I dunno about that one. At times it seemed like he was actively favouring terrible players just because everyone talked about how bad they were. Classic case of trying to look like the smartest guy in the room. His love for Marincin being a great example. That guy doesn't do anything well, but Babs seemingly couldn't get enough of him.
Sabres Should Get Back In Touch With Mike Babcock
- Thread starter Gjman2019
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FeatherHead
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- Oct 5, 2017
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The Sabres need to get in touch with God. And if they can’t reach Him, they should give Jesus a ring in Edmonton and ask him why he chose to there and stiff them with Eichel.
Pyrophorus
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The Devilish Buffoon
🇵🇸 viva 🇵🇸 free 🇵🇸
- Dec 24, 2018
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1, if I'm not mistaken - Jake McCabe. Girgensons and Larsson were the last other remaining from that Nolan team.
Everyone else they tried minus Todd Nelson, their one good coach since the Pronger era
Yep. Earned the nickname 'Wreck It Ralph' in his short time there. Was horrendous at linematching and his defensive and special teams systems were openly mocked by opponents.
He's a positive influence on the young guys. A 'player's coach'. If you want a motivational speaker as your professional hockey coach, he's your guy.
MarkusKetterer
Shoulda got one game in
Look at how many of those coaches now have NHL head coaching jobs (besides Krueger, who still has one)
JadedLeaf
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explore
I was wrong about Don Granato and TNT
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rodney dangerfield
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Thrasymachus
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The fact that he is clearly not happy playing for a non-playoff team. The fact that he gets frustrated in interviews and visibly on the ice when Buffalo is performing poorly. Whether or not he has a winning pedigree, he strikes me as someone who at the very least WANTS to be on a winning / competitive team. Plenty of other talented players seem perfectly content playing for mediocre teams as long as they get paid.
I think Babcock would actually be a good fit for the Sabres but grown men can absolutely be bullied. It’s why hazing came under so criticism, it was nothing but bullying.
Both aren't true when Skinner's production evaporated in the second half of 2018-19, when still playing with Eichel and coached by Housley.
That happens frequently, then players come back and reset the next season when given the chance. Krueger gave him absolutely no chance and never intended to. Also Housley didn't exactly set the world on fire as a coach himself
You're the type of person who thought Ovechkin was on his way out of the league when he posted a 65 point season and that his subsequent coach would be justified playing him as a 3rd/4th liner until the end of his days
I'd feel worse for Skinner if Johansson didn't outproduce him last year and he wasn't getting outproduced by Sheahan and Lazar this season. You make 9M, you should be able to drive your own line and not rely on your franchise centre for points...
Babcock is exactly what Buffalo needs. For all his faults, he's still a damn good NHL coach and is a big reason for the culture change with the Leafs.
It's not about feeling bad for Skinner lmao. Skinner makes 9 million whether he scores 40 goals or sits on the taxi squad. Skinner is the happiest guy in Buffalo right now.
It's about taking your investment that you're stuck with and making the best of it. Skinner isn't a puck carrying playmaker like Johansson. He doesn't grind his way to goals like Sheahan. He has had success in his career playing exactly one way and nothing else. Either you put him in that position and are potentially losing out on only 4% of the cap or you do what Buffalo is doing and lose out on 10.
Remembwr how everyone wouldn't shut up about Lucics contract? That has completely evaporated since he went to Calgary. He's still overpaid but they found a role for him where he brings enough value to be worth half his cap hit or so. That's the proper way to deal with this since you can't hand wave NHL contracts away
Del Preston
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He's a 'rah rah' bs artist who tells people what they want to hear. He sucked in Edmonton, but looked better after he got fired because MacTavish managed to find an even worse coach as his replacement.
WillTheThrill
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- Mar 2, 2016
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I actually think Babcock would be perfect for Buffalo. They’re in a very similar situation to what Toronto was in 6 years ago. Years of perpetual losing and a toxic workplace environment. The Sabres would likely have to trade Eichel first but Babcock could play a huge role in getting them out of the basement.
Mike Babcock hasn't been a good coach in over a decade. Also, the Sabres aren't good regardless of who the coach is.
Took a pill in Sbisa
2showToffoliIwascool
I love how at the time of the Krueger hiring everyone was like 'hes such a great coach, what a fantastic hire' even though he has no precious success at the NHL level and wasn't even involved in hockey for a several years leading up to taking the job. Apparently being a positive and overall good guy was going to be enough to make a bad team good.
tsujimoto74
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- May 28, 2012
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I fail to see a problem. Skinner should be on the 1st line over Olofsson. If he wants to put Reider there, we'll have a problem, but Skinner? Nah, I'm good with that.
