Off Topic: Sabres rehire Lindy Ruff as Head Coach

[BillsFan4]

51 minutes ago, njbuff said:

 

Adjustments were made after game 2 in the playoffs, not during games. Trust me on this.

 

His constant line juggling constantly messed with chemistry.

 

His insistence on playing an AWFUL Dman in Smith was head scratching to say the least as Brendan Smith is literally the worst player in the NHL.

 

Constantly being selective on who he benches was mind blowing.

 

Keeping Timo at LW when he is a RW. AWFUL MOVE

 

Putting Jack at LW when he is a C. AWFUL MOVE

 

I can go on forever

 

Like I have said, good luck with Lindy and hopefully he works out for you. 

 

 

I watched him switch from a 1-2-2 defense to a 1-3-1 or a 2-1-2 in game. It happened frequently enough that I noticed it in multiple games. I remember noticing because it was something I wished the Sabres would do under Granato.

I also watched him constantly making in game adjustments during his 16 year tenure in Buffalo. This isn’t some coach I barely know. 

 

you yourself said he switched up lines. That’s adjustment too.

 

I have never met a fan that doesn’t have complaints about line combinations and favorite players. It’s a common complaint with even the best coaches. It’s a complaint I had when Lindy was in Buffalo, and a complaint I’ve had about every coach since. 

 

I agree Lindy had his favorites in NJ. He had his favorites in Buffalo too. Some don’t always make sense but there’s usually behind the scenes stuff we don’t know about. 

 

I think Smith was relied on more this year due to the losses on defense, and also to help put Luke Hughes in more favorable matchups. Smith ate a lot of D zone starts and went against tougher competition. Where as Hughes was given a lot of favorable o zone starts and matchups against lesser competition (and Hughes still struggled in the d zone).

 

When you are down 3 of the top 4 from last year, that happens. But he was barely relied on more… He was still 8th in average time on ice per game among NJ defenseman this season and 21st among NJ skaters, and last season only averaged like 13 minutes a night.
 

Luke Hughes being #1 in average ice time per game was a bigger problem for NJ’s defense in my opinion. He wasn’t ready for it. 
 

anyway…
 

I get why you are not a Ruff fan. Your team just fired him. It’s totally understandable! lol. I’m sure I’d be doing similar if New Jersey just hired a coach Buffalo fired.

 

Im happy Buffalo hired Lindy though. Of the veteran coaches available, I thought he was the best fit.

Edited April 25 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

I feel like this hire made too much sense not to happen. Lindy is a good fit for many reasons.

 

- he’s an experienced veteran coach and a true leader. He’s forgotten more about hockey than most people will ever know. He has experience in just about every situation, from rebuilds to win-now and everything in between. And he has a great reputation in NHL circles. He’s well respected among NHL players and maybe now where more than Buffalo. I don’t think he will have any issue getting buy-in from the players.

 

- He holds players accountable, as we all know. Every player said they needed more accountability. Well, they are getting it! lol

 

- He is great at implementing structured defensive play. I have zero doubt this team will look much better in the defensive zone. There will be a defensive structure and it will be obvious to us (unlike under Granato…).

 

- He just successfully coached pretty much the exact system Buffalo is designed to play. If Lindy gets the Sabres playing like the 2022/23 NJ Devils, every Sabres fan will be thrilled. That high speed rushing attack + taking away time & space on defense is exactly what Kevyn Adams wants.

I think his system fits better than Berube. I think Gallant’s system would have fit too but he’s not really known for having good defensive structure. If you go listen to the NY rangers player exit interviews after Gallant was fired, there’s lots of talk about needing better structure (similar to Buffalo player exit interviews this season).

 

- and I don’t think any coach will take more pride in coaching the Buffalo Sabres. Lindy is personally invested in this team + city. He’s lived here since 1979. He knows this town and fan base as good as anyone. He is one of us. I think he is going to help repair the broken relationship between Sabres fans + media and the team.

 

I also don’t think this was just a nostalgia hire. Lindy was for sure one of the top veteran coaches available. I think a strong statistical argument could be made that he was the best veteran coach available of the top 3 big names (Ruff, Berube, Gallant or even Boudreau). Over the years, his teams have had better underlying stats in important categories vs. Berube and Gallant. He’s 4th or 5th all time in wins for NHL head coaches. He has at least one 50(+) win season with each team he’s coached. He’s gotten every team he’s coached to the playoffs, and he’s won playoff rounds. Berube has that one magical run to the Stanley cup, but otherwise has been mediocre. Gallant’s had success but his overall fit is more questionable. He’s not known for installing structure and I’ve read he relies on veteran players to lead, which Buffalo doesn’t really have.

 

Of the coaches available, I think Ruff was the best fit. I don’t know if he’s the guy to win us a Stanley Cup. But the Sabres are nowhere near ready for a Cup run. Let’s get back to playoff contention first. I think at the very least Ruff can do that, and get these players playing the right way. 

[Mr. WEO]

2 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

Because the devils took a step back this year and IMO Lindy was the scapegoat.

I thought it was much more on the GM, and injuries.

 

The GM refused to address goaltending in any meaningful way even though it was a glaring hole/weakness (it was bad even last year during their record breaking season) and unsurprisingly the devils ended up with terrible goaltending again. They didn’t have one goalie with even a 90% save percentage while Ruff was there.

 

The GM also let two of the team’s top 4 veteran defenseman walk in free agency and didn’t replace them.

 

Then early in the season the Devils lost their #1 defenseman to injury for the year. So they were down 3 of their top 4 defenseman from last season.

That obviously negatively impacted the devils ability to defend, which exasperated the already bad goaltending. 

 

and their #1 C (and best player) was also hurt for a good amount of the year, along with a bunch of other guys.

 

Devils were top 5 in injuries in the NHL this season. They only had like 5-6 players that didn’t get injured and miss games at some point in the season.

 

I’m sure Lindy made some mistakes, but saying his system is “too old” and that he never made adjustments just isn’t true.

 

hes been fired by several teams

[PBF81]

1 hour ago, hondo in seattle said:

As someone who's 65 and - arguably - physically fit and mentally sharp, no I'm not concerned that Ruff's 64.  Why should I be?

 

Andy Reid is 66.  Age doesn't seem to interfere with his ability to coach a team to a championship. 

 

Hopefully things aren't so bad with the Sabres that we need Ruff to suit up again.

 

I was more thinking about an ability to relate to younger players.  

 

Either way, his tenure with NJ & Dallas over the past 8 seasons hasn't been particularly impressive. 

 

 

[Saint Doug]

54 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

I feel like this hire made too much sense not to happen. Lindy is a good fit for many reasons.

 

- he’s an experienced veteran coach and a true leader. He’s forgotten more about hockey than most people will ever know. He has experience in just about every situation, from rebuilds to win-now and everything in between. And he has a great reputation in NHL circles. He’s well respected among NHL players and maybe now where more than Buffalo. I don’t think he will have any issue getting buy-in from the players.

 

- He holds players accountable, as we all know. Every player said they needed more accountability. Well, they are getting it! lol

 

- He is great at implementing structured defensive play. I have zero doubt this team will look much better in the defensive zone. There will be a defensive structure and it will be obvious to us (unlike under Granato…).

 

- He just successfully coached pretty much the exact system Buffalo is designed to play. If Lindy gets the Sabres playing like the 2022/23 NJ Devils, every Sabres fan will be thrilled. That high speed rushing attack + taking away time & space on defense is exactly what Kevyn Adams wants.

I think his system fits better than Berube. I think Gallant’s system would have fit too but he’s not really known for having good defensive structure. If you go listen to the NY rangers player exit interviews after Gallant was fired, there’s lots of talk about needing better structure (similar to Buffalo player exit interviews this season).

 

- and I don’t think any coach will take more pride in coaching the Buffalo Sabres. Lindy is personally invested in this team + city. He’s lived here since 1979. He knows this town and fan base as good as anyone. He is one of us. I think he is going to help repair the broken relationship between Sabres fans + media and the team.

 

I also don’t think this was just a nostalgia hire. Lindy was for sure one of the top veteran coaches available. I think a strong statistical argument could be made that he was the best veteran coach available of the top 3 big names (Ruff, Berube, Gallant or even Boudreau). Over the years, his teams have had better underlying stats in important categories vs. Berube and Gallant. He’s 4th or 5th all time in wins for NHL head coaches. He has at least one 50(+) win season with each team he’s coached. He’s gotten every team he’s coached to the playoffs, and he’s won playoff rounds. Berube has that one magical run to the Stanley cup, but otherwise has been mediocre. Gallant’s had success but his overall fit is more questionable. He’s not known for installing structure and I’ve read he relies on veteran players to lead, which Buffalo doesn’t really have.

 

Of the coaches available, I think Ruff was the best fit. I don’t know if he’s the guy to win us a Stanley Cup. But the Sabres are nowhere near ready for a Cup run. Let’s get back to playoff contention first. I think at the very least Ruff can do that, and get these players playing the right way. 

Kevyn, is that you?

[Dr. Who]

17 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

hes been fired by several teams

That's a resume builder in the NHL. No one blinks at that.

[Simon]

21 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

I was more thinking about an ability to relate to younger players.  

 

This group of kids does not need somebody to relate to them, imo.

They need adult supervision.

[BillsFan4]

36 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

 

I was more thinking about an ability to relate to younger players.  

 

Either way, his tenure with NJ & Dallas over the past 8 seasons hasn't been particularly impressive. 

 

 

He seemed to do fine with New Jersey’s young players.

 

and he had a 50+ win season with Dallas and New Jersey. 3 of 4 years in the playoffs with Dallas. 3rd best team in the entire NHL last year with a young New Jersey team.

 

 

Edited April 26 by BillsFan4

[4merper4mer]

58 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

hes been fired by several teams

It’s so weird because NHL coaches almost never get fired.

[Mr. WEO]

2 minutes ago, 4merper4mer said:

It’s so weird because NHL coaches almost never get fired.

then he must be the best ever, having been fired 4 times

 

another great point!

[4merper4mer]

4 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

then he must be the best ever, having been fired 4 times

 

another great point!

You seem like you know a lot about hockey.

[PBF81]

34 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

He seemed to do fine with New Jersey’s young players.

 

and he had a 50+ win season with Dallas and New Jersey. 3 of 4 years in the playoffs with Dallas. 3rd best team in the entire NHL last year with a young New Jersey team.

 

 

 

I guess.  Again, I'm not into hockey, but in a league where half the teams make the playoffs every season, making the playoffs only three times in the 8 seasons he's had as a HC doesn't seem impressive.  In his last four years he's made them only once, losing in round two.  In the other three seasons he hasn't been much better than the Sabres.  

 

 

[hondo in seattle]

13 hours ago, PBF81 said:

 

I was more thinking about an ability to relate to younger players.  

 

Either way, his tenure with NJ & Dallas over the past 8 seasons hasn't been particularly impressive. 

 

 

 

I also have reservations about Ruff and maybe you're right that he'll have problems relating to younger players.

 

But, again, thinking of Andy Reid...   Reid was rated A+ by his players in the NFLPA survey after this past season - best in the NFL.  And he relates well enough with his players to win championships.  

 

If Ruff fails, I don't think it'll be because of his age.  

 

nflpa.com/kansas-city-chiefs-report-card-2024

[PBF81]

16 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

I also have reservations about Ruff and maybe you're right that he'll have problems relating to younger players.

 

But, again, thinking of Andy Reid...   Reid was rated A+ by his players in the NFLPA survey after this past season - best in the NFL.  And he relates well enough with his players to win championships.  

 

If Ruff fails, I don't think it'll be because of his age.  

 

nflpa.com/kansas-city-chiefs-report-card-2024

 

Yeah, again, I don't follow hockey at all anymore.  Just throwing thoughts out there.  Anytime I see something anomalous, particularly a trend or pattern that has no track record of success within its parameters, I always seriously question things.  

 

Either way, I can't imagine Sabres fans being ultra surprised if the move doesn't pan out.  LOL