Seth Appert will coach the Sabres Tonight due to Granato Illness

[Sidc3000]

  On 12/30/2023 at 4:30 PM, Brawndo said:

Granato missed time in Covid Protocol during the 2020-21 Season.

Ellis filled in as HC, Seth Appert came up as an Assistant Coach. 
 

This is noteworthy change. 

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I was thinking the same thing.

[Flashsabre]

If Rochester also wasn’t playing horribly maybe this is significant.

Hope Donny is OK, hope his brother is OK.

For those of you looking at changing coaches, this would be it. Appert or Ellis. Not a vet NHL coach with a history of success and accountability. Be careful of what you wish for.

[Pimlach]

  On 12/30/2023 at 3:41 PM, #freejame said:

What PA said, but also…

This is interesting because it really shows how different the set up is between the Bills and the Sabres.

The Bills have a front office and coaching staff that other teams want to poach from whereas the Sabres lack the appropriate…depth (?) behind the bench to even have a qualified stand-in on a night where the fill-in is already supposed to be coaching a hockey game elsewhere. 

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For the most part true, the Bills coaching staff is far from the envy of the league either but they are for the most part capable. 

Daboll and Schen went to the NYG.    The Bills have not stood pat on their coaching staff, they lost a good WR coach, and have shuffled DL and OL coaches, ST coaches, etc.  

Leslie Frazier remained retired.  Dorsey will land a job, probably not as an OC. 

Only Mike Peca was poached by Laviolette.  

 

[Pimlach]

  On 12/30/2023 at 3:44 PM, bob_sauve28 said:

Could be stress. Here is a man whose whole life is hockey, this is his time to prove himself and it isn't going well. That can hurt you. It's got to be hard on him. 

I really like Granato and hope he is ok. 

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I agree.  Stress can really do a number and create other physical ailments.   After the Columbus game, and again after the Leaves game, he did not look good.  Of course he may be realizing himself that his messages are being ignored.  It happens all the time in the NHL.  

I hope he is ok and its just a flu type thing.   Good guy, and doing his best.  Adams gave him a knife and sent him to a gun fight. 

As for Appert, this is telling.  A new face, a new voice.   Not Matty or one of the others that they already do not listen to.  

[GoPuckYourself]

I hope Don gets well soon!

Seth Appert is basically a Don Granato clone so I'm not surprised. We want Matt Ellis nowhere near this team yet here he is as an assistant.... LOVELY!!!!

[DarthEbriate]

Hope DG rests up and recovers quickly.

As to Appert in the interim, I assume this means HCDG will be out for at least a few games (min. 5 days) for continuity among the staff. If it were just expected to be the back-to-back, I don't know why you wouldn't just let an assistant handle it and not impact both NHL/AHL teams.

As to speculation, it provides a look at whether or not the head coach is a weakness of the team (Appert also has decades' worth of coaching experience/15+ years as a HC) and allows Appert to provide some feedback on the assistants. We'll have to see how the team responds.

[Brawndo]

  On 12/30/2023 at 3:41 PM, #freejame said:

What PA said, but also…

This is interesting because it really shows how different the set up is between the Bills and the Sabres.

The Bills have a front office and coaching staff that other teams want to poach from whereas the Sabres lack the appropriate…depth (?) behind the bench to even have a qualified stand-in on a night where the fill-in is already supposed to be coaching a hockey game elsewhere. 

Expand  

Jason Karmanos was offered the Canucks GM Job by Jim Rutherford before Patrik Allvin took the job. 
 

Both Sam Ventura and Karmanos interviewed for the Pittsburgh Penguins GM Job this past summer 

The coaches do not draw interest, but the certain Front Office Staff members do 

 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Get well, Don.

Nothing else matters.

[LGR4GM]

  On 12/30/2023 at 6:59 PM, Brawndo said:

Jason Karmanos was offered the Canucks GM Job by Jim Rutherford before Patrik Allvin took the job. 
 

Both Sam Ventura and Karmanos interviewed for the Pittsburgh Penguins GM Job this past summer 

The coaches do not draw interest, but the certain Front Office Staff members do 

 

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Losing Karmanos or Ventura would be a disaster. 

[Brawndo]

  On 12/30/2023 at 7:08 PM, LGR4GM said:

Losing Karmanos or Ventura would be a disaster. 

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Ventura is here because of Karmanos. 
Karmanos also laid the foundation for the Analytics Department in Carolina. 
His should be the biggest voice in the Sabres Front Office 

[Thorner]

  On 12/30/2023 at 6:58 PM, DarthEbriate said:

Hope DG rests up and recovers quickly.

As to Appert in the interim, I assume this means HCDG will be out for at least a few games (min. 5 days) for continuity among the staff. If it were just expected to be the back-to-back, I don't know why you wouldn't just let an assistant handle it and not impact both NHL/AHL teams.

As to speculation, it provides a look at whether or not the head coach is a weakness of the team (Appert also has decades' worth of coaching experience/15+ years as a HC) and allows Appert to provide some feedback on the assistants. We'll have to see how the team responds.

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Playing the worst team in the East today, we should be careful what kind of conclusions we draw about Granato when it comes to a one game sample size. No doubt that shall NOT be the case on the wider internet, but still 

[bob_sauve28]

  On 12/30/2023 at 6:05 PM, Pimlach said:

    After the Columbus game, and again after the Leaves game, he did not look good.   .  

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Yes, noticed that. I generally felt bad for him watching. maybe its just the flu, but I felt at the time when seeing him that maybe the losing was hurting him, especially after there was talk of him being replaced. 

[Brawndo]

 

[K-9]

  On 12/30/2023 at 7:08 PM, LGR4GM said:

Losing Karmanos or Ventura would be a disaster. 

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Given the disaster we are currently, how would we be able to tell?

[Slack_in_MA]

Get well soon, Don. You're a good man.

[DarthEbriate]

  On 12/30/2023 at 8:01 PM, Thorny said:

Playing the worst team in the East today, we should be careful what kind of conclusions we draw about Granato when it comes to a one game sample size. No doubt that shall NOT be the case on the wider internet, but still 

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My thought on bringing up the AHL coach is that it'll be more than a single game sample size.

And considering last game against these guys was an absolute drubbing, I'm guessing it should be a decent overall effort regardless of coach.

Edited December 30, 2023 by DarthEbriate

[Porous Five Hole]

  On 12/30/2023 at 9:30 PM, Brawndo said:

 

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@JohnC 🤷‍♂️

[PerreaultForever]

Well Appert didn't do anything to deviate from the Granato plan. Basically rolled the same lines. I suppose you could say he favoured the Cozens line over the Thompson line but otherwise everything was pretty much by the book so I wouldn't read anything into this at all. 

The "stress" comment made me chuckle though. Thought of Tony Soprano having a panic attack. 

[Pimlach]

Appert now is 1-0, and has the Sabres highest winning percentage of any coach in Sabres history. 

[JohnC]

  On 12/30/2023 at 11:21 PM, Porous Five Hole said:

@JohnC 🤷‍♂️

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In his recent post game interview he seemed to be very drawn and fatigued. He appeared very subdued and drained. Hopefully, some added rest and time will get him through his illness.  

  On 12/31/2023 at 12:45 AM, PerreaultForever said:

Well Appert didn't do anything to deviate from the Granato plan. Basically rolled the same lines. I suppose you could say he favoured the Cozens line over the Thompson line but otherwise everything was pretty much by the book so I wouldn't read anything into this at all. 

The "stress" comment made me chuckle though. Thought of Tony Soprano having a panic attack. 

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I couldn't see much difference in this game in how a Appert coached team differed from a Granato coached team. 

[Brawndo]

Appert said that He will be the coach tomorrow in Ottawa 

[Doohicksie]

  On 12/31/2023 at 1:16 AM, Brawndo said:

Appert said that He will be the coach tomorrow in Ottawa 

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[nfreeman]

  On 12/30/2023 at 4:30 PM, Brawndo said:

Granato missed time in Covid Protocol during the 2020-21 Season.

Ellis filled in as HC, Seth Appert came up as an Assistant Coach. 
 

This is noteworthy change. 

Expand  

  On 12/30/2023 at 5:10 PM, Buffalonill said:

So this means he will take over when hes fired. 

More of the same 

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I gotta admit Appert taking over this summer is a distressingly possible scenario.

 

  On 12/30/2023 at 5:28 PM, Flashsabre said:

If Rochester also wasn’t playing horribly maybe this is significant.

Hope Donny is OK, hope his brother is OK.

For those of you looking at changing coaches, this would be it. Appert or Ellis. Not a vet NHL coach with a history of success and accountability. Be careful of what you wish for.

Expand  

I think if DG is canned during the season, Appert would get it on an interim basis until the end of the season.  Not necessarily on a permanent basis but distressingly possible as mentioned above.

 

  On 12/30/2023 at 6:05 PM, Pimlach said:

I agree.  Stress can really do a number and create other physical ailments.   After the Columbus game, and again after the Leaves game, he did not look good.  Of course he may be realizing himself that his messages are being ignored.  It happens all the time in the NHL.  

I hope he is ok and its just a flu type thing.   Good guy, and doing his best.  Adams gave him a knife and sent him to a gun fight. 

As for Appert, this is telling.  A new face, a new voice.   Not Matty or one of the others that they already do not listen to.  

Expand  

  On 12/30/2023 at 6:58 PM, DarthEbriate said:

Hope DG rests up and recovers quickly.

As to Appert in the interim, I assume this means HCDG will be out for at least a few games (min. 5 days) for continuity among the staff. If it were just expected to be the back-to-back, I don't know why you wouldn't just let an assistant handle it and not impact both NHL/AHL teams.

As to speculation, it provides a look at whether or not the head coach is a weakness of the team (Appert also has decades' worth of coaching experience/15+ years as a HC) and allows Appert to provide some feedback on the assistants. We'll have to see how the team responds.

Expand  

Good stuff here boys.

 

  On 12/30/2023 at 6:59 PM, Brawndo said:

Jason Karmanos was offered the Canucks GM Job by Jim Rutherford before Patrik Allvin took the job. 
 

Both Sam Ventura and Karmanos interviewed for the Pittsburgh Penguins GM Job this past summer 

The coaches do not draw interest, but the certain Front Office Staff members do 

 

Expand  

But the FO guys gotta pick better coaches.

[Scottysabres]

  On 12/31/2023 at 12:45 AM, PerreaultForever said:

Well Appert didn't do anything to deviate from the Granato plan. Basically rolled the same lines. I suppose you could say he favoured the Cozens line over the Thompson line but otherwise everything was pretty much by the book so I wouldn't read anything into this at all. 

The "stress" comment made me chuckle though. Thought of Tony Soprano having a panic attack. 

Expand  

 

[Taro T]

  On 12/30/2023 at 5:57 PM, Pimlach said:

For the most part true, the Bills coaching staff is far from the envy of the league either but they are for the most part capable. 

Daboll and Schen went to the NYG.    The Bills have not stood pat on their coaching staff, they lost a good WR coach, and have shuffled DL and OL coaches, ST coaches, etc.  

Leslie Frazier remained retired.  Dorsey will land a job, probably not as an OC. 

Only Mike Peca was poached by Laviolette.  

 

Expand  

Weber got poached too.