The Buffalo Sabres aren’t making the playoffs this season, barring some miracle. But even so, Don Granato and Kevyn Adams deserve praise, not criticism.
Many fans aren’t in the wrong here regarding head coach Don Granato and general manager Kevyn Adams. Sure, they will say Granato has made a few mistakes, something I’ve even said plenty of times. Logistically, Adams could stand to be more aggressive in pursuing established talent, but he has a plan in place and for once, such a plan is working.
The Blue and Gold aren’t making the playoffs unless they win out and the three teams ahead of them lose out. Those are too long of odds and as much as we’d like the aforementioned to happen, let’s avoid getting our hopes up. But hey, we can still watch the Rochester Americans and the prospects who could wear a blue and gold uniform next season.
Even after what will be another 82-game season, the Sabres are closer to the playoffs than they have been in a decade. They’ve accumulated more points for a single season in that span as well, and will also end the year with more regulation wins than losses for the first time in over 10 years. Best yet, they can hit 90 points for the first time since 2010-11, when they reached 96 total.
Buffalo Sabres made too much progress under Granato, Adams
You look at the improvement the Sabres have made this past season, and it’s hard to fathom why any fan of the Blue and Gold would be so dissatisfied to the point some are calling for Granato’s and Adams’ firing. This is something you will often see on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and fan threads, and while it’s not a huge number, I’m seeing it far too often.
Some claim Adams didn’t buy enough this past trade season and therefore, he “gave up on the playoffs.” Jakob Chychrun was a big name on the market this past year, and Adams’ failure to secure Chychrun drew massive criticism given the price the division rival Ottawa Senators paid for him. What many haven’t considered is the possibility the Arizona Coyotes were likely asking for more from Adams and the Sabres.
Then there is the criticism of Don Granato. And while the coach has made his mistakes, the mentality that goes something in the realm of, “he’s taken them to a specific point, but they need another, more experienced coach to take them to the next level,” is beyond illogical. Why would you fire a coach who had your team playing meaningful games until the final week of the regular season for the first time since 2011-12?
It’s as though this cluster of fans have either forgotten or once again failed to consider the fact Buffalo was firing coaches, on average, every two seasons since 2012-13, and as a result, they ended up missing the playoffs for what will likely be 12 years running. Why, if something hasn’t worked for over a decade, would you think it would work this time around?
Overall, the Buffalo Sabres are the best they’ve been since 2010-11. Adams has built a young core that he’s busy locking into long-term deals, while Granato has once again shown off his knack for developing talent, with Casey Mittelstadt serving as his most recent example.
(Historical data provided by Hockey-Reference)