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Buffalo Sabres Links: Coaches, NHL Draft, Ted Nolan

By Melissa Kania

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Good morning, Buffalo Sabres fans.

Yesterday was certainly an interesting day for the Buffalo Sabres, as the possibility of Mike Babcock coming to Buffalo was put to rest when he signed a whopper of a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The deal reportedly has Babcock making up to $8 million in the early years of the front-loaded contract.

The even crazier report: Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula was willing to pay Babcock even more than that.

With this, Babcock will be absolutely making bank in Toronto, putting him in the realm of what some NFL coaches earn.

This morning’s first link: check out this Sports Illustrated piece comparing some of the highest-paid NHL coaches and NFL coaches, their worth to their teams and just what they’re bringing home.

Staying on the coaching front, it’s now time for the Buffalo Sabres organization to shift gears and focus on other potential candidates for the head coaching job.

Tim Murray spoke to the media on Thursday, but says he won’t be revealing his list of candidates. [NHL.com]

If rumors are to be believed, one of the candidates in question may be former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma.

Craig Custance of ESPN reported Thursday of the Sabres’ interest in Bylsma, but of course Murray isn’t confirming or denying anything.

Meanwhile, Bylsma is still on the Penguins’ payroll, with his contract running through the end of next season. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford said on Thursday that Bylsma is “free to take any job opening,” including the one in Buffalo.

For more on the Bylsma situation, check out this article from ESPN.

As for other options for the next Buffalo Sabres head coach, other options appear to be Luke Richardson and potentially Guy Boucher, among others.

But speaking of Buffalo Sabres head coaches, there’s talks that Ted Nolan may be in line for his next gig.

More from Sabres News

If reports are any indication, Nolan may be in talks to take a coaching job with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. [NBC Sports]

The position in Vancouver has been vacant since March. If it happens, that would be Nolan’s first coaching stint in the WHL, though he previously coached at the junior level with the OHL’s Ste. Marie Greyhounds from 1988 until 1994.

The other hot-button topic for NHL teams that aren’t in the postseason: the NHL Draft.

First up, check out this draft preview for the Buffalo Sabres via Today’s Slapshot.

Then, go ahead and read this Bleacher Report piece on what the folks there call the “10 most complete players in the 2015 NHL Draft.”

To absolutely no one’s surprise, McDavid makes the list, as does his teammate Strome; Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin, among others.

Finally this morning, an editorial via Rant Sports about the NHL and how the league should partner with a women’s league, as the NBA does.

The National Women’s Hockey League is just in its launching stages, with a team set to play right here in Buffalo – the Buffalo Beauts. Wouldn’t it be great to see some collaboration between the two leagues and a partnership of sorts between the Sabres and the Beauts?

Next: NHL Draft Profile: Jeremy Roy

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