Official Ralph Krueger named Sabres Head Coach

[Stoner]

3 hours ago, Radar said:

PA, you're ,it seems, uncomfortable with anything about the Sabres ownership or management. 

My bad. What was I thinking?

[LTS]

On 5/17/2019 at 10:42 PM, Ripper said:

Maybe he would be down

 

 Maybe he would be down for a summertime SabreSpace meet up

Ya never know.  It would probably be tough to do that once you are known.  Once he's the coach he's gotta be way more guarded in anything he says.  That said, I could sit down and listen to guys talk hockey all day long.  During the WJC in Buffalo I was at the Us/Finland game on New Year's Eve.  There was a group of about 6 Canadians sitting behind us and they were just going on and on about players, Juniors, this and the other thing.  It was awesome to listen to.  The fact that a game was happening was just a backdrop for them.  

The fact that he did it is awesome.  It does make you think though, sometimes you are standing next to someone who is about to become that much more important in your life and you never know it.

 

[Kruppstahl]

On 5/17/2019 at 10:33 AM, Eleven said:

I think there's a disconnect.  If he doesn't fix the roster, fire him.  If the problem is Krueger, well, Botterill took a shot in a year when the field wasn't full of great candidates; I'll overlook it.

You're very generous.  Pegula will not be so generous with Botterill.  He is not going to get another kick at the coaching can.  

If things don't improve quite a bit this year, Krueger and Botterill will both be gone. 

 

 

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, Kruppstahl said:

You're very generous.  Pegula will not be so generous with Botterill.  He is not going to get another kick at the coaching can.  

If things don't improve quite a bit this year, Krueger and Botterill will both be gone.

Alternate theory: Ralph is a very smart, clever and political man. If Botterill shits the bed again with the roster, Ralph could very well be not only the next GM but in a president role that he said as recently as April that he wanted. He did consulting work for a company that wants to mine minerals on the moon. He's Pegula People.

Edited May 19, 2019 by PASabreFan

[eman]

1 hour ago, Kruppstahl said:

You're very generous.  Pegula will not be so generous with Botterill.  He is not going to get another kick at the coaching can.  

If things don't improve quite a bit this year, Krueger and Botterill will both be gone. 

 

 

Plus, we'll see how the "re-treads" do with their new clubs. Maybe the coaching candidates were out there but for whatever reason weren't in the picture for this franchise. Let's see how Quenneville does in Florida, Vigneault in Philly and McLellan in L.A. I'm also liking that Patrick Roy is interviewing for the Ottawa head coaching job. I hope he gets it. He'll be another fiery "Michel Bergeron- type". I think he may be a really good choice for them. Wouldn't have minded him here also. It would be seriously sad if Philly, L.A & Florida eclipse the Sabres next season.  

[dudacek]

19 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Alternate theory: Ralph is a very smart, clever and political man. If Botterill shits the bed again with the roster, Ralph could very well be not only the next GM but in a president role that he said as recently as April that he wanted. He did consulting work for a company that wants to mine minerals on the moon. He's Pegula People.

Why does this smell like one of those cockamamie idears PA comes up with two years before it occurs to anyone else, three years before others start to consider it could be true and four years before it is a commonly accepted truth?

Edited May 20, 2019 by dudacek

[darksabre]

18 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Why does this smell like one of those cockamamie idears PA comes up with two years before it occurs to anyone else, three years before others start to consider to be true and four years before it is a commonly accepted truth?

I dunno. I can't see Krueger not following Botterill out the door if things go south, mostly because I expect Krueger and Botterill to be attached at the hip and making roster decisions together.

I think it would be hard for Krueger to argue that he didn't get a say in things and that he wasn't partly responsible. 

We're going to have to call them some kinda nickname. Like Kruetterill. 

[dudacek]

10 minutes ago, darksabre said:

I dunno. I can't see Krueger not following Botterill out the door if things go south, mostly because I expect Krueger and Botterill to be attached at the hip and making roster decisions together.

I think it would be hard for Krueger to argue that he didn't get a say in things and that he wasn't partly responsible. 

We're going to have to call them some kinda nickname. Like Kruetterill. 

Krubot works for me.

[Ducky]

Maybe Kru is only there to get them to the next "stage" or "level"?

Some think that Maurice excelled at getting the young players established in the league and now it is time for someone to come in and coach them to the holy grail...

Could've done a lot worse...

On 5/17/2019 at 10:53 AM, spndnchz said:

Did you drink with him? Asking for a friend

Nope, haven't had the pleasure of visiting Buffalo.

[Swordsman]

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 11:46 PM, IKnowPhysics said:

Tom Renney as assistant coach?

Renney is firmly entrenched as the CEO of Hockey Canada - as much as I always liked him and respected his knowledge, I don't see him at age 64 leaving his executive role to become an assistant coach.

[Swordsman]

On ‎5‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 6:24 AM, Doohickie said:

You think they sign Vanek?  I'm all for bringing in a few vets, but he's at best a 20 goal scorer.

 

Reading more about Krueger, I like is outlook and approach.  I just hope in translates to team success.

There were rumors last summer that Vanek's agent contacted Buffalo to see if there was any interest....and obviously there wasn't. I can't see the Sabres walking away from a 36-year old Pominville (as I suspect and hope they will) only to sign a 36-year old Vanek. Both players are long past their primes and neither fits into the speed game that Botterill keeps emphasizing he wants to build his team on.

Just because Vanek loves Krueger is not reason enough to give a roster spot to him.....

[Swordsman]

On ‎5‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 1:23 PM, WildCard said:

 

Some fuel for the proverbial fire and rumor mill.....making RNH even more of an obvious target to see if they can pry him out of Edmonton. Rishaug and many point to the lack of offensive forwards on the Oilers as reason for why RNH won't be traded but who knows what Holland's thinking is.

[Swordsman]

20 minutes ago, Swordsman said:

Renney is firmly entrenched as the CEO of Hockey Canada - as much as I always liked him and respected his knowledge, I don't see him at age 64 leaving his executive role to become an assistant coach.

I'd be willing to bet money that one of Krueger's assistants could be Brad Shaw - he's presently an assistant coach in Columbus and received a lot of praise for his work with the BlueJackets' defense and PK. Aside from having over 20 years experience as an assistant / associate coach for different teams in NHL, he was Krueger's assistant on the Team Europe squad (along with Maurice). During his WGR interview with 'Instigators', they asked him about potential assistants and Krueger shared how he's "very close friends" with Shaw and Maurice and how they all were on same wavelength. Whether or not Shaw, who is interested in a HC spot, would leave Columbus for a lateral move to Buffalo, who knows - but maybe his relationship with Krueger and a title of 'associate' might lure him. Tortorella praised Shaw as well as a 'highly intelligent and qualified' coach.

If the theories about Krueger being a 'bridge' to get the franchise on track and establish a culture that lasts are right, maybe whomever is hired as assistants to supplement Smith staying on could be viewed by Krueger as his potential successors with him moving up to that POHO (or even asst. GM to Botterill, if Greeley is hired by another team eventually to be their GM). If that were true, Shaw would make sense - he has the experience and been around as player and coach. And, if the Jets start off slow where Maurice may get fired during the season, I could see Krueger bringing him in right away (Skinner sure would be happy with that, given his great relationship with him in Carolina).

[Marvin]

19 hours ago, dudacek said:

Why does this smell like one of those cockamamie idears PA comes up with two years before it occurs to anyone else, three years before others start to consider it could be true and four years before it is a commonly accepted truth?

I think he's onto something.  That exact thought process occurred to me as well.

[WildCard]

 

[WildCard]

2 minutes ago, WildCard said:

 

For visibility

[Brawndo]

 

[That Aud Smell]

Sorry. I'm totally distracted by the idea/image of RaKru holding out his balls to his players.

[Doohicksie]

"See them?  Look how schweddy the are."

[SDS]

43 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

Sorry. I'm totally distracted by the idea/image of RaKru holding out his balls to his players.

Is it the frank or the beans? 

[#freejame]

3 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

Sorry. I'm totally distracted by the idea/image of RaKru holding out his balls to his players.

We haven’t actually landed on RaKru as the official nickname, have we? It’s pretty terrible. 

[Stoner]

14 minutes ago, #freejame said:

We haven’t actually landed on RaKru as the official nickname, have we? It’s pretty terrible. 

It's official. As senior advisor to this site, I decreed it.

[#freejame]

32 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

It's official. As senior advisor to this site, I decreed it.

Let the record show I dissent. 

[Zamboni]

Too bad.... I’m using RK. Maybe mix in a Kru once in a while 

[MattPie]

1 hour ago, Zamboni said:

Too bad.... I’m using RK. Maybe mix in a Kru once in a while 

I'm just going to go with Nikki Sixx.