As
Jame noted, Nolan was the right Sabres coach for the right time.
I'd like to appreciate Nolan taking on a thankless task.
Nolan knew he was going into an ugly situation when Lafontaine brought him in. he still took the chance and tried his best with what he had.
But, It's really hard to appreciate him more with all the drama the zealous Nolan loyalists and Sabre haters are doing right now.
They're trying to make Murray into an evil bad guy for taking over Regier mess and not making miracle moves to turn a team into an instant playoff contender.
Murray's job is to build a long term cup contending team. That's the Owner's mission statement. It's not rush along and sign a bunch of mediocre players and try and give Nolan a playoff bubble team.
Sabres we're slated to use the picks from the 2014 and 2015 draft and build a new core with. That's what they did. I'm looking forward to the future.
Good luck Nolan. I hope you get a new gig soon.
Exactly. Nolan did exactly what was asked of him: Play a full 82-game season with an under-talented and mis-cast (center roles, etc.) roster, develop youngsters as best as possible, and showcase pending UFAs, all without any realistic hope of making the playoffs.
I didn't watch as much this year as past, but I do feel the play at the end of the season was markedly better than the beginning. As another posted noted, despite being DFL in the league in so many categories - Goals For, PP%, PK%, Corsi / possession, probably shots allowed, probably FO%, etc., there were few blowouts.
Thing of it is, none of these players, not a one, got anywhere near the NHL without knowing all about - and rigorously applying for years - hard work. So how much of that exactly did Nolan truly "teach" any of them?
Seems to me that Nolan didn't "teach" anything so much as he leveled the playing field, so to speak, for the benefit of those who only have "works hard" going for them (ie: Flynn, Mitchell, neither of who should have spent any quality time in the top 6). I disagree with those who claim that Nolan wasn't any good for the rookies and preferred the vets; I don't think age was ever a factor in his decision-making. But he sure did seem to favor those who he saw as visibly "trying hard".
I get it that some players, like some people, can end up taking roles and opportunities for granted after a while. And perhaps having a guy like Nolan who isn't going to shy from rewarding grinders is a good thing, because it can smack awake those who take ice time for granted, etc. But it's only a good thing for so long. A whole season of plugging guys like Flynn and Mitchell ahead of the Larssons, Hodgsons, and Girgorenkos, doesn't really do a thing for anyone over the long haul.
I see Nolan, who referenced his own personal and cultural background as the source of his "gotta work hard against the odds" rhetoric, as a genuine guy of the blue collar coach variety. Great stuff. But stuff that is perhaps better suited to a lower level of hockey where kids still need constant lecturing about "work ethic" rather than merely the odd reminder.
I agree Nolan showed no favoratism to the vets.
However, why is the bolded ever wrong? Why is it ever wrong in hockey? Why is it ever wrong in life? If you re-read your post, I think you answered your own question.
As to the underlined, I don't recall that Larsson was healthy-scratched, certainly not frequently.
I thought Nolan's handling of Hodgson this season was fine - perhaps even ideal - moved him to wing, then demoted him to 4th line when he wasn't consistent defensively. Please note Hodgson had several good - and complete - games late in the season. We can speculate if that would have happened had his role and linemates not changed this season.
Grigorenko was a one-arm-tied situation from the start due to the contract, roster makeup, and overall talent level. On a better team, with greater organizational depth, he would have never burned his 1st yr ELC so soon, and more traditionally progressed through junior and AHL. I am stating obvious, but my point is Nolan could not fix the circumstances which led to the result. Not clear to me another coach could have done differently.
CoHo 19 says “Hi”.
Exactly.
Thankful he accepted this no win situation he was put in. Maybe he went to far with with discipline but he held people accountable during a hopeless season. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind, no double talk, didn't let fear of being fired prevent him from being a straight shooter.
Hope he enjoys the next 2 years of paid vacation though, he earned it.
Agreed.
I hindsight it was pretty obvious that this coaching staff was a "tank crew". They were assembled to keep the group together and have have them keep doing the right thing even though they were getting beat up on a nightly basis.
And they did that job splendid. Honestly, I have no complaints about Nolan's work or his assistants. They did their job and for that I am thankful.
But the tank is over and they're no longer needed. That's the harch reality.
Thank you Teddy and good luck. Once a Sabre, always a Sabre. Unless you end up in Toronto because then you're dead to us.
Fully agree. Lots of working-world organizations bring in an interim caretaker at a site after a former regime is swept out the door, while the right / best future leader is identified / groomed / released from current role.
Nolan did the same thing, gladly, consistently, and with the near-certainty he would not be around for the build up from the bottom.
The job of the interim caretaker in the corporate world is to keep morale up enough to avoid crippling talent exodus to other companies. The Sabres are under contract, so physical exodus is not possible, but the number of times this season the majority of the roster was mentally checked out for a long stretch was rather limited, and IMO, certainly not the last couple months.
Can't blame the guy for wanting to win, even if he doesn't have the best plan or players to do so. Good luck going forward Teddy.
Thanks for doing the most unthankful coaching job in the entire NHL.
And in agreement with those last two posts above, it's not clear to me there was a better man for the Sabres than Nolan the past 18 months.
Best wishes in life / hockey / modeling mens leather goods.
