Official Ralph Krueger named Sabres Head Coach

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, Kruppstahl said:

Not to mention he was a large part of the problems of this franchise which gave rise to the sell off and rebuild we are still trying to move beyond.

Guys like Vanek are a part of the team's past, definitely not its future.

He's clearly not a core piece.  But then again, he's spent the last few years being a decent ancillary piece, not good enough for a long term contract, but enough to get a contract every year, usually with enough value at the end of the year to earn a trade to a contender.  I wouldn't prioritize picking him up but I don't know that I'd object too much either, depending on higher profile pickups.

[Beer]

I hope RKru knows of a good goalie coach because the previous guy ruined Ullmark IMO.  Linus' play progressively got worse last year and yes the team in front of him was playing poorly but he (and Carter) seemed to get themselves out of position on a regular basis.  I believe that to be coaching.

Like any business, the success and failure is going to be about the supporting cast both on and behind the bench.  JBotts is responsible for assembling the roster and now RKru is responsible for hiring the assistant coaches.  

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

They fired him via Skype?

I had to let an Admiral go via viewscreen once. Sometimes the situation requires decisive action. But, with the wonders of technology, I was able to promote a better candidate immediately.

[Doohicksie]

2 hours ago, msw2112 said:

It could also go down in flames (or is the term UP in flames?)

Depends on the object.  Houses go up in flames, aircraft go down in flames.  Not sure about Sabres.

[Stoner]

6 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Depends on the object.  Houses go up in flames, aircraft go down in flames.  Not sure about Sabres.

They go around in flames.

[DarthEbriate]

4 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Depends on the object.  Houses go up in flames, aircraft go down in flames.  Not sure about Sabres.

It's true. Swords (sub-category: saber) usually are wreathed in flame, or given the "flaming" treatment, or even the addendum "of fire" with a +5. They're all swords aflame.

[Curt]

2 hours ago, Kruppstahl said:

One thing keeps coming up: the notion that we are only now going to try the "softer, kinder, gentler" type of head coach because disciplinarians of the old school were not getting through to this new breed of player.

What about Housley?  He seemed very soft and totally a player's coach.  It seems like we have already tried the Krueger method and it didn't work.  Why is Housley getting lumped into the category of Old School guys like Ruff or Jacques Martin?

I don’t think that Krueger seems particularly soft or gentle on players.  People lauded for their leadership and motivational tactics are not generally big softies.  The story I’m hearing on Krueger is that he knows how to handle people.  Knows when they need a personal one-on-one conversation and knows when they need a serious kick in the pants.

Edited May 16, 2019 by Curtisp5286

[WildCard]

 

[Thorner]

7 hours ago, Zamboni said:

Players who play all 82 games plus a couple preseason, is a rarity. The majority of players miss 1-5 games a season due to small injuries/dings. I’ll be glad if Jack doesn’t have long term injuries. If he plays 78-80 games ... great!

I know, just said I'd like to see it. I'm pretty sure Sam Reinhart played all 82 the last two seasons in a row. 

Jack seemed to indicate with that quote it wasn't a healthy 77 games for him, either. 

Edited May 16, 2019 by Thorny

[Thorner]

6 hours ago, Taro T said:

They did.  And Botterill apparently indicated that the injuries won't affect his trade plans this off-season.

Just not convinced that entering the season minus Ristolainen, Montour, Pilut, & Bogosian (plus whomever inevitably gets injured in September) to land 1 piece of that 2nd line is the way to go when a little bit of extra cash (which could be offset the following year by using a compliance buyout on Okposo) could bring in essentially the same quality of player (though a smudge older) & leave the blue line more intact to start.  It would also leave the powder dry should Botterill want to make an in-season hockey trade.

Prior to all the injuries, I was all in on filling out the top 6 with Skinner, a UFA, & a trade.  Now Skinner & 2UFAs are looking better IMHO.  Should Montour 's injury not be serious, might switch back on the preferred way to fix the Fs.

Word is, it's not. 

5 hours ago, shrader said:

Has anyone compared the date when the GR guy's "super secret source who is never wrong" stated that the job was TIppett's if he wanted it and when the date when Krueger accepted the job verbally?

No. Significance? 

2 hours ago, Eleven said:

Yes.  He took an unconventional approach and I don't want him to be "punished" for it.  (And there weren't exactly a lot of great candidates this year, either.)

But why does he get a pass for fielding a bad team for 3 seasons (or 4) in this scenario?

What's the timeline for Botterill here, field a non-tire fire once, in his fifth year, and he's good to go? The ultimate cake job? Or does that new coach get a couple years too..

Edited May 16, 2019 by Thorny

[Doohicksie]

29 minutes ago, Thorny said:

No. Significance?

If Tippett had said yes before Krueger was available, would Tippett be our coach right now?  If that source is to be believed, the answer is yes.  I'm not sure that answer is correct.

[Cheektorado]

I just got around to listening to PK interview on the Instigators.  The 3 things I took away were:

1.  NHL Head Coaching job does not sound like it will be too big for him.  I got the impression he has been looking for the right place.

2.  He seems confident in the steps he needs to take before the start of the season.  Like he has put a lot of thought into for quite a while.

3.  The type of "scheme" he will use will be dependent on his players skills/ability.   Not sure if that's his thinking (I guess probably) or influenced by Botterill. 

I have no idea if he will excel as the Sabres HC but I came away with a pretty good first impression.

His personality seems polar opposite of the last group of Sabres head coaches.

 

 

[Thorner]

1 minute ago, Doohickie said:

If Tippett had said yes before Krueger was available, would Tippett be our coach right now?  If that source is to be believed, the answer is yes.  I'm not sure that answer is correct.

I tend to trust JW's source. 

However, we don't know a lot. Perhaps Krueger had a standing, "hey, we want you, if you want to coach" out there from JB, we had moved on to other candidates, and once RK got wind of Tippett being offered the job if he wanted it, something clicked and it spurred him into action. 

That's why I was asking about the dates. It's probably more likely that Tippett wasn't undercut like that, and he just decided he didn't want the job, but who knows. 

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

I tend to trust JW's source. 

However, we don't know a lot. Perhaps Krueger had a standing, "hey, we want you, if you want to coach" out there from JB, we had moved on to other candidates, and once RK got wind of Tippett being offered the job if he wanted it, something clicked and it spurred him into action. 

That's why I was asking about the dates. It's probably more likely that Tippett wasn't undercut like that, and he just decided he didn't want the job, but who knows. 

I’m not sure why we would think Botterill wasn’t following a standard hiring practice of interviewing a number of candidates, doing his due diligence on a short list, and offering the job to his favourite. I only recall hiring someone once without vetting a number of candidates first. Occasionally (Babcock, for example) an organization says “this is our favourite” and then moves on only if things don’t work out with that person. But there is no reason to believe that happened here and some evidence to contrary.

It sure didn’t sound like Krueger was anything other than a guy who was on the initial list, impressed in his initial interview and was offered the job after also acing the follow-up. Botterill reached out to him immediately, brought him into Buffalo to meet the Pegulas a few weeks back in what I’m characterizing as a second interview, and he verbally committed to the job a week ago. It takes time to seriously interview seven people, especially when you factor in Botterill’s role with Team Canada.

More telling to me, he seemed enamoured with him, which you don’t see much from Jason.

2 hours ago, Thorny said:

Word is, it's not. 

No. Significance? 

But why does he get a pass for fielding a bad team for 3 seasons (or 4) in this scenario?

What's the timeline for Botterill here, field a non-tire fire once, in his fifth year, and he's good to go? The ultimate cake job? Or does that new coach get a couple years too..

I’ve always thought a GM deserves five years unless there are signs of a tire fire developing.

Botterill has pitched plan based on internal development, which generally buys you more time than a guy who pitches a quick reversal for a talented but disappointing team.

That said, the team regressed in year one, and ended year two pointed in the wrong direction. I would suggest he will survive a slow start, and/or a .500 season, but another finish like this year would doom him.

Edited May 16, 2019 by dudacek

[Brawndo]

Satan approves

 

[Derrico]

What I like about this hiring the most is this was one of botts top choices so it sounds.  Based on news reports/timelines etc. It sounds like botts may have had McClellan first on his list but even so, Krueger was an immmidiate second.  Botts sounds almost giddy.  If anything, I think this is 100 percent Jasons choice.  I’m confident there was no major influence from the Pegulas and this hire is on him, good or bad.

[Brawndo]

https://apnews.com/37cac0988ee243b0a7887fc26fcd7589

Takes from Babcock, Hitchcock and Maurice 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Derrico said:

What I like about this hiring the most is this was one of botts top choices so it sounds.  Based on news reports/timelines etc. It sounds like botts may have had McClellan first on his list but even so, Krueger was an immmidiate second.  Botts sounds almost giddy.  If anything, I think this is 100 percent Jasons choice.  I’m confident there was no major influence from the Pegulas and this hire is on him, good or bad.

I'd be shocked if this wasn't 100% Botterill's idea.

And though people say the Housley hire was far more the Pegula's call than JBotts call; can't help but believe Brandon significantly effected their choice.

[Thorner]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

I’m not sure why we would think Botterill wasn’t following a standard hiring practice of interviewing a number of candidates, doing his due diligence on a short list, and offering the job to his favourite. I only recall hiring someone once without vetting a number of candidates first. Occasionally (Babcock, for example) an organization says “this is our favourite” and then moves on only if things don’t work out with that person. But there is no reason to believe that happened here and some evidence to contrary.

It sure didn’t sound like Krueger was anything other than a guy who was on the initial list, impressed in his initial interview and was offered the job after also acing the follow-up. Botterill reached out to him immediately, brought him into Buffalo to meet the Pegulas a few weeks back in what I’m characterizing as a second interview, and he verbally committed to the job a week ago. It takes time to seriously interview seven people, especially when you factor in Botterill’s role with Team Canada.

More telling to me, he seemed enamoured with him, which you don’t see much from Jason.

I’ve always thought a GM deserves five years unless there are signs of a tire fire developing.

Botterill has pitched plan based on internal development, which generally buys you more time than a guy who pitches a quick reversal for a talented but disappointing team.

That said, the team regressed in year one, and ended year two pointed in the wrong direction. I would suggest he will survive a slow start, and/or a .500 season, but another finish like this year would doom him.

Because it was stated otherwise by a legitimate source with Sabres related connections that the job was offered to someone else as well. They could be wrong, certainly, but - that's why, to answer your question. 

It's not like it's baseless speculation on my part. It's not certifiable information but it's still credible discussion fodder. 

Edited May 17, 2019 by Thorny

[Brawndo]

I was onboard the Keefe Train as my first choice 

Travis Yost brought up the fact last Friday that the Sabres always seem to be looking for a coach at the wrong time and were never proactive enough to go after Gallant or Claude Julien when DD was coach or when Trotz became available last summer. (There was a rumor that Botterill did reach out but Trotz said no because of his previous relationship with PH) 

That being said, the Krueger Hiring is very intriguing for a multitude of reasons. Bob Stauffner who is the color analyst for the Oilers was on WGR in the Afternoon Yesterday and he mentioned how Krueger was in charge of the PP as an AC and HC. They had the third and seventh ranked PPs in the league over his final two years.Their biggest downfall was their lack of depth in 5 v 5 play. (This is where Botterill has to improve). He spoke about how he gets the most out of his players using positive feedback. He mentioned there are no power games with him. Stauffner mentioned the only good thing about him being fired was that the Oilers 2014 and 15 Draft Positioning.  He plays a 1-3-1 forecheck, which Vanek mentioned even though Team Europe was comprised on slower skaters, their pressure on the forecheck made them appear faster.

At the very least the Sabres will have a HC that can maximize the Sports Science and Analytics Department. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if the latter improved in quality and size in the next year. 

 

[dudacek]

36 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Because it was stated otherwise by a legitimate source with Sabres related connections that the job was offered to someone else as well. They could be wrong, certainly, but - that's why, to answer your question. 

It's not like it's baseless speculation on my part. It's not certifiable information but it's still credible discussion fodder. 

 

This is White’s Twitter guy “the job is Tippett’s if he wants it?”

 

Edited May 17, 2019 by dudacek

[Thorner]

Just now, dudacek said:

 

This is White’s Twitter guy “the job is Tippett’s if he wants it?”

 

That's right. 

[dudacek]

Doesn’t mean the information wasnt accurate but dated, but according to what we were told, Krueger had accepted the job before that quote came out.

Personally, I haven’t been impressed by Whites track record.

Edited May 17, 2019 by dudacek

[Thorner]

12 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Doesn’t mean the information was dated, but according to what we were told, Krueger had accepted the job before that quote came out.

Ya, I guess it depends on when exactly everything took place. I just don't want to dismiss the information outright when White said his source had "never been wrong" before. He did say his source could be wrong, but that he didn't believe it was. 

If it's stated specifically that the Sabres did not make him an offer and I've missed it, I'd change my mind obviously but it still has significance to me at this point. I recognize that doesn't often happen and it's "proving a negative" to some extent but with the information we've heard to the contrary I think the merit is there. 

Edited May 17, 2019 by Thorny

[Curt]

23 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

At the very least the Sabres will have a HC that can maximize the Sports Science and Analytics Department. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if the latter improved in quality and size in the next year. 

I want this to happen badly.  This is already a market inefficiency in the NHL and it’s about become hugely more of one with all of this player tracking data that teams are about to have.  It’s crazy that Buffalo is no using all their Pegula bucks to get on this.

I feel like Krueger has seen what actual analytics departments do in the EPL and can bring some of that to the NHL.  I think he is smart enough to put together a proposal saying how he would be able to do x, y, and z if the team could hire however-many people to break down this-this-and-that raw data into such-and-such usable information; and it would cost roughly so-and-so much to get this set up.  Then along with Botterill, present this proposal to Pres. K. Pegula and actually get it going.

What does Buffalo have for an “Analytics Department” right now?  Just Jason Nightingale the “Director of Analytics” right?