Prediction Time: Will DG be fired during the season? If so, when?

[zow2]

16 hours ago, ... said:

Anyone recall the hesitation by the Sabres over the summer to proclaim this a playoff year? Only when training camp started did KA mention it and he did so begrudgingly. I think internally they penciled in this year as another development year and therefore Meatballs has the entire season to reach certain milestones that have not been shared with the fans.

I recall watching an interview with Alex Tuch just before training camp.  He said it was definitely a playoff season, and that it was time.  So he must think they have the pieces in the room.  I guess he hasn't been in the organization long enough to have the joy of hockey ripped from his soul.

[PerreaultForever]

4 hours ago, oddoublee said:

it is ok to get lucky with a hire. point was - regier knew something was a little off and had to hedge his bets. nolan was, make no mistake, an ***** to work with in the front office. ***** like nolan, or nice guy like granato - means nothing to me personally. at the end of the day, the sabres have to decide, is this the guy that takes them to the next level. i am not personally seeing it. i see a team with no identity. 

I was listening to some Boston reporters on a podcast and Buffalo briefly came up as a team that was supposed to pass the Bruins this year (along with Ottawa and Detroit) and the comment from them was, "there's some talented guys there but they don't know how to play hockey. Nobody teaches them how to play properly." and that's pretty much how I see it too. 

I've said this before but it is the thing. The talk from Granato was it's harder to learn offense, learn that first (which is backwards but whatever) but now we still don't seem to be learning defense and I see  very little evidence that they are being taught defense at all. I cannot figure out if there is a defensive system. There does not appear to be one at all. Quick zone exit is not a proper system. 

As to the identity, they do have one. Soft team,  loser culture, hence nobody wants to come here. That is the identity until they change it. 

[Porous Five Hole]

4 hours ago, oddoublee said:

no, common misconception since he and muckler had a such a terrible relationship. muckler was fired pre nolan not coming back

Thank you.  Wasn’t the offer of a one year deal offered by Muckler and then rescinded by Darcy? It was a long time ago, but I seem to remember that.  

[Taro T]

On 12/7/2023 at 3:09 PM, Porous Five Hole said:

Thank you.  Wasn’t the offer of a one year deal offered by Muckler and then rescinded by Darcy? It was a long time ago, but I seem to remember that.  

No.  Regier's 1st order of business was making the 1 year offer to Nolan which was rebuffed.

Had Muckler won the battle to outlast Nolan, he likely would've tried again to hire Tortorella.  Ownership might've eased on their stance against John.

[Sabres Super Fan]

Don Granato will be fired at the end of the season if the Buffalo Sabres don’t make the playoffs. The only question is do the Sabres fire Kevyn Adams? I would fire Kevyn Adams also but then Terry Pegula is flying the airplane (Buffalo Sabres) in the dark alone with no co pilot Kevyn Adams which is scary to think about. Because clearly Terry Pegula has made poor hiring decisions with the Buffalo Sabres. But a good NHL coach might want total control to come to Buffalo like Scotty Bowman wanted which means giving them the Sabres GM position too. Which I am fine with if the Sabres get a top shelf proven NHL coach in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

[GASabresIUFAN]

I still don't think either DG or KA are getting fired this season, but the pressure is rising.  I suspect the assistant coaches will be thrown to the wolves this off-season (except Bales) and KA/DG combo will get one more season to get their vision in place.  They also need to get better professional scouting.  

We have to remember that both of these guys were the toast of the NHL last season and have long-term extensions in their pockets.  

Whether we like it or not, the Sabres are in better shape now than when KA came in (yes, I'm writing that) from an organizational depth standpoint and if UPL and Levi can continue to play like they have recently, they will settle things down and give hope for next season.

That said, this team is toast for 2023/24.  They aren't making the playoffs without some kind of miracle.  The best we can hope for is that they play playoff-caliber hockey the rest of the way.

[JohnC]

5 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I still don't think either DG or KA are getting fired this season, but the pressure is rising.  I suspect the assistant coaches will be thrown to the wolves this off-season (except Bales) and KA/DG combo will get one more season to get their vision in place.  They also need to get better professional scouting.  

We have to remember that both of these guys were the toast of the NHL last season and have long-term extensions in their pockets.  

Whether we like it or not, the Sabres are in better shape now than when KA came in (yes, I'm writing that) from an organizational depth standpoint and if UPL and Levi can continue to play like they have recently, they will settle things down and give hope for next season.

That said, this team is toast for 2023/24.  They aren't making the playoffs without some kind of miracle.  The best we can hope for is that they play playoff-caliber hockey the rest of the way.

At this point, making a declaration that this team is toast for this season is way too premature to come to  such a negative conclusion. If we arrive at the half-season mark and this team is still in the doldrums, then your judgment would be considered to be more than fair. A third of the season has gone by. I'm just as disappointed as others are about how this season has transpired. But it's too soon to draw any definite conclusions, positive or negative, about how this season will turn out. As I told @Pimlach I'm going to wait to at least half the season has gone by before I make a definitive judgment about this team. I encourage you to be a little more patient before coming to any conclusion about this season. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

6 minutes ago, JohnC said:

At this point, making a declaration that this team is toast for this season is way too premature to come to  such a negative conclusion. If we arrive at the half-season mark and this team is still in the doldrums, then your judgment would be considered to be more than fair. A third of the season has gone by. I'm just as disappointed as others are about how this season has transpired. But it's too soon to draw any definite conclusions, positive or negative, about how this season will turn out. As I told @Pimlach I'm going to wait to at least half the season has gone by before I make a definitive judgment about this team. I encourage you to be a little more patient before coming to any conclusion about this season. 

Sorry John, but the odds of this team making the playoffs are 6% according to the Athletic today. https://theathletic.com/4938709/2023/12/10/nhl-playoffs-chances-projected-standings-chart/.  Our current points projection is 83.  This team has the 2nd lowest pts % in the East and the 3rd worst differential.  They are done.  

[JohnC]

10 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Sorry John, but the odds of this team making the playoffs are 6% according to the Athletic today. https://theathletic.com/4938709/2023/12/10/nhl-playoffs-chances-projected-standings-chart/.  Our current points projection is 83.  This team has the 2nd lowest pts % in the East and the 3rd worst differential.  They are done.  

What was the judgment on this team last year after 2/3 of the season transpired?  And then what happened? The team over the last third of the season made a serious playoff run. I encourage you to wait until the half-way point before throwing in the towel. 

[FrenchConnection44]

Granato has to go. It’s just not good hockey. You hate to see anyone fired but he’s made a lot of money so far for not making the playoffs. And he will get paid $3.8 million the next two years. Nothing to complain about. Please. Fire me and pay me $3.8 million. I’ll get fired 20x for that. So can’t feel sorry for him. It’s a high profile and high paying job.

I can’t see Adams getting fired. He’s created a very solid talent pipeline. 

They need a new coach and staff. That actually teach them how to play team hockey. On both ends of the rink. 

And, simultaneously, they need to up their developmental game - providing a stronger more definitive program for the development of each player. Physically. Mentally. Hockey skills. 

Edited December 11, 2023 by FrenchConnection44

[nfreeman]

FFS.  Just do it already.  They're well into the death spiral.

KA should be the interim coach until the end of the season -- if nothing else, it's punishment for delivering this atrocious season to the fans -- and then hire a real NHL coach this summer.

[Crusader1969]

Tomorrow is the day if they lose tonight 

call me an optimist 🙂

[sabremike]

Don is our coach until his contract expires in 2026 because we have an owner who can't grasp the concept of a sunk cost.

[Rasmus_]

Burn it to the ground.  There is a team in here that can compete to some level, with a few minor tweaks.  Look at what Tocchet did for Vancouver.  Absolutely astounded how this season has gone on.  Donato needs to go, Adams needs to follow, the chicken *****. 

[GoPuckYourself]

The scary thing is wont Matt Ellis be our interim HC? My god I don't know if I could stand to look at that smug face destroying our young prospects while we wait for something better. The thought is scary! LOL

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Still no.

 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

12 hours ago, GoPuckYourself said:

The scary thing is wont Matt Ellis be our interim HC? My god I don't know if I could stand to look at that smug face destroying our young prospects while we wait for something better. The thought is scary! LOL

If they fire Granato in season I think they will name his permanent successor at that time in the hopes to save the playoff.  We have to take a look at who is available now.

I really don't think they will fire him in season at this point.

[GASabresIUFAN]

He should have been fired already.  How many slow starts do you have to watch until you realize that the coach can’t motivate the team? How do you keep a coach who can’t make adjustments to try to get his PP working?  How do you keep a coach whose team has regressed so substantially? 

Edited January 25 by GASabresIUFAN

[John Tucker]

I was secretly hoping they would get blown out last night to put another nail in the coffin, and then they come back to win.  He won't be fired anytime soon unfortunately.  As long as a few seats here, and a few seats there keep getting filled, ownership doesn't care.  

[Ctaeth]

He will have the rest of the season.  Should he have the rest of the season?  I'm not sure, but I learn towards yes.  They've dealt with a lot more injury issues than they did last year (there were next to no forwards injured last year) and he is getting them to play better defense.  So IMO, it's not all bad from DG this year...they just aren't getting that same offensive production from their top guys.  Regardless of if that is DG's fault or not, he's at the top of the food chain and thus will be the first to fall at the end of the season when they inevitably don't make the playoffs.    

[TheAud]

17 hours ago, sabremike said:

Don is our coach until his contract expires in 2026 because we have an owner who can't grasp the concept of a sunk cost.

Maybe, but he certainly has eaten a lot of contracts on the Bills side of the house. 

Also, the issue isn't the sunk cost, it's the incremental cost of a new coach vs. the value such a coach would bring compared to DG. 

But I'd fire him today if it were up to me.  (Well, I might wait for the next atrocious loss, which is likely Saturday.) 

[Buffalonill]

He won't be fired till after the season. 

I honestly feel  adams would rather have the high draft choice than wake up the team and End up missing the playoffs again 

[Demoted]

On 12/10/2023 at 9:17 PM, JohnC said:

What was the judgment on this team last year after 2/3 of the season transpired?  And then what happened? The team over the last third of the season made a serious playoff run. I encourage you to wait until the half-way point before throwing in the towel. 

How many years will this be said?

[Weave]

On 12/10/2023 at 9:17 PM, JohnC said:

What was the judgment on this team last year after 2/3 of the season transpired?  And then what happened? The team over the last third of the season made a serious playoff run. I encourage you to wait until the half-way point before throwing in the towel. 

Are you ready now?

[K-9]

20 minutes ago, Weave said:

Are you ready now?