Lindy Ruff returned for his second stint as Buffalo Sabres head coach in 2024 with the franchise mired in the longest playoff drought in NHL history. Now, the team is an Eastern Conference contender with an eye on a deep postseason run. What a turnaround.
Despite this season's success, Ruff remains without a contract extension as he enters the final months of his current deal. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who inherited the front office from Kevyn Adams in December, said he wanted to spend the rest of the campaign evaluating the entire organization.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet asked the 2006 Jack Adams Award winner — he's a strong candidate for the league's top coaching honor again this season — whether he'd like to remain Buffalo's bench boss. The 66-year-old Canadian said the club's coaching staff has a "just one more" mindset to remain focused on the present, but he dropped a hint about his future plans.
"When we get to that 'Just one more,' we'll see if it's just one," Ruff said, seemingly suggesting he's hoping to stay in the role for at least a few more years.
Kekalainen declined comment about the longtime coach's status to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic on Thursday, saying he doesn't comment publicly on personnel matters.
Meanwhile, Ruff told Friedman he's still chasing to one accolade that's eluded him both as a player and a coach: a Stanley Cup title.
"Well, it's a shot to get done what I haven't been able to get done," he said. "In my eyes, I'm not going to quit trying."
The Sabres, who have 10 games left in the regular season, are tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and lead the Atlantic Division by two points over the Tampa Bay Lightning
Moment that spurred Buffalo Sabres' remarkable turnaround discussed by head coach Lindy Ruff
The Sabres showed up for a road game against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 9 in dire shape. They owned an 11-14-4 record, which placed them last in the East, and they'd just given up seven goals in a loss to the Calgary Flames the previous night.
Then everything changed in the blink of an eye.
Buffalo scored a 4-3 overtime win over the Oilers to spark a 10-game winning streak. It's proceeded to post a 33-6-4 record over its last 43 games to rapidly climb the NHL standings.
Ruff confirmed everything changed with that backs-against-the-wall performance in Edmonton.
"That could have been the game that broke our back," he told Friedman. "Lots of excuses that could've led to a loss, but we made it a big win."
What's so amazing about the reversal of fortune is the lack of a clear infliction point. Buffalo fired Adams three games into the initial winning streak, but Kekalainen didn't make any immediate roster moves and the Blue and Gold didn't get any major injury returns in that moment.
Instead, the Sabres just suddenly started playing a more complete brand of hockey.
They increased their intensity on the forecheck, became far more defensively responsible, especially in terms of dropping back to cover for a group of active defensemen who love to join the rush, and raised their overall compete level exponentially.
It's been exceedingly rare to see Buffalo get outworked during that 43-game stretch of success. It was a common occurrence throughout the club's 14-year postseason absence.
Ruff deserves a lot of credit for the success. It's seems like the rumors about Adams' impending departure from the front office in early December served as a wake-up call to the players, who in turn finally starting to fully buy into the coach's system.
What comes next is a mystery. The Sabres have faltered over the past couple games, giving up late game-tying goals en route to overtime losses against the Anaheim Ducks and Boston Bruins, and the Eastern Conference is loaded with talented Cup contenders.
Yet, at least in some regards, the season will be a success the moment Buffalo officially clinches a playoff berth. Putting that era of misery in the rearview mirror is an important turning point, even if the team falls short of bringing a championship home this year.
Ruff finally has the organization back moving firmly in the right direction, which warrants a contract extension if he wants to keeping coaching, and it sounds like he does.