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Todd McLellan: Next Buffalo Sabres Head Coach?

By Melissa Kania

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Among other things, one of the pieces that the Buffalo Sabres will be looking for this offseason is a new bench boss. After relieving Ted “Compete” Nolan of his duties, the team now has a vacancy behind the bench – multiple, actually – and will undoubtedly be looking to fill that spot sometime before October rolls around.

Enter: Todd McLellan.

McLellan, a seven-year NHL head coach veteran, is now a free agent on the coaching market, after he and the San Jose Sharks mutually decided to part ways.

After the news broke, McLellan had nothing but good things to say about San Jose, thanking the Sharks organization and the city of San Jose for welcoming him and his family.

But now the question is this: what’s next for Todd McLellan? (Aside from the 2015 IIHF World Championships, where he’ll coach Team Canada in the tournament.)

David Pollak, a beat reporter for Mercury News and Bay Area News Group, Tweeted on Monday that McLellan explicitly said he wants to coach next season.

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He wants to get right back into the swing of things…. the Buffalo Sabres need a new head coach….. could this be a match made in heaven?

Maybe not.

Though he said that he’s “open to anything” for next season and wants to coach, the Buffalo Sabres organization may not be the right fit for McLellan.

The reason why: his comments after parting ways with the Sharks, which indicate that part of the reason he left may have been due to San Jose’s rebuild process.

To me, that strikes up a red flag. Everyone knows one of the hot-button words around the Buffalo Sabres over the past few seasons has been “rebuild,” and if McLellan is looking for more of an established team, he’s better suited elsewhere, not in Buffalo.

This season marks the first time the Sharks missed the playoffs under McLellan’s regime. In the past, he also acted as an assistant coach with the Red Wings, head coach of the AHL’s Houston Aeros and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL, among others.

One of the other big pieces that may be a factor of contention for McLellan seems to be the others he’d be working with in an organization.

Could the likes of Tim Murray, Arturs Irbe (if he stays on in Buffalo) and the Pegulas be good news for him? Could he look at guys like Reinhart, Eichel, Ristolainen, Kane, Girgensons, etc. and like what he sees?

It’s not like this is any big, breaking news — of course any head coach wants to go into an organization where there are good people and good players. Everyone wants a chance at success, but if McLellan did honestly part ways with San Jose due to a rebuild, it seems highly unlikely he’d sign on in Buffalo.

And that’s not the end of the world. When all is said and done, there are already multiple “free agent” coaches, including McLellan, Craig Berube and Peter Horachek. Add into that guys like Mike Babcock, rumored to be an interest of the Sabres, and there are plenty of other options.

Next: Sabres Get Second Pick in Draft

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