Does Ted Nolan Have A Game Plan For Buffalo Sabres
Is there a game plan for the Buffalo Sabres from head coach Ted Nolan as the team prepares to face the rest of the NHL on a nightly basis?
We all know there is a plan off the ice. Tim Murray wants to pick high in the draft this year, (preferably number one or number two) as well as ensuring he gets something for the players with expiring contracts.
Is there an on-ice plan for the Buffalo Sabres this year? There have been a lot of things said about the Buffalo Sabres from former players who were not happy with their time in Buffalo, and once on greener pastures they have voiced out, some publicly and some in a back-handed sort of fashion about the current conditions of the Buffalo Sabres.
Are we seeing the same thing from former Buffalo Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers? From NHL.com on the quote of the day:
I feel like I’m learning something new about the group every day. Tonight we showed a lot of resilience. To be a part of a team that sticks with the plan, doesn’t deviate, trying to do too much when we’re down or even when we’re up. Playing the same way no matter what the situation is, it’s a good feeling. –Tyler Myers after a shootout win Monday against the Oilers.
Certainly there is going to be a learning curve for Tyler Myers, going from a team that has been in a state of perpetual rebuild almost his entire career to a team that is pushing for a playoff spot.
Tyler Myers might not have meant anything by it, only speaking to reporters about how things are in Winnipeg, but is he opening a door giving insight into what is going on in Buffalo by saying its a good feeling playing the same way no matter what the situation is?
More from Sabre Noise
- 3 biggest standouts at Buffalo Sabres 2023 Prospects Challenge
- 3 takeaways from the Buffalo Sabres final Prospects Challenge game
- Buffalo Sabres experiment with lesser-known talent in loss to Pens
- Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction 51
- Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh: A quick look at the Penguins prospects
It is no secret that Ted Nolan isn’t an X’s and O’s type coach. Does that mean he has no system in place for these guys – and that the great motivator is leaving it up to the team on the ice, offering them nothing more than go out there and give it your best?
A head coach should be the unifying force between the assistant coaches and the guys on the ice. How many times have we seen an assistant coach taking the clipboard during a timeout – pushing out how they think the team should respond in a certain situation. Certainly every team does this – but under the watchful eye of the head coach and the system he wants played.
I think it is more writing on the wall that Ted Nolan is not the long term solution at the head coach position in Buffalo, and that a new system will be in place when the team hits the ice in earnest next season, with a new head coach, a new roster, and a system in place that will win hockey games.
Tyler Myers appears to be a player that will thrive in a simple system that he understands. The ever changing landscape in Buffalo may have made it difficult for him to focus on hockey.
For now it seems that the Buffalo Sabres are content playing their opponents game, instead of their own game.