue to work in the league every year and there’s retreads who washed out of the NHL long ago.

We used to roast Bylsma around here. Maybe everyone just forgot about that because of how many years it’s been since he was a head coach in the league.

 

[ZYXWVUT]

hmmm idk about bylsma. His tenure in buff didn’t end great. But sometimes those coaching things can be situational too (then again, some are just bad coaches period).

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

There are a lot of better options than Bylsma.

 

[Bleedred]

Be honest, most of us here forgot Dan Bylsma even existed until Novo reminded us with his article the other day, where he’s been listing potential next head coaches.

I sure did.