Though it was expected that the Buffalo Sabres were waiting for the Stanley Cup Finals to finish before jumping on the chance to interview the excellent group of assistant coaches on both teams, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that they actually did not reach out to Rick Tocchet in consideration for the head coaching vacancy. It is still expected that they will interview Phil Housley from the Nashville Predators, though Dreger also tells us that they’re close enough to expect a decision by Monday.
Tocchet is currently an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins and has been since being fired from his first head coaching gig with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In a season and a half behind the bench in Tampa, Tocchet compiled a 53-69-26 record, but is expected to get another job at some point in the future. It won’t be in Buffalo, and that’s just fine with the Penguins as they’ll look to keep their excellent staff—Tocchet, Mike Sullivan and Jacques Martin—in tact for a run at a third straight cup next season.
Buffalo on the other hand will go with someone else, perhaps Housley or another name that has been linked in the past. Todd Reirden and Clark Donatelli are also still options, though Bob Boughner is now off the market after being hired by Florida for their open job. Whoever it is will be announced soon, as GM Jason Botterill has long said he wanted to have a coach in place by the entry draft.
I like Phil Houseley a lot, but he never had head coaching experience as far as I know
I am kind of disappointed that Lindy Ruff was not given a chance for a second go around
Quite frankly, since Lindy Ruff left, the head coaches of the Sabres have left a lot to be desired, but Ted Nolan was okay, but he really was not given a fair shake.
I don’t think any head coach was going to get a fair shake in Buffalo until they get a GM that can supply the coach with players he needs for his system. Adding players just to add names is great for the ticket sales but it doesn’t mean much to a coach who has a system that doesn’t work for some of the names the GM brought in. Hopefully for Buffalo new GM Botterill will support his coach and give him a fighting chance