The Buffalo Sabres went through several regime changes until things stabilized in 2020 with Kevyn Adams and in 2021, Don Granato taking over.
The Athletic released a recent survey asking fans several questions over how they currently felt about the Buffalo Sabres. Issues like confidence in the regime, team expectations, individual expectations, and offseason decisions were just a few of several issues highlighted in the article, but one that jumped out at me more than any other was how fans perceived general manager Kevyn Adams and head coach Don Granato.
Of the 1,202 surveyed regarding Adams, 1,000 ranked their confidence at eight or higher. Not a bad number in the slightest. Of those 1,000, 138 gave Adams a perfect 10.
Regarding Granato, 1,202 also answered, with 964 expressing their confidence in the coach rested at eight or above. Like Adams, Granato also has a fair share of that number handing him a perfect 10 – 183.
Roughly 80% of Buffalo Sabres fans express strong approval in Adams, Granato
One only needs to look at the Blue and Gold’s sheer progress under Adams and Granato to justify the outcome of The Athletic’s poll. When Adams took over the Sabres in 2020, the team was in such dire straits even some of the best executives in league history would have had a tough time fixing the problem.
But the following season, Buffalo improved to 75 points, before they rounded out 2022-23 with 91. Under Adams’ leadership, the Sabres have gone from the NHL’s laughingstock to a team whose fans (and the media) are talking playoffs for 2023-24.
I’ve often talked about the Don Granato Effect on this site, and it’s likely the reason so many fans have such confidence in the coach. Granato has done nothing but turn around careers since he earned the job after Ralph Krueger’s firing. And you can expect that trend to continue in 2023-24 with Jordan Greenway serving as Granato’s next developmental candidate.
Overall, it was refreshing, despite the small sample size, of Buffalo Sabres fans expressing confidence in Adams and Granato. And if the Blue and Gold punch their ticket into the playoffs next season, those numbers will only rise.
Source: Sabres fan survey results: Casey Mittelstadt’s future, Devon Levi’s workload and more by Matthew Fairburn, TheAthletic.com