Fill out the Staff

[shrader]

2 hours ago, MISabresFan said:

Phil Housley, Matt Ellis, Matt Barnaby, and Ron Rolston.  Rob Ray as special consultant.

Just for the record, Phil Housley is the associate coach of this year’s Presidents’ Trophy winning team. So maybe we don’t mock him as an assistant. 

[MISabresFan]

9 minutes ago, shrader said:

Just for the record, Phil Housley is the associate coach of this year’s Presidents’ Trophy winning team. So maybe we don’t mock him as an assistant. 

[MISabresFan]

21 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Agreed. A lot of teams, I think most, will release an assistant from his contract to pursue a promotion.

So if it’s Peca it would be for the “coach in waiting” role @Brawndo referenced them looking at and probably an associate coach title.

Judging by Sabrespace he meets all the right qualifications: you know, warrior, former Sabre 😁

i have no problem with using my top players on the PK. I want the best PKers to play the PK.

Marchand and Bergeron killed for years and the same is true for many other 1st-liners.

Injuries happen in all facets of the game.

 

You could always do this:

 

[Drag0nDan]

29 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Tage on the PK tells you that Adams failed at roster construction. A key component for a 3rd line player is that you can use them on the PK or PP just like a key component to making the 53 man roster is being useful on special teams. Same concept but Adams decided to build a roster that didn't make any sense and this was the result. He needs to grow up quick because the only excuses left are incompetence. 

prioritized fixing our broken PK and in turn broke the PP.  

[#freejame]

25 minutes ago, shrader said:

Just for the record, Phil Housley is the associate coach of this year’s Presidents’ Trophy winning team. So maybe we don’t mock him as an assistant. 

He seems like a really good example of the Peter Principle. I had no issue with his hire, he’s just missing something that keeps him from success as the big boss. 

[Pimlach]

51 minutes ago, RochesterExpat said:

No argument from me, but it’s uncommon around the league to have your goal scoring 1st line center killing penalties because the injury risk from blocking shots.

It is uncommon. 

50 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Not to mention those are minutes that you now do not have to give your high scoring forward at even strength and on the powerplay because Tage is tired. 

Definitely. 

39 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Tage on the PK tells you that Adams failed at roster construction. A key component for a 3rd line player is that you can use them on the PK or PP just like a key component to making the 53 man roster is being useful on special teams. Same concept but Adams decided to build a roster that didn't make any sense and this was the result. He needs to grow up quick because the only excuses left are incompetence. 

This is the root cause.   The bottom 6 is important.  The Sabres lack diversity of skill and diversity of age.   We cannot fill the 3rd and 4th lines with 20 year old prospects and have a balanced team.  

We cannot have Tuch fighting Tkachuk, and Cozens fighting Hathaway, and Dahlin fighting Wilson, or whatever.   We need good solid experienced role players.  We need to stop being the developmental day camp for the rest of the league.  

 

[Stoner]

Just looking at Lindy's staff in NJ:

He had Brylin a longtime Devil, but not a young newbie. 50ish and a former AHL associate coach.

Chris Taylor, who had a couple of cups of coffee as a Sabre with Lindy and who of course was an AHL head coach.

Ryan McGill appears to have no ties to NJ or Lindy and has an extensive head coaching record in the OHL and AHL and is a veteran NHL assistant. Mid 50s.

Can we please aim for something at least like this (and even this is on the light side when comparing to top NHL staffs).

There's no reason we need to hire up and comer former Sabres who need a job/experience.

[Alaska John]

9 hours ago, GoPuckYourself said:

Jay Leach- (Kraken) - He helped Charlie Mcavoy/Connor Clifton and Jeremy lauzon become the players they are today although Clifton's a work in progress still.

Mark Recch (Columbus)- I have no clue what type of assitant he was, I'm assuming forwards? It just says senior advisor when he was in Dallas with Ruff and just says assistant coach in Columbus on the staff page but it's never bad to have hall of famers teaching you the ropes.

It's hard to think who would run the power play, all the top teams in the playoffs aside from Boston had the best power plays so I doubt we can poach any of those guys.

Phil Housley would like a word. You know, the guy who was a great favorite and a HOF player in Buffalo, who got creamed by the fans, the media, and the current players when he was the head coach.  It's always been a mystery to me why he was not better treated, considering what he'd meant to the team previously, or why the players didn't seem to care what he had to say.  

[RochesterExpat]

3 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Can we please aim for something at least like this (and even this is on the light side when comparing to top NHL staffs).

There's no reason we need to hire up and comer former Sabres who need a job/experience.

This is why Peca is on the wishlist for so many. He’s the obvious crossover between the two lists even if he’s “light” on experience.

I guess in my mind, I’d like to see the coaching staff consist of something like:

HC - Ruff, obviously 

Associate Coach - Peca (probably necessary title to pull him from the Rangers assuming they grant permission to speak with him).

Assistant Coach 1 - NHL assistant level experienced candidate (or AHL HC). Or Peca if you can bring in a probably-ready-to-be-a-HC Jay Leach type candidate as the associate. Maybe Cory Stillman doesn’t want to move to Utah? Although he’s another candidate that would probably want the associate title. Does Joe Sacco want to leave Boston and come back to Buffalo? Doubt it, but that’s the kind of candidate I want to see.

Assistant Coach 2 - Vinny Prospal/Jay McKee. I like Vinny as an assistant coach in Rochester and I think this is the coaching position you open the door to experimenting with the “rookie” candidates. Vinny has enough player experience and he’s not a young kid so I think he would be fine. McKee is also “inexperienced” at the NHL coaching level, but he has the coaching bona fides from lower levels and also the NHL/Sabres experience.

Goaltending - Mike Bales. It ain’t broke. Don’t fix it.

 

[LGR4GM]

4 minutes ago, RochesterExpat said:

This is why Peca is on the wishlist for so many. He’s the obvious crossover between the two lists even if he’s “light” on experience.

I guess in my mind, I’d like to see the coaching staff consist of something like:

HC - Ruff, obviously 

Associate Coach - Peca (probably necessary title to pull him from the Rangers assuming they grant permission to speak with him).

Assistant Coach 1 - NHL assistant level experienced candidate (or AHL HC). Or Peca if you can bring in a probably-ready-to-be-a-HC Jay Leach type candidate as the associate. Maybe Cory Stillman doesn’t want to move to Utah? Although he’s another candidate that would probably want the associate title. Does Joe Sacco want to leave Boston and come back to Buffalo? Doubt it, but that’s the kind of candidate I want to see.

Assistant Coach 2 - Vinny Prospal/Jay McKee. I like Vinny as an assistant coach in Rochester and I think this is the coaching position you open the door to experimenting with the “rookie” candidates. Vinny has enough player experience and he’s not a young kid so I think he would be fine. McKee is also “inexperienced” at the NHL coaching level, but he has the coaching bona fides from lower levels and also the NHL/Sabres experience.

Goaltending - Mike Bales. It ain’t broke. Don’t fix it.

 

Mike Weber. 

[John Tucker]

I want to know what Matt Ellis is holding over KA's head that is keeping him employed!!!

[MISabresFan]

14 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Mike Weber. 

Penalty Kill for Blues ranked 20th and was a -11 in gf vs ga.  fyi

[Flashsabre]

If they announce it is Marty Wilford staying on with the D rather than a James Patrick I think any goodwill is out the window for me.

[LGR4GM]

2 minutes ago, MISabresFan said:

Penalty Kill for Blues ranked 20th and was a -11 in gf vs ga.  fyi

Don't need him to be the PK coach. 

Is he St Louis PK coach?

[shrader]

2 hours ago, MISabresFan said:

You’ve followed up your useless commentary with even more useless commentary. Touché. 
 

Look, just because some guys aren’t cut out for head coaching jobs doesn’t mean that they aren’t very good at other roles. 

[MISabresFan]

3 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Don't need him to be the PK coach. 

Is he St Louis PK coach?

defense coach would assume some responsibility for PK

[LGR4GM]

8 minutes ago, MISabresFan said:

defense coach would assume some responsibility for PK

You know that I am just saying Weber because everyone around here yells "PECA!!!!" 382 times a day because they know who he is and that's the only requirement? 

[DarthEbriate]

32 minutes ago, John Tucker said:

I want to know what Matt Ellis is holding over KA's head that is keeping him employed!!!

Darth Maullis. Always two there are: the master and the apprentice. 

[RochesterExpat]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

You know that I am just saying Weber because everyone around here yells "PECA!!!!" 382 times a day because they know who he is and that's the only requirement? 

I don’t think you can fault people for favoring the names they know. Especially when he is being touted as highly as he is by the national media.

I said Vinny Prospal because he has the type of mentality I want to see in a coach. What do I mean by that? The Amerks do coaches vs player scrimmages on occasion. Vinny was upset the coaches weren’t winning enough that he started bringing full equipment to the rink to put on for the scrimmage—just so he could skate at full speed. I want coaches that want to win and the fact you have a 50 year old coach (or close to it, I’m too lazy to look) putting on his equipment because he hates losing to his own players in a meaningless scrimmage tells me Vinny hates losing. Not to sound like every other person on repeat, but Buffalo needs to fix the culture of losing. It starts by bringing in the right coaches.
 

I’m sure there are plenty of names I haven’t thought of that fit that type. Those are just the players I want to see. McKee is mentioned because he would do everything he could as a player to get a win. Peca the same and we have Peca’s public comments as a coach to back it up. It’s the mentality that I care about. Not the name. It’s not “it’s okay to make a mistake” Granato anymore. It’s “you should be pissed off you lost a game and out there playing every minute to win it.”

[inkman]

I mean my staff has been full since the announcement yesterday 

[Weave]

4 minutes ago, inkman said:

I mean my staff has been full since the announcement yesterday 

You should’ve called your doctor hours ago.

[dudacek]

3 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

If they announce it is Marty Wilford staying on with the D rather than a James Patrick I think any goodwill is out the window for me.

Not sure what the hate for Wilford is based on. I don’t follow Sabres Twitter.

Dahlin just put up his 2 best seasons, Jokiharju his best, Bryson got pulled out of the trash heap, Clifton and Power were course-corrected nicely after rough starts…

What is the big knock there?

(Not debating, honestly curious.)

[PerreaultForever]

7 hours ago, Doohickie said:

No thanks.  That's why Muel is always hurt.

Should I change the wording to block shots properly? You don't win in the NHL without shot blockers. 

[Captain Caveman]

With the timing of the Lindy hire and it seeming like they knew he was going to be the guy, it makes me curious about Marty Wilford and Matt Ellis still being on staff.  Is there a chance these guys actually stick around?  Did Lindy just want a chance to meet / interview them?

Edited April 24 by Captain Caveman

[inkman]

1 hour ago, Captain Caveman said:

With the timing of the Lindy hire and it seeming like they knew he was going to be the guy, it makes me curious about Marty Wilford and Matt Ellis still being on staff.  Is there a chance these guys actually stick around?  Did Lindy just want a chance to meet / interview them?

Kevyn mention Ellis having a different role in the org at the Granato conference.