Ruff Gets Contract Extension

[PTS]

WGR has learned that Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff has received a contract extension. Terms of the agreement are not known yet but details will be coming soon. Reaction from the Sabres is expected around noon.

 

I like Ruff as a coach, he's very smart behind the bench but this is way to early in the season to extend his contract.

[LabattBlue]

I like Ruff as a coach, he's very smart behind the bench but this is way to early in the season to extend his contract.

No surprise. Darcy and Lindy aren't going anywhere, even if the Sabres miss the playoffs. All it probably takes for Quinn to be made happy, is to invite him to one or two hockey practices and let him take an occassional skate with the guys who don't dress for the game. <_<

[DrunkenSabre]

stupid move. too early. im just hoping its false.

[Guest Guest_pwner]

Yeah, real stupid.

 

Why would we want to keep around a coach that took us to a Stanley Cup final and has a record over .500 in his career and already has 3 wins in the young season? That would just be foolish. :rolleyes:

[inkman]

Yeah, real stupid.

 

Why would we want to keep around a coach that took us to a Stanley Cup final and has a record over .500 in his career and already has 3 wins in the young season? That would just be foolish. :rolleyes:

Dat you Darcy? B-)

[Kristian]

Yeah, real stupid.

 

Why would we want to keep around a coach that took us to a Stanley Cup final and has a record over .500 in his career and already has 3 wins in the young season? That would just be foolish. :rolleyes:

Sorry dude, whatever the team's record 4 games into the season, it's gonna take a helluva lot more to convince me that Ruff shouldn't get a size 10 out of Buffalo.

 

And that Stanley Cup final was while ago. Other, more recent and less flattering results, spring to mind.

[inkman]

Wanna go? :angry: ;)

[DrunkenSabre]

im just saying why give him an extension, his not really done a bundle to deserve it. im not saying sack him, im just saying this wasnt a bright move.

[Rayzor32]

now that this pressing issue has been taken care of, I'm sure Darcy will immediately take care of our goaltending situation..after he signs Pyatt and Connolly to long-term extensions...

[inkman]

For whatever reason, it doen't really matter to me who stands behind the bench.

[LabattBlue]

now that this pressing issue has been taken care of, I'm sure Darcy will immediately take care of our goaltending situation..after he signs Pyatt and Connolly to long-term extensions...

:lol: :lol:

[cesna]

Just because you extend a coach's contract doesn't mean you can't fire his ass somewhere down the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

OH... WAIT... This is the Sabres we are talking about. MY BAD!!!!!

[mphs mike]

now that this pressing issue has been taken care of, I'm sure Darcy will immediately take care of our goaltending situation..after he signs Pyatt and Connolly to long-term extensions...

I've been a Lindy fan for awhile but he has been wearing thin enough that I'm becoming more skeptical. To extend him 6 days into the season is a sign (to me)that upper management is focused on the wrong areas at this point in the season.

 

Work on the friggin' roster - 3 goalies is BAD - do something!!!!!!

[Guest Guest_zow2]

I'll go the other way on this. I like Ruff as a coach. He does a good job straddling that fine line between being too much of a taskmaster and being too much of a "players coach". He makes everyone on the team accountable and will call them out when necessary...i like that. He knows the talent up and down the organization as well as anyone. The guy knows hockey and knows what it takes to win at this level. Too many teams pull the trigger on coaching changes for the sake of change. The Sabres don't need a new coach, Ruff is fine. The team finally has some great offensive talent and playmakers and they've shown well the first few games. My only grip now is with the goalies and what the hell is Ruff supposed to do about that situation? Personally, i'm not sold on Miller yet. He's good for 1 softie a game and I need to see him dominate a couple games here and there before i trust him. I think Biron has had some great stretches and deserves a start here and there but if Miller keeps getting the "W", I'd leave him in.

[Taro T]

I'll go the other way on this.  I like Ruff as a coach.  He does a good job straddling that fine line between being too much of a taskmaster and being too much of a "players coach".  He makes everyone on the team accountable and will call them out when necessary...i like that.  He knows the talent up and down the organization as well as anyone.  The guy knows hockey and knows what it takes to win at this level.  Too many teams pull the trigger on coaching changes for the sake of change.  The Sabres don't need a new coach, Ruff is fine.  The team finally has some great offensive talent and playmakers and they've shown well the first few games.  My only grip now is with the goalies and what the hell is Ruff supposed to do about that situation?  Personally, i'm not sold on Miller yet.  He's good for 1 softie a game and I need to see him dominate a couple games here and there before i trust him.  I think Biron has had some great stretches and deserves a start here and there but if Miller keeps getting the "W", I'd leave him in.

I would like to see Ruff tell both goalies a game or two ahead of time that Marty will get his start (whenever that is) and whether it will be a 1 or 2 game stint. This way you don't get Ryan thinking he got pulled due to a bad goal and you also give Marty time to prepare mentally for his start(s). You also don't give Marty false expectations that a great save might extend his playing time nor that the all too familiar floater from the blueline will get him benched.

 

Overall, I like Ruff as a coach, but I do not think he handles the goalies well. Lindy has had a tendency to mess with the goalies heads much more than necessary. By letting the guys know ahead of time that a change is coming, it won't screw them up as much as yanking them out of thin air. The only way I would consider changing the plan once he's spoken with the goalies is due to an injury or a shutout (and I'm not positive I'd change the plan w/ a shutout).

[BetweenThePipes00]

Listen, everyone knows I am a Biron fan, but Ruff didn't start playing games with the goalies until Biron started with the soft goals in 02-03 ... Ruff had it easy with Hasek, no doubt, no one could screw that up ... but the first year he was gone, he also let Brion play to the tune of 72 games and he had his best year. The last two years Biron has not been as good .. is it because Ruff messes with his head, or does Ruff have to keep replacing him because he has regressed? Which came first, Biron's decline or Ruff's tinkering? I guess it is debatable, but I tend to think that Ruff would prefer NOT to mess with the goalies, just play one until he needs a break and then get him back in there. I gotta believe that's what ANY coach wants, one less thing to worry about. As much as I hate to say it, Biron forced his hand the last couple of years by not being consistent.

I like Ruff, I have no problem with a 1-year extension. He has not been perfect over the years, but the guys who play hard seem to like playing for him, while the Satans and the Kozlovs of the world leave and say bad things. Better than the other way around.

[Guest Guest]

The old chicken or egg dealy... :rolleyes:

[shrader]

I would like to see Ruff tell both goalies a game or two ahead of time that Marty will get his start (whenever that is) and whether it will be a 1 or 2 game stint. This way you don't get Ryan thinking he got pulled due to a bad goal and you also give Marty time to prepare mentally for his start(s). You also don't give Marty false expectations that a great save might extend his playing time nor that the all too familiar floater from the blueline will get him benched.

 

Overall, I like Ruff as a coach, but I do not think he handles the goalies well. Lindy has had a tendency to mess with the goalies heads much more than necessary. By letting the guys know ahead of time that a change is coming, it won't screw them up as much as yanking them out of thin air. The only way I would consider changing the plan once he's spoken with the goalies is due to an injury or a shutout (and I'm not positive I'd change the plan w/ a shutout).

So you're saying that you wouldn't base a goalie's playing time on the way he performs? I have no problem with rewarding a hot goalie with extra playing time or benching a slumping goalie. I realize that you're talking about Lindy and his "bench the guy for 10 straight games after a poor performance" method, but they need to find some kind of middle ground between this system and what you're saying. The rotation should not be set in stone. There needs to be a reward/punishment system in place.

[Taro T]

Listen, everyone knows I am a Biron fan, but Ruff didn't start playing games with the goalies until Biron started with the soft goals in 02-03 ... Ruff had it easy with Hasek, no doubt, no one could screw that up ... but the first year he was gone, he also let Brion play to the tune of 72 games and he had his best year. The last two years Biron has not been as good .. is it because Ruff messes with his head, or does Ruff have to keep replacing him because he has regressed? Which came first, Biron's decline or Ruff's tinkering? I guess it is debatable, but I tend to think that Ruff would prefer NOT to mess with the goalies, just play one until he needs a break and then get him back in there. I gotta believe that's what ANY coach wants, one less thing to worry about. As much as I hate to say it, Biron forced his hand the last couple of years by not being consistent.

I like Ruff, I have no problem with a 1-year extension. He has not been perfect over the years, but the guys who play hard seem to like playing for him, while the Satans and the Kozlovs of the world leave and say bad things. Better than the other way around.

Marty is not the only goalie on the team, nor in the past was he the only goalie on the team. Mika has excelled at every level but the NHL. Is that because he is a Jody Gage type player (too good for the minors, not good enough for the bigs) or is it because Ruff has not handled him well? I don't know the answer to this question. Until Mika gets traded, no one will know the answer. He has had good flashes in the NHL, but hasn't done it consistently. Is that because he is still young and learning, or is it because he expects to get benched at the 1st soft goal?

 

Also, last time out he started Miller the 1st 2 games, he got shelled at home against the Isles and was sent down until December. Lindy had him play against the Red Wings and got him shelled again and he never saw HSBC again that year. Why start him against Detroit? Why not wait one more game and let him play against the Rangers? That was very poor goaltender management.

 

He's given Marty the benefit of the doubt, by default, but does not let other goalies have a bad game without being punished excessively. This year, it appears his guy is Ryan. He needs to be careful how he works Marty into the rotation so as to not mess up both of them.

 

As for the 72 game season, he had Essensa and didn't trust him at all and then he had Mika who he didn't trust much. I don't think Lindy wanted to play Marty that much, it just worked out that way.

 

Look, I like Ruff. I think he gets more out of his players than a lot of other coaches would have, but I have serious concerns about how he handles the goalies. He needs to find a way to make both goalies the Sabres keep play effectively. The mind games he has used in the past have not worked. Lindy's a bright guy, hopefully the year off gave him the time to figure out a better way to handle the goalies.

[Taro T]

So you're saying that you wouldn't base a goalie's playing time on the way he performs?  I have no problem with rewarding a hot goalie with extra playing time or benching a slumping goalie.  I realize that you're talking about Lindy and his "bench the guy for 10 straight games after a poor performance" method, but they need to find some kind of middle ground between this system and what you're saying.  The rotation should not be set in stone.  There needs to be a reward/punishment system in place.

I absolutely agree that playing time overall should be based on performance. But I also don't believe that a guy that is still essentially a rookie should play 70+ games in the NHL because I am afraid he will get worn down by the end of the season. That being said, you need to play your backup at least 20 and I'd prefer ~30 games per season. With Lindy's history of head games (real or perceived), and his past history of playing one guy for weeks on end, and his insistance at the start of this season that he hasn't chosen a number 1, even though one guy has played 244 minutes and the other 2 have a combined 0, I have concerns that he will mess up the mental makeup of at least one of his goalies and possibly all 3.

 

Telling the 2 keepers that so and so will get the next start and the other guy will get the one following that can be based and should be based on play to that point. I think it would help Marty if he knew he'd get another start in ~3 or 4 games even if he has 1 bad goal. Just because Ryan is playing well, he should NOT start 82 consecutive games. The rotation system doesn't need to be set in stone but I would not have a problem with Lindy heading into this road trip saying that Ryan will start in TB and Marty will start in Florida. You then have 4 more days before the game at Boston, so I'd probably either tell them before the Fla game that Ryan will start in Boston or wait until he's had a chance to tell Marty that he played a good game and they've had a practice or two before telling him it's just the way the rotation is going to work. Lindy has in the past told a guy he'd get a start after x game and then not given the guy that start; this has also contributed to messing with their heads. If Lindy did not have the past history of mind games, I'd agree with your "reward/punishment" system. Lindy has taken that system to the extreme in the past and I have concerns the team will suffer for it in the present/future.

 

Although Ryan may not be tired yet, waiting until the 29th or the 5th to put Marty into a game will have repercussions with Marty's game readiness at that time and Ryan's stamina come March. I'm trying to come up with a system that does strike a balance between what the team needs and what they have done in the past.

[mphs mike]

I agree with your analysis Dave B. Although I believe Marty has had his chance and proven he is not a #1 netminder we do need a backup to play 20-30 games. I think that becomes extra important because of the "compressed" schedule due to the Olympic break this year. I'm a little disappointed that Marty, assumining he is #2 and Mika is simply twisting in the wind, hasn't played at all when we had 3 games in four days and 4 in 6 to start the season. I'm worried that Lindy is continuing his goalie head games already by punishing Marty/Mika.

[BetweenThePipes00]

There is no magic formula. For some guys, like Hasek, they need to play 65 or 70 games. Other guys are better off playing 50 and need a backup who can play 30 ... to sit here and say, less than a week into the season, that Miller NEEDS to play a certain amount or not play a certain amount is pure speculation. Let's see what happens. We have no idea what he has told these guys, maybe they DO know already that the plan is 50-30 or 60-20 ...

[Larry Playfair]

As long as Regier is not getting an extension, I'm fine with it.

 

1 year isnt that big of a committment.

[slugspirit]

If we tank this season and have to make a coaching change, this just means Buffalo will have to fire Lindy and he will still be getting paychecks from them next year. I really think this just cancels any uncertainty about next season that may arise near the end of the year/playoffs. Smart move, but not a really big deal.

[Taro T]

There is no magic formula. For some guys, like Hasek, they need to play 65 or 70 games. Other guys are better off playing 50 and need a backup who can play 30 ... to sit here and say, less than a week into the season, that Miller NEEDS to play a certain amount or not play a certain amount is pure speculation. Let's see what happens. We have no idea what he has told these guys, maybe they DO know already that the plan is 50-30 or 60-20 ...

Didn't say there was a magic formula. I really doubt that Ryan won't lose steam toward the end of the season if he's on pace to play 70-75, but hey, he might surprise me. Considering he is essentially a rookie, I don't like the idea of playing him that much. The odds are not in his favor.

 

My concern is more with the fact that by not playing your backup AT ALL, he will get rusty. Marty played well in the preseason; Ryan played better, that is why he is the starter. Lindy has a history of playing head games with his goalies (backups especially) and Marty has not proven to be as mentally tough as we might like him to be. That being said, I don't want to see Marty get into 1 game every 4 weeks. He will not be effective. If he is not effective, then Ryan will be forced into playing 4 weeks straight. When is the last time a goalie played 70+ games and didn't burn out? Especially one that isn't used to facing the level of competition that Ryan is now facing. There is a secondary concern with only playing one goalie, that is if Ryan does fade down the stretch there is no magic bullet other than letting him rest to get back to form. I don't want to see March turn into Marty's preseason as he plays himself back into game form because Ryan is exhausted or because Ryan is injured. Ryan isn't the only goalie on the team. The Sabres will need both to be performing in order to be successful.

 

You can mess up a nice season by messing with the goalies heads. Due to past experience, I believe this should be a concern for fans. Will it happen? I don't know and I sure as heck hope not. Has it happened in the past? Absolutely.

 

I know it is still possible that Mika will be the backup, but given his and Lindy's past history and Lindy's extension through next season, I don't see that happening.