Sabres Reunite With Lindy Ruff to Fill Head Coaching Vacancy
The Buffalo Sabres parted ways with Dan Granato after the 2023–24 season following yet another disappointing campaign from the team. Granato departs after the 13th consecutive year the Sabres have missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it didn't take long for the team to nail down his replacement.
On Monday, Buffalo announced that Lindy Ruff would be returning as the team's head coach, marking a reunion for the man who led the team from 1997–2013.
The Sabres limped to a 39–37–6 campaign this year, which was tied for their second most wins in a season since their last trip to the playoffs in 2010–11. The organization was hoping to be postseason bound this season after winning 42 games in '22–'23, but fell short of expectations.
Ruff will look to guide the team back to the playoffs and end the lengthy drought, inheriting a roster featuring some star talents such as Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Owen Power and Jeff Skinner, among others.
Across Ruff's 15 seasons with the Sabres during his first stint at the helm, the team made eight trips to the playoffs and were Eastern Conference champions in 1998. After leaving Buffalo in 2013, Ruff took over as coach of the Dallas Stars until '17, and later joined the New Jersey Devils from 2020–'24, before being fired midway through this past season.
During his own playing career, Ruff was a beloved member of the Sabres for 10 seasons from 1979–89, featuring in a total of 608 games and registering 285 points.