Since Don Granato took over as the Buffalo Sabres head coach in 2021, several players that looked down and out have since turned their careers around.
Perhaps the poorest claim this season among a cluster of the Buffalo Sabres fanbase is one that states head coach Don Granato can only take this team “so far,” and henceforth, must be fired. And while Granato has made some questionable decisions regarding the lineup lately, by no means should you fire a coach who, oh I don’t know, only got the league’s youngest team into playoff contention.
Further, I’m unsure of whether those calling for Granato’s firing have been following this team for the long haul, or if they hopped on a bandwagon sometime in January, or if they happened to see the Sabres sitting in what was a short-lived time in a WC2 spot. Either way, these “fans” looking for Granato to be handed his walking papers have clearly missed the progress many Sabres have made under his watch over the past two calendar years.
Tage Thompson went from an afterthought to one of the best goal-scorers in hockey. Alex Tuch was once, at best, a middle six player who today routinely plays on the top line. Jeff Skinner was basically finished until last season.
Tyson Jost and Casey Mittelstadt went from being perennial busts to gritty, respectable hockey players. And Rasmus Dahlin went from underachiever to for a while there, a sound candidate for the Norris Trophy.
Can Buffalo Sabres coach impact Jordan Greenway?
You might remember that I was excited to see Jordan Greenway join the Blue and Gold. Since his arrival, however, the team suffered, toiling through his first few games, going 1-5-2 in that span, and allowing 45 goals in the process, or 5.625 per game.
Greenway has likewise struggled, logging just one point, and a -5 in the plus-minus column. At even strength, Buffalo has just a 0.821 save percentage when he is on the ice, nearly 10% lower than the 0.919 he had while with the Minnesota Wild this season.
You can attribute some of that to spotty goaltending. But either way, there is no coincidence that Greenway’s arrival nearly spelled doomsday for the Sabres.
Want more evidence? Since Greenway went down with an injury and missed the previous three games, Buffalo is 2-0-1, defeating one playoff bound team, and shutting out a playoff contender. There is a clear problem here, but given Granato’s track record regarding player development, he could potentially help resolve Greenway’s woes.
Don’t expect it to occur this season with such little time left. But if Granato can work with the 26-year-old heading into 2023-24, you could see some fast improvement from the much-maligned winger. Granato has done it before, and he can accomplish this task yet again.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)