Buffalo Sabres Fire Coach Don Granato: Three Potential Replacements

Don Granato Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Sabres announced Don Granato has been relieved of his coaching duties on Tuesday.

Granato, 56, was named the team’s coach ahead of the 2021-22 season after serving as an assistant coach and interim coach since joining the organization in the fall of 2019. Buffalo failed to make the post-season under Granato, posting a 122-125-27 record in parts of four seasons.

The Sabres have the longest playoff drought in the NHL, having missed the post-season in 13 straight years. They’ve been through seven coaches during that time: Lindy Ruff, Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma, Phil Housely, Ralph Krueger and Granato.

Assistant coach Jason Christie and video co-ordinator Matt Smith have also been relieved of their duties.

“I would like to thank Don for his time in Buffalo and commitment to the Sabres organization,” GM Kevyn Adams said in a statement. “He has been integral in the development of many of our players and has undoubtedly been the right coach to bring us to where we are now, but I felt it was necessary to move in a different direction at this point in time. My expectation is to be a consistent contender, and unfortunately, that goal has not been met.”

The Sabres will finish sixth in the Atlantic Division, 12th in the Eastern Conference and 22nd in the NHL with a 39-37-6 record for 84 points. That’s a step back from last year, when they finished just one point behind the Florida Panthers for the second wild-card spot with 91 points.

Who’s Next to Coach the Sabres?

If Buffalo wants an experienced replacement for Granato, they’ll have no shortage of options. He’s the eighth coach fired this season, following Jay Woodcroft in Edmonton, Dean Evason in Minnesota, Craig Berube in St. Louis, D.J. Smith in Ottawa, Lane Lambert with the New York Islanders, Todd McLellan in Los Angeles and Ruff in New Jersey.

Berube, Evason and Gerard Gallant are three names that make a lot of sense with their similar styles.

Craig Berube

Berube, 58, was the St. Louis Blues’ coach for the last six seasons before being fired on Dec. 13. Berube helped the Blues go from last place in the standings to winning a Stanley Cup in the 2018-19 season. He had a 206-132-44 record with the Blues, as well as a 75-58-28 record in two seasons coaching the Flyers in 2013-14 and ’14-15. He excels at consistently demanding and challenges his players to follow his system and get the best out of the group to get to where they need to be.

The Sabres have the talent in Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Jeff Skinner and some younger players. While Thompson and Skinner excelled last season under Granato, they had a down year this time around. Berube can bring them back to the level expected of them, as could the next two coaches on this list.

Dean Evason

Evason, 59, was the Minnesota Wild’s coach for parts of the last five seasons before being fired on Nov. 27. Evason has a reputation for being a firm coach who holds players accountable, but he’s fair. He posted a 147-77-27 with Minnesota, which is an impressive record for a squad that’s dealing with salary cap challenges and lacks multiple true superstars.

When Evason has a standard, he doesn’t shake away from it. And with the Sabres slipping from a year when they were just one point of the playoffs, the standard now is to make the playoffs, whatever it takes.

Gerard Gallant

Gallant, 60, is a seasoned coach who has served as the bench boss for the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and New York Ranges over the last decade. Gallant was Vegas’ coach during their improbable run to the Stanley Cup final in their inaugural season.

Gallant is a tactical coach with a slightly different feel from Berube and Evason. While Berube and Evason still had lots of respect from their players, Gallant is seen more of a players’ coach who’s known for giving some younger players more opportunities to learn and improve from mistakes instead of putting them in the doghouse. That said, he won’t hand out roles for free.

Should Buffalo veer off the traditional path, there’s no shortage of high-upside candidates on the market, including David Carle (Denver, NCAA), Karl Taylor (Milwaukee, AHL) and Jay Leach (Providence, AHL).