3 coaches the Sabres can replace Don Granato with right now
The Buffalo Sabres handed former head coach Don Granato his walking papers, and now the search begins yet again for a new leader.
The Don Granato era has ended, and it could mean a flurry of offseason moves as the Buffalo Sabres look to finally return to the playoffs in 2024-25. Fortunately for the Sabres, they have a good core, one that has already been locked in for the decade and that could attract some fine coaching candidates.
There are many directions general manager Kevyn Adams can go here, which would include looking for some of the game’s best assistant coaches, scouring the AHL for their new leader, or the likeliest option of exploring the free agent pool. We will focus on the latter angle here - the free agent pool of experienced coaches. And one that has grown given the number of firings we saw this season.
But before mentioning any names, what kind of “experienced coach” should Adams be looking for? Here’s one common denominator: A coach who has enjoyed success at the NHL level, meaning he shouldn’t be interested in anyone who has coached for a few seasons but had barely made it past the first or even the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Sabres could interview quite a few free agents for the head coaching job
Another common denominator with the three coaches on this list is that not only did the trio make deep playoff runs; they also found themselves in the Stanley Cup Final. If the Blue and Gold were still a rebuilding organization, it would be hard to sell the team to all three of the following names, but since they were at least competitive over the past two years, Adams can bring in someone to excite the fans.
If he rolls with one of the three names listed in the following slides, you can expect the fan base will be more than interested even early in the offseason. And when they’re about to drop the puck for the home opener in October 2024, expect a packed KeyBank Center.
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Craig Berube would bring experience and success
While Craig Berube’s overall success has diminished since he led the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup in 2019, it doesn’t take away from the fact he is a former champion. Berube took over for Mike Yeo early in the 2018-19 season, and, yeah, talk about an unprecedented run to win the Cup. This was a team that had just 34 points come the 2019 calendar year, and they went on a run for the ages under Berube.
So, let’s look at some similarities here: The Sabres underperformed in 2023-24, they fired Don Granato, and Craig Berube, a coach who has experience in this eerily identical situation, is available.
If you’re Kevyn Adams, there is no way that you can’t at least consider Berube here, considering the circumstances. No, he didn’t have much success in the playoffs following that amazing win in the 2019 Final, but the guy fielded a competitive team all the way until 2022-23 when general manager Doug Armstrong decided to start “retooling” the lineup.
The Blues had just 81 points that year, and following a rocky start in 2023-24, Armstrong dismissed Berube. Luckily for the latter, he won’t be dealing with a retooled group, as the Blue and Gold will be ready to roll with their current group and another addition or two.
Gerard Gallant has a rather good recent track record
It may have taken Gerard Gallant a while to figure out how to be a successful NHL coach, as he struggled through six forgettable seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets between 2003-04 and 2006 and again with the Florida Panthers between 2014-15 and 2016. But wow, can you name another NHL coach who enjoyed a better breakout season?
Not long after the Florida Panthers fired him, Gallant and the Vegas Golden Knights shocked the hockey and the sports world with a Pacific Division title before they represented the Western Conference in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. To take an expansion team and to go that far in the playoffs should put Gallant on everyone’s shortlist, and that shouldn’t be any different with Kevyn Adams.
While Gallant’s tenure in Vegas didn’t end well, even if he never had a losing season with the club, he was nonetheless successful, and that earned him a job with the New York Rangers in 2021. He coached New York for two seasons and finished with 107 or more points in both campaigns, but he ultimately left the franchise following a First Round exit against the New Jersey Devils.
Gallant may not have hoisted the Stanley Cup as a coach, but his credentials, especially his later credentials, speak for themselves, and he would be a great successor to Don Granato.
You knew Lindy Ruff was going to be on this list
Hmmm…the New Jersey Devils got rid of Lindy Ruff in March, and a month-and-a-half later, the Sabres relieved Don Granato of his duties. It’s almost like everything is aligning for a potential return to Buffalo, something we covered extensively shortly after the Devils cut ties with Ruff. While we talked about reasons why the Sabres should and shouldn’t pursue Ruff for another run, let’s face it: The Blue and Gold need an experienced head coach behind the bench.
Ruff has more experience as an NHL head coach than the previous two listed coaches combined, and the sense of familiarity is also a plus. The ties between Ruff and the Sabres organization date all the way back to the 1970s, going on five decades if you’re keeping track.
While Lindy Ruff is older and likely wouldn’t be in town for more than a few seasons if he did return, he would hire a much better staff of assistants than what we went through under Don Granato, and someone would be more than ready to step in as the successor. With a young team that just needs guidance, a respected figure in Buffalo could be the right answer, even more than a decade after he left town.
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(Historical data provided by Hockey-Reference)