Buffalo Sabres Coach Watch: Will It Happen Before Draft

The Buffalo Sabres are still hiding behind closed doors discussing their options as it relates to their vacant head coaching position. There are names circling around out there connected to the Buffalo Sabres job, but the team has been mute on the subject and reports are vague as to who the candidate will be.

Will Tim Murray have a coach in place before the draft? I think he will most likely have a coach in place before the draft – but with his past experience as a scout – does he really need to have a head coaches input at the draft table?

What about Mike Babcock for Buffalo Sabres Head Coach

I am starting to think that Mike Babcock is not going to be the next coach of the Buffalo Sabres. Rumors swirled that he wanted to go where Connor McDavid was going – not sure if there was any truth to that or if that was just a product of social media rumors that are apparently rampant these days.

Babcock is a coach that wants to win – and wants to walk into a franchise that is ready to win. That is according to Craig Custance of ESPN as quoted on WGR 550.

What the Buffalo Sabres have that other franchises might not have is a roster on the verge of getting ready to compete with plenty of young talent – and only one or two seasons removed from really being a force in the Eastern Conference. Would Mike Babcock have the patience to continue his tenure as a head coach with the Buffalo Sabres?

He doesn’t want aging players with no replacements on the horizon. His comments about the Detroit Red Wings are a clear showing of that. From Pro Hockey Talk:

“Who’s going to replace Pav?” head coach Mike Babcock asked, per NHL.com’s Аrpon Basu. One of the best two-way forwards in the game, Pavel Datsyuk will turn 37 in July. Henrik Zetterberg will celebrate his 35th birthday in October.

How many franchises out there though have a team ready to win that are in the market for a head coach? If Babcock wants to coach good young hockey players for several years to develop them – the Buffalo Sabres have plenty of those, guys that could easily replace the likes of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg as great players under Babcock. Zemgus Girgensons, Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nikita Zadorov all could do really well with a winning coach pushing them to be the best they can be.

Money shouldn’t be an issue when it comes to the head coach given the ownership in Buffalo. With his pedigree however, he could stand to become the highest paid coach in the league, something that was rumored at the start of the season. Who wouldn’t pay Mike Babcock to coach their hockey team?

The Detroit Red Wings can offer up the money to lure Babcock back, but winning doesn’t appear to be a perk they can offer the long time Red Wings coach.

And what about control – if Mike Babcock wants unfettered control – how much of that will he get in Buffalo. Tim Murray has been vocal about the decisions made for the on-ice team are up to the coach, but what if Babcock wants to tell the GM what players to get and what players to get rid of?

The Luke Richardson Factor

Luke Richardson is all ears if teams want to approach him about coaching in the National Hockey League. Is the connection between Tim Murray and Luke Richardson strong enough to pull the head coach into a rookie head coach position with the Buffalo Sabres?

It isn’t like the guy doesn’t know the NHL where he played for many years, and was an assistant coach with the Ottawa Senators before joining the Binghamton Senators as head coach in the American Hockey League.

Buffalo may want to go with an experienced guy. Tim Murray may want someone that is going to coach within his philosophy. Todd McLellan might be in on the mix as well.

Either way, the Buffalo Sabres are on the clock, and with other big names in the game looking for head coaches to, time might not be a luxury the Buffalo Sabres have. Will the Buffalo Sabres have a head coach before the NHL Entry Draft in Florida at the end of next month?

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