Sabres bring back Lindy Ruff as head coach
Former Sabres coach, Lindy Ruff, is returning amidst the team's recent struggles (photo courtesy of Sam Hodde/Getty Images).
After becoming associated with the National Hockey League’s (NHL) record playoff drought of thirteen seasons, Buffalo Sabres’ general manager Kevyn Adams decided to relieve head coach Don Granato of his duties after more than three seasons on Tuesday, Apr. 16.
At the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Adams declared that the Sabres competitive window of opportunity was wide open, leaving fans with the expectation of a stellar season. After all, they had just rebuilt their core with great players signed through 2030, with the likes of centers Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens. They also signed defensemen Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin, and Mattias Samuelsson, as well as added some new young stars like goalie Devon Levi and left wing Zach Benson this past year. The Sabres had the foundation and drive to be a newly revived team like the Vancouver Canucks and Philadelphia Flyers this season, but the common denominator amongst those teams has been new coaching.
Granato had led the Sabres to a 39-37-6 record during the 2023-24 regular season, and a 122-125-27 record throughout his three-plus year stint in Buffalo. It is worth noting, though, that Granato was a first-time NHL head coach, as he had taken over on an interim basis during the shortened 2021 season after Ralph Krueger was fired. Granato was never supposed to be the long-term coach for Buffalo, but when asked about his status following the last game of the season against the Tampa Bay Lightning he said, “I have to do my job every day. And it's to help this team and this franchise get better every day. That's my focus every day. That's my drive every day.” During his time as head coach, Granato led the Sabres to a more defensive-oriented style of play leading to their goal production dropping and league-worst stats.
Within a week of Granatos’ firing, Adams had found who he had been looking for as a replacement. The Buffalo Sabres rehired Lindy Ruff who was head coach of the franchise for 15 seasons, from 1997 to 2013, and the last to lead the Sabres to the NHL playoffs in 2011. Ruff ranks fifth all-time and second among active coaches with 864 career regular-season wins between stints with the Sabres, Dallas Stars, and New Jersey Devils. He also has a combined 935 wins in the regular season and playoffs, ranking him fourth in league history.
During his previous tenure in Buffalo, Ruff led the Sabres to the playoffs eight times, the Eastern Conference Final in his first two seasons, and the Stanley Cup Final in 1999. Ruff’s accolades in Buffalo don’t stop there, though, as he holds franchise records in regular-season games coached (1,165), regular-season wins (571), playoff games coached (101), and playoff wins (57). Let us not forget, also, that Ruff spent nine seasons playing in Buffalo during which he finished with 300 points in 691 regular-season games, made the playoffs nine times, and was captain for one season before being traded to the New York Rangers.
This hiring could have major implications, but you never know whether those implications will be positive or negative, especially with the Sabres. In his previous role, Ruff was credited with much of the Devils' success in the 2022-23 season while leading them to a 49-point improvement and the second round of the playoffs. It was a different story this past regular season, however, as Ruff was fired by the Devils after 61 games and a regression of 48 points.
The Sabres are very much like the Devils in the way that both are decently young teams with some star power and talent, but are in need of some guidance. Hopefully Ruff can rekindle the same fire that drove the Sabres to their success during his playing and previous coaching careers in Buffalo.