3 coaches the Sabres can replace Don Granato with right now
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)