Lindy Ruff officially hired as Sabres HC

[GoPuckYourself]

  On 5/2/2024 at 7:38 AM, Sabres73 said:

Why work yourself up like this over speculation? You and I have no idea who KA talked to. Nor do I really care either, we got the right man for the job IMO.

Expand  

We know you don’t care Kevin. 

[Brawndo]

  On 5/2/2024 at 2:04 PM, bunomatic said:

Everything Pegula touches…

Expand  

The irony is a well sought after potential hire once said Everything the Pegulas touch turns to ***** and the entire NHL knows it. 

 

With Arizona out, he has to rank 32nd out of the NHL owners in terms of who is most desirable to work for.

 

Luckily, Lindy is comfortable with coming back 

 

The search for Granato’s Replacement did start a few weeks before he was fired. I do believe Adams wanted to or at least thought about replacing him in season

[Porous Five Hole]

  On 5/2/2024 at 4:07 PM, Brawndo said:

The irony is a well sought after potential hire once said Everything the Pegulas touch turns to ***** and the entire NHL knows it. 

 

With Arizona out, he has to rank 32nd out of the NHL owners in terms of who is most desirable to work for.

 

Luckily, Lindy is comfortable with coming back 

 

The search for Granato’s Replacement did start a few weeks before he was fired. I do believe Adams wanted to or at least thought about replacing him in season

Expand  

Do you think his reputation is turning around a little bit? He stuck with Granato to the tune of the seventh most tenured coach in the NHL. The GM is going into year five. The arena upgrade process is starting. It appears his meddling has reduced (family situation contributed). He’s handing out long term contracts.  He’s only firing COO’s because they cannot keep it in their pants. Player facilities seem to be industry standard or better.  
 

While it isn’t a given that they’ll be a cap team this year…if they are, what are the complaints at this point?

Edited May 2, 2024 by Porous Five Hole

[Stoner]

Exclusive first look at Tinsel Adams.

Stunning landscape photos coming soon to the gift shop.

Exclusive first look at Tinsel Adams.

Stunning landscape photos coming soon to the gift shop.

[That Aud Smell]

  On 5/2/2024 at 4:59 PM, PASabreFan said:

Exclusive first look at Tinsel Adams.

Stunning landscape photos coming soon to the gift shop.

Expand  

Good girl!

[Stoner]

Tinsel Adams. You won't believe what this dog looks like TODAY. Link

[Buffalo Super Fan]

  On 5/2/2024 at 3:45 AM, PerreaultForever said:

I personally don't believe this. I think the expectation is playoffs (or at the very least competing down to the wire like Detroit did this year) and if they fail Adams will be fired and Ruff will be retained in a senior advisory capacity to help pick a new GM. After which he will either move on to that role fully or transition coach until the new GM hires a new coach. Just a guess but that's what I think would happen. 

Hopefully they make the playoffs instead. 

Expand  

Lindy Ruff has never done that before or gone to college like Kevyn Adams has Lindy Ruff is a hockey coach that is it. I think if you are asking me to speculate what is going on. I believe from the sad news that came out yesterday about Kim Pegula that Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills on the Buffalo football side. For the Buffalo Sabres side Kevyn Adams and now Lindy Ruff on the Buffalo hockey side they are doing above and beyond because of what Terry Pegula and the family is going through but that is just speculation on my part because I really don’t know in my opinion. Go Sabres! Go Bills! Let’s Go Buffalo 

[Demoted]

  On 5/1/2024 at 4:48 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

I would agree Adams is on the hot seat but you have to also take into account the players he's drafted. He gets a lot of good ones, including players like Peterka who he traded up to get. You can debate who is really responsible but it's Adams who takes the fall if they aren't good, right?

Meanwhile this came in my email today...

 

Expand  

Nice letter and all but the only thing that matters is he wins. Sabres are at the point where these little PR things just don't matter.

[DarthEbriate]

Lessa open letters to fans/city, more bombad pucky blocky and wins, meesa thinks. 

[LGR4GM]

  On 5/2/2024 at 5:37 PM, Buffalo Super Fan said:

Lindy Ruff has never done that before or gone to college like Kevyn Adams has Lindy Ruff is a hockey coach that is it. I think if you are asking me to speculate what is going on. I believe from the sad news that came out yesterday about Kim Pegula that Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills on the Buffalo football side. For the Buffalo Sabres side Kevyn Adams and now Lindy Ruff on the Buffalo hockey side they are doing above and beyond because of what Terry Pegula and the family is going through but that is just speculation on my part because I really don’t know in my opinion. Go Sabres! Go Bills! Let’s Go Buffalo 

Expand  

Nothing new was revealed about Kim Pegulas condition yesterday. Her daughter revealed the story last year. All team have a gm and a coach.

[Brawndo]

  On 5/2/2024 at 4:57 PM, Porous Five Hole said:

Do you think his reputation is turning around a little bit? He stuck with Granato to the tune of the seventh most tenured coach in the NHL. The GM is going into year five. The arena upgrade process is starting. It appears his meddling has reduced (family situation contributed). He’s hanging out long term contracts.  He’s only firing COO’s because they cannot keep it in their pants. Player facilities seem to be industry standard or better.  
 

While it isn’t a given that they’ll be a cap team this year…if they are, what are the complaints at this point?

Expand  

This comment was before Adams was hired. But I still believe the top end talent still believes this is a toxic situation. 

[PerreaultForever]

  On 5/2/2024 at 5:37 PM, Buffalo Super Fan said:

Lindy Ruff has never done that before or gone to college like Kevyn Adams has Lindy Ruff is a hockey coach that is it. I think if you are asking me to speculate what is going on. I believe from the sad news that came out yesterday about Kim Pegula that Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills on the Buffalo football side. For the Buffalo Sabres side Kevyn Adams and now Lindy Ruff on the Buffalo hockey side they are doing above and beyond because of what Terry Pegula and the family is going through but that is just speculation on my part because I really don’t know in my opinion. Go Sabres! Go Bills! Let’s Go Buffalo 

Expand  

wtf does going to college have to do with anything? I'm saying that if Adams fails, I could see Lindy being moved into a senior advisory role for hockey matters to oversee picking new management. Part of the reason for that would in fact be because of Pegula having other concerns. He'd still get the final say but someone else would run a real search and help set a new reset and the likely guy would be Lindy. It's either a reboot or a sale imo at that point. 

If you are right and Adams is locked in regardless of success or failure, well, then the franchise and all of us are well and truly F%cked.

[Thorner]

  On 5/2/2024 at 12:24 PM, Weave said:

I don’t have any strong emotions regarding KA pretty much lying to us, but it has altered my perception of him.  It’s hard for me to not see him as a bit of snake.

Maybe they all are.  No idea.  Don’t really care. I do know that what he says from here is not taken at face value any longer.  Transparency is no longer assumed from my chair.

Expand  

His “oh gosh golly gee” personality has *always* been about messaging. He’s not that guy. He’s very calculated imo. Very cutthroat, even, when it comes to it. This was clear from the moment Adams was given the job principally because he was the one willing to fire a bunch of people from their jobs 

I don’t think that makes him a snake. It just makes him an NHL GM

[Doohicksie]

  On 5/2/2024 at 2:17 PM, ... said:

Shall we then drop the discussion and discuss only things that doohickie cares about? WTF, how many times do you need to interject into an active conversation that you don't care about the topic of the conversation? Do you go to parties and tell people they're not partying correctly if they're doing something you don't like?

Expand  

Fair put.  Guilty as charged.

[dudacek]

  On 5/2/2024 at 9:05 PM, Thorny said:

His “oh gosh golly gee” personality has *always* been about messaging. He’s not that guy. He’s very calculated imo. Very cutthroat, even, when it comes to it. This was clear from the moment Adams was given the job principally because he was the one willing to fire a bunch of people from their jobs 

I don’t think that makes him a snake. It just makes him an NHL GM

Expand  

Good take, IMO - both parts.

I was one of those who wondered if he had the edge to be a successful GM.

The post-Botterill bloodletting, the Eichel patience, the Mittelstadt trade and the Granato firing - none of these things match the public persona. Adams is a competitive, aware, calculated and stubborn guy.

He had a plan, he stuck with it for 2 years and when year 3 showed the need for a course correction, he has started off with 2 significant moves. (Unless you think firing the coach and trading the leading scorer aren’t significant).

It’s not backbone or operational intelligence that will make or break him. He’s shown both.

It’s player evaluation and whether the calls he has made on the coach and the players he’s made big commitments to - Dahlin, Thompson, Cozens, Quinn, Peterka, Power, Samuelsson, Byram, UPL and Levi - were the right ones.

Because we have reached the point where his belief in that group has to start paying off.

Edited May 2, 2024 by dudacek

[GoPuckYourself]

  On 5/2/2024 at 6:32 PM, DarthEbriate said:

Lessa open letters to fans/city, more bombad pucky blocky and wins, meesa thinks. 

Expand  

[Doohicksie]

  On 5/3/2024 at 4:41 AM, GoPuckYourself said:

Expand  

 

[That Aud Smell]

  On 5/2/2024 at 5:04 PM, PASabreFan said:

Tinsel Adams. You won't believe what this dog looks like TODAY. Link

Expand  

Link don’t link?

[Doohicksie]

  On 5/3/2024 at 2:44 PM, That Aud Smell said:

Link don’t link?

Expand  

Try this.

[Pimlach]

  On 5/2/2024 at 4:57 PM, Porous Five Hole said:

Do you think his reputation is turning around a little bit? He stuck with Granato to the tune of the seventh most tenured coach in the NHL. The GM is going into year five. The arena upgrade process is starting. It appears his meddling has reduced (family situation contributed). He’s handing out long term contracts.  He’s only firing COO’s because they cannot keep it in their pants. Player facilities seem to be industry standard or better.  
 

While it isn’t a given that they’ll be a cap team this year…if they are, what are the complaints at this point?

Expand  

Yes, he stuck with Granato for 3 years and Adams for 5 - but were they qualified NHL talent, or low cost placeholders running a below the cap team?       

The club has had ZERO on ice success despite having many good players pass through.

Attendance is now poor in what was once a hockey hotbed. 

Crowds routinely boo his on ice product. 

His GM told the media he did an extensive job search when he didn't, Lindy may be the right guy, but Adams hired an old friend and neighbor.  

There is probably less to complain about, Adams just may get this team out of the hole with the help of Ruff, but TP's reputation is well earned and won't change until there is higher performance that is both consistent and stable.  

[dudacek]

  On 5/3/2024 at 6:43 PM, seer775 said:

I swear if Lindy leaves before we get into the playoffs I will never watch Sabres hockey again in my life.

This team is so awful I truly wonder why any of us are wasting a second of our lives thinking about it.

Expand  

Wondering how many people on here know 21 Buffalo Sabres teams finished with worse records than this year's team.

Edited May 3, 2024 by dudacek

[Brawndo]

  On 5/2/2024 at 4:57 PM, Porous Five Hole said:

Do you think his reputation is turning around a little bit? He stuck with Granato to the tune of the seventh most tenured coach in the NHL. The GM is going into year five. The arena upgrade process is starting. It appears his meddling has reduced (family situation contributed). He’s handing out long term contracts.  He’s only firing COO’s because they cannot keep it in their pants. Player facilities seem to be industry standard or better.  
 

While it isn’t a given that they’ll be a cap team this year…if they are, what are the complaints at this point?

Expand  

I do have reason to believe the NHL has placed pressure on the franchise to end the drought aka not being a bottom five team in spending. 

[Sabre The Cup]

  On 5/3/2024 at 8:03 PM, Brawndo said:

I do have reason to believe the NHL has placed pressure on the franchise to end the drought aka not being a bottom five team in spending. 

Expand  

Bettman: “Here’s a buyer for the team Terry.” 
 

Pegula: “No!” 
 

Bertman: “Alright but you need to hire a veteran coach now to get out of this mess or you’ll be selling whether you want to or not.” 
 

Pegula: “Fine. Lindy it is.” 
 

Kevyn Adams: “After a very thorough search, me and my team have decided to hire Lindy Ruff!”  

[Eli Cash]

https://www.audacy.com/wben/news/sabres/listen-ruff-you-have-to-win-fans-back-by-playing-good-hockey-and-winning-games
 

I think reading Lindy’s letter to Sabres fans/business partners is worth the two minutes.  Regardless of who crafted the letter (i.e., Sabres PR), the sentiment sounds genuine.  I think Lindy can get these guys to play like their hair is on fire.  At this point, that would be a huge step in the right direction.

[ska-T Palmtown]

  On 5/4/2024 at 1:07 AM, seer775 said:

This team has the longest playoff drought of all time.

Out of a 100+ year old league, with over 30 teams, this one is THE WORST EVER.

... and it's STILL GETTING WORSE.

Expand  

Didn't all the teams make the playoffs for like ... the first 50 years? Not that it makes our sitch any better.