Is Don Granato the best coach the Sabres have had since Lindy Ruff?

[SDS]

Why would anyone think they know the depth of DG’s understanding of the game? Just because he teaches the game a certain way to players at a certain age/level doesn’t mean he wouldn’t adjust his style for different players at different career prints. I think there’s no reason to artificially sell this man short. 

[pi2000]

Just now, WildCard said:

To the playoffs and deep into them are quite different. Granato is certainly capable of having a talented Sabres team be better than half the league.

They're still an absolute mess defending in the neutral and d-zones, and until that changes, they won't be making the playoffs any time soon.

Can Granato implement a disciplined defensive system when needed?   Haven't seen any improvement in that area.   Is that because he hasn't emphasized that aspect of the game yet?  Or is he just not capable?

[WildCard]

2 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

They're still an absolute mess defending in the neutral and d-zones, and until that changes, they won't be making the playoffs any time soon.

Can Granato implement a disciplined defensive system when needed?   Haven't seen any improvement in that area.   Is that because he hasn't emphasized that aspect of the game yet?  Or is he just not capable?

Ton of young guys and bad d-men could be it. 

[SwampD]

4 minutes ago, SDS said:

Why would anyone think they know the depth of DG’s understanding of the game? Just because he teaches the game a certain way to players at a certain age/level doesn’t mean he wouldn’t adjust his style for different players at different career prints. I think there’s no reason to artificially sell this man short. 

Did you just meet pi?

[PromoTheRobot]

11 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

DG does 2 things well...

Players as individuals are developing.

His team doesn't quit.

That's great for a young team... but I don't believe he's capable of coaching them to the playoffs.   

[SwampD]

4 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

They're still an absolute mess defending in the neutral and d-zones, and until that changes, they won't be making the playoffs any time soon.

Can Granato implement a disciplined defensive system when needed?   Haven't seen any improvement in that area.   Is that because he hasn't emphasized that aspect of the game yet?  Or is he just not capable?

That’s just not true. They have breakdowns, as every team does, but most times, it’s personnel based.

[pi2000]

5 minutes ago, SDS said:

Why would anyone think they know the depth of DG’s understanding of the game? Just because he teaches the game a certain way to players at a certain age/level doesn’t mean he wouldn’t adjust his style for different players at different career prints. I think there’s no reason to artificially sell this man short. 

I love what he's done with this group this season... but if we're talking playoffs, he'll need to implement a more disciplined defensive system.    As far as I can tell, he's not asking much from this group when it comes to defensive responsibility other than to back-check hard.     They're playing free and loose, which good to a certain point, but I, for one, don't want these kids developing bad habits when it comes to defending.... especially when trying to hold down leads late in games.

Playoff teams have the ability to lock games down once they get a lead... haven't seen anything remotely close from a DG coached team.

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 hours ago, The Ghost of Yuri said:

Skinns still wearing his Hurricanes shoulder pads?  😛

Yeah, he's not there.  Yet.  But like I said, he isn't the greatest coach this year, but he's developing right along with his team.

I can accept that and the like the trajectory the team is on.  However Disco Dan has a much better win%. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 hours ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

By this standard, Dan Bylsma should never have been fired because he coached a team to the Stanley Cup.  And then Ted Nolan was our next best coach after Bylsma during the Dastard Decade because he has led two teams to the playoffs.

Not with us he didn’t l, but he had the best winning % of any post Lindy coach.

This team is making progress. I believe and have believed the DG can get us to the playoffs. However since he has been our coach we have had only two truly good months of play, the beginning of this season and this March.  Until we are a consistently competitive team, this whole discussion is which of our coaches has been least bad.

Edited March 29, 2022 by GASabresIUFAN

[North Buffalo]

13 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

I love what he's done with this group this season... but if we're talking playoffs, he'll need to implement a more disciplined defensive system.    As far as I can tell, he's not asking much from this group when it comes to defensive responsibility other than to back-check hard.     They're playing free and loose, which good to a certain point, but I, for one, don't want these kids developing bad habits when it comes to defending.... especially when trying to hold down leads late in games.

Playoff teams have the ability to lock games down once they get a lead... haven't seen anything remotely close from a DG coached team.

They did it against Calgary... just sayin when he has asked they seem to respond... bettin he has a few more tricks in his bag... but its not the time and they really arent ready to do it often... takes away their joy and until goalies improve what is the point.

[Marvin]

6 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Not with us he didn’t l, but he had the best winning % of any post Lindy coach.

This team is making progress. I believe and have believed the DG can get us to the playoffs. However since he has been our coach we have had only two truly good months of play, the beginning of this season and this March.  Until we are a consistently competitive team, this whole discussion is which of our coaches has been least bad.

Fair enough.  We do need to see what we have seen this month for a full season without the obvious problems extended periods of AHL forwards and ECHL goaltending to confound our evaluations.

I feel obligated to point out that Disco Dan had a far better roster overall, particularly in goal, than HCDG has had.

[French Collection]

It is challenging for a coach to tick all of the boxes on a checklist. Even HOF coaches wear out their welcome at some point. They lose the room, don’t keep up with innovations, lose their passion or just don’t mesh with their bosses and/or star players.

I think DG is doing a good job with this group. They are building a team and seem to want to play for each other and DG.

I think DG is smart enough to adapt to what is required for his team to take the next step. Defense is easier to teach than offense and he can implement his system once this young team’s creativity has blossomed.

DG will reach a point where he will be let go, but I don’t see it on the horizon. If KA doesn’t address the goalie situation this may change.

[JohnC]

4 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

The answer is YES!

He has said it on numerous occasions that last offseason when there were a number of coaching vacancies he had no interest in applying for any of them. He stated that the only head coaching job that he wanted was the Buffalo job. I'm not sure if it was KA who put DG on Krueger's staff. If KA was responsible for adding him to the staff, and then elevating him after the firing of Krueger, he deserves a lot of credit. 

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Not with us he didn’t l, but he had the best winning % of any post Lindy coach.

This team is making progress. I believe and have believed the DG can get us to the playoffs. However since he has been our coach we have had only two truly good months of play, the beginning of this season and this March.  Until we are a consistently competitive team, this whole discussion is which of our coaches has been least bad.

I understand your view and perspective. However, I disagree agree with it. All you can ask any coach is to maximize the talent he has to work with. No question that he has done that. He took a number of players who were playing substantially below their talent level (ex. Dahlin, Skinner and Mitts etc) and put them in a position to succeed. What more can you ask of him? There is certainly more to do and evaluate him on. As the talent level rises the expectations will increase. As it should. As it stands, he has done a marvelous job, at least in my opinion. 

[PromoTheRobot]

7 minutes ago, JohnC said:

He has said it on numerous occasions that last offseason when there were a number of coaching vacancies he had no interest in applying for any of them. He stated that the only head coaching job that he wanted was the Buffalo job. I'm not sure if it was KA who put DG on Krueger's staff. If KA was responsible for adding him to the staff, and then elevating him after the firing of Krueger, he deserves a lot of credit. 

If KA had him added, was Donnie the Mole?

[Eleven]

I wanted to wait about a year before evaluating him, and we're just past that mark now.

Given my standard for coaches, "can he do more with less," the answer has to be that yes, he is the best coach since Ruff.  He has turned around a player like Thompson just like Ruff did with Briere, for example.  And it looks like he took the training wheels off this team at just the right time.

Now, it's time to give him some real goaltending, bring up the kids, and watch this team surprise the rest of the league next year.

(Oh, and judging from that tweet, maybe get him a better tailor, too.)

Edited March 29, 2022 by Eleven

[JohnC]

10 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

If KA had him added, was Donnie the Mole?

You didn't need a mole to understand the disaster that was unfolding right in front of everyone. 

[PromoTheRobot]

7 minutes ago, JohnC said:

You didn't need a mole to understand the disaster that was unfolding right in front of everyone. 

But it wouldn't hurt.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

2 hours ago, North Buffalo said:

They did it against Calgary... just sayin when he has asked they seem to respond... bettin he has a few more tricks in his bag... but its not the time and they really arent ready to do it often... takes away their joy and until goalies improve what is the point.

Against Vegas they did too.  Worked to a 2 - 1 lead.  Locked Vegas down until the EN goal iced it.  The key to the EN goal was Eakin winning a critical faceoff in the D zone.

Edited March 29, 2022 by The Ghost of Doohickie

[JohnC]

Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

But it wouldn't hurt.

The GM's job, by its nature, requires the person to know what is going on both on the ice and in the locker room. When the situation becomes so visibly untenable, he would be a blubbering incompetent not to recognize what was going on. The GM formally, and informally, keeps in contact with the players and staff. In this case it would be difficult not to realize what was going on. The challenge for the GM was how to present the situation to the owner so that he would approve of the remedy. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

21 minutes ago, Eleven said:

I wanted to wait about a year before evaluating him, and we're just past that mark now.

Given my standard for coaches, "can he do more with less," the answer has to be that yes, he is the best coach since Ruff.  He has turned around a player like Thompson just like Ruff did with Briere, for example.  And it looks like he took the training wheels off this team at just the right time.

Now, it's time to give him some real goaltending, bring up the kids, and watch this team surprise the rest of the league next year.

(Oh, and judging from that tweet, maybe get him a better tailor, too.)

That suit is straight off the rack.  He doesn't need a better tailor ... he needs a tailor.  Period.

[Eleven]

1 minute ago, The Ghost of Doohickie said:

That suit is straight off the rack.  He doesn't need a better tailor ... he needs a tailor.  Period.

You are correct.  I wasn't going to get all clothes-snobby, but an NHL head coach really should be wearing bespoke stuff.

[dudacek]

41 minutes ago, JohnC said:

He has said it on numerous occasions that last offseason when there were a number of coaching vacancies he had no interest in applying for any of them. He stated that the only head coaching job that he wanted was the Buffalo job. I'm not sure if it was KA who put DG on Krueger's staff. If KA was responsible for adding him to the staff, and then elevating him after the firing of Krueger, he deserves a lot of credit. 

That clip you linked tells you all you need to know about the focus of this season.

I will say that Adams seems to have followed through on everything he said he was going to build this season in terms of culture, and Donnie sure seems to be the right man to implement his philosophy.

And I will say as well that Adams was right, in terms of what kind of Sabres team is needed to win back the fans: one that earns it. It’s been a slow burn, but he’s not taking shortcuts.

(Granato was a Botterill-era hire. Not sure if it was he or Bales who was the Botterill choice. Smith was Krueger’s guy.)

[French Collection]

28 minutes ago, The Ghost of Doohickie said:

Against Vegas they did too.  Worked to a 2 - 1 lead.  Locked Vegas down until the EN goal iced it.  The key to the EN goal was Eakin winning a critical faceoff in the D zone.

Are you advocating bringing back Eakin? LoL

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, dudacek said:

That clip you linked tells you all you need to know about the focus of this season.

I will say that Adams seems to have followed through on everything he said he was going to build this season in terms of culture, and Donnie sure seems to be the right man to implement his philosophy.

And I will say as well that Adams was right, in terms of what kind of Sabres team is needed to win back the fans: one that earns it. It’s been a slow burn, but he’s not taking shortcuts.

(Granato was a Botterill-era hire. Not sure if it was he or Bales who was the Botterill choice. Smith was Krueger’s guy.)

Well stated commentary. It just seems to me that the GM and DG are in sync in what the rebuild strategy is and the type of room they want to have. And your point that the GM wants to construct a roster that is capable of earning the respect of the frustrated fans is insightful. KA has often stated the notion of the team reflecting the ethos of the community. And he is backing up that lofty notion by his personnel moves. Evander Kane is certainly not the type of player/person that he wants in the room. (I'm not intending to smear him but he is not the type of guy he wants influencing the youngsters.)

That notion of a team reflecting the values of the community is easy to verbalize. The challenge is to implement that value system with the players you bring in. What has happened with previous Sabre administrations is that they opted for the quick fix short cut instead of staying true to a more meaningful long term plan that in reality set this franchise back. When the Pegulas first bought the team they thought they could make a splash and quickly become a prominent team. That was like chasing fools' gold. Substance usually trumps style. And it is much more sustaining.