Current:Home > MyBuffalo Sabres fire coach Don Granato after team's playoff drought hits 13 seasons-InfoLens
Buffalo Sabres fire coach Don Granato after team's playoff drought hits 13 seasons
View Date:2024-12-23 11:19:44
The Buffalo Sabres will turn to another coach to try to end the NHL's longest playoff drought.
Don Granato was fired on Tuesday, before his contract extension even started, after the team's drought reached 13 seasons. The Sabres had a disappointing follow-up after finishing one point out of a playoff spot in 2022-23, dropping from 91 points to 84.
“I would like to thank Don for his time in Buffalo and commitment to the Sabres organization,” general manager 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.”
PLAYOFF RACES: How tiebreakers could decide final spot
Granato finishes his Sabres tenure at 122-125-27.
All things Sabres: Latest Buffalo Sabres news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
Assistant coach Jason Christie and video coordinator Matt Smith were also fired.
The Sabres signed defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power to eight-year and seven-year extensions, respectively, in the offseason and made only minor additions, signing free agent defensemen Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson.
But Buffalo got off to a slow start, not topping .500 until Nov. 10, then going through a 3-8-1 slide.
Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen got the Sabres closer to a berth with impressive play after the All-Star break, but offense was the issue. Forward Tage Thompson dropped from 47 goals to 29 and Dylan Cozens had 20 goals, down from 31. The power play has also struggled, ranking 28th in the league.
The Sabres were sellers at the deadline, moving Casey Mittelstadt, captain Kyle Okposo and Johnson, but they did add solid defenseman Bowen Byram.
Granato, who had replaced coach Ralph Krueger during the 2020-21 season, received a multi-year extension in 2022 that kicks in next season.
Buffalo has made seven coaching changes since last making the playoffs in 2010-11.
Granato becomes the eighth NHL coach fired during the 2023-24 season. The Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils made earlier moves.
veryGood! (31511)
Related
- 'Squid Game' creator lost '8 or 9' teeth making Season 1, explains Season 2 twist
- Somalia dismisses Ethiopia-Somaliland coastline deal, says it compromises sovereignty
- Biden administration approves emergency weapons sale to Israel, bypassing Congress
- 2 men arrested in connection with Ugandan Olympic runner’s killing in Kenya, police say
- Threat closes Spokane City Hall and cancels council meeting in Washington state
- What to put in oatmeal to build the healthiest bowl: Here's a step-by-step guide
- Israel moving thousands of troops out of Gaza, but expects prolonged fighting with Hamas
- The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is returning home after extended deployment defending Israel
- Unexpected pairing: New documentary tells a heartwarming story between Vietnam enemies
- Finland and Sweden set this winter’s cold records as temperature plummets below minus 40
Ranking
- 'Survivor' 47, Episode 9: Jeff Probst gave players another shocking twist. Who went home?
- Environmental Justice Advocates in Virginia Fear Recent Legal Gains Could Be Thwarted by Politics in Richmond
- What does a total abortion ban look like in Dominican Republic?
- See How Stars Celebrated New Year's Eve
- Horoscopes Today, November 11, 2024
- Low-Effort Products To Try if Your 2024 New Year’s Resolution Is to Work Out, but You Hate Exercise
- 135th Rose Parade boasts floral floats, sunny skies as California tradition kicks off the new year
- Pakistan arrests 21 members of outlawed Pakistani Taliban militant group linked to deadly attacks
Recommendation
-
West Virginia governor-elect Morrisey to be sworn in mid-January
-
Thai prime minister says visa-free policy for Chinese visitors to be made permanent in March
-
Sparks Fly as Travis Kelce Reacts to Taylor Swift's Matching Moment
-
Ethiopia and a breakaway Somali region sign a deal giving Ethiopia access to the sea, leaders say
-
Man gets a life sentence in the shotgun death of a New Mexico police officer
-
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is returning home after extended deployment defending Israel
-
Low-Effort Products To Try if Your 2024 New Year’s Resolution Is to Work Out, but You Hate Exercise
-
Migrant crossings of English Channel declined by more than a third in 2023, UK government says