Shortly after the Buffalo Sabres decided to replace Kevyn Adams with Jarmo Kekalainen as general manager, questions arose about Lindy Ruff's job security as head coach. It certainly made sense considering the Sabres have struggled since his return before last season, and Kekalainen made it clear that the team would be evaluating everything.
The good news is that for now, Ruff's job seems to be safe as the Sabres have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL with seven straight wins. However, if the Sabres go on an extended losing streak, those questions will once again come back.
Another reason for the questions is that there is seemingly a great replacement available right now in Peter DeBoer. While he has not been able to win a Stanley Cup, he has been very successful in his career, with two trips to the Stanley Cup Final, in 2012 with the New Jersey Devils and 2016 with the San Jose Sharks. For his career, the teams he has coached have a point percentage of .585 in the regular season and a win percentage of .542 in the playoffs.
Peter DeBoer is looking for a team right on the cusp of a Stanley Cup and the Buffalo Sabres aren't that
Recently, David Pagnotta was on The Leafs Nation and asked about Peter DeBoer as an option for the Toronto Maple Leafs. While the question was in reference to the Maple Leafs chances, the Buffalo Sabres should take note, as they are likely not what DeBoer is looking for in his next team.
"With respect to DeBeor, what I was told is he is comfortable right now and he is getting paid by Dallas for the rest of the season and he is focused on [Team] Canada, so he is chilling," Pagnotta said.
"What I was told is that if he does consider joining an NHL club, it is a team that is right there. It is a team that, you guys touched on earlier, he is the finishing piece. He is the one that is going to put you over the edge by bringing him in, in order to get to a cup final or to win the whole thing.
The Buffalo Sabres have a talented roster, and are playing some of their best hockey in the past decade that has helped them get back into the playoff discussion. However, they are not close to competing for a Stanley Cup with teams in the Eastern Conference like the Carolina Hurricanes.
Buffalo Sabres should wait until this summer to make a head coaching change if that is what they want to do
This should factor in Jarmo Kekalainen's decision when evaluating the head coaching position and whether or not to make a change. The best thing the Sabres could do is stay in playoff contention and have Lindy Ruff finish out coaching this season.
It would give Jarmo Kekalainen more time to evaluate the position and if it requires a change go through a complete search for the next head coach rather than find something mid-season. The only way this plan doesn't make sense is if Peter DeBoer makes it clear he would come to Buffalo but based on some reporting by Pagnotta, that doesn't seem to be the case.