Buffalo Boy's Blog

Lindy Ruff irregardless of how this team finishes should stay in Buffalo. Yes, this year has been a disappointment, yes the players have under achieved and yes they have made some stupid undisciplined plays this year that at times could have been blamed on poor coaching.

Im still not a fan of just replacing the coach. I have come to have the mindset that the players get paid millions to show up and play the system that their coach puts in place for them. Lindy has shown over the years that if the players play his system, they will have success. He has used defensive systems, offensive systems and everything inbetween and had success with all things hes done at one time or another.

If anything I blame Darcy Regier for not keeping certain players to help Lindy maintain some semblence of a team that would play his style. No, Im not talking about keeping Drury and/or Briere and Im sick of people screaming about them not keeping one of if not both of them. It couldn't have happened and kept Roy and Vanek. I'd rather have Roy and Vanek for the next 4 years or so. (Thats what's left on Roy's contract)

The players Darcy could have kept were guys like Mike Grier instead of resigning Teppo Numminen after the first playoff run. JP Dumont instead of Jochen Hecht or Max Afinogenov. Jay McKee instead of one of the above.

Lindy though has been his same old self and has worked with the players he has. Watching last nights game against Washington I noticed at one point after a stoppage in play just how small the Sabres fowards are. The Connolly line was out after a stoppage and the Washington players were man handling them. This team is undersized. JP Dumont and Mike Grier had some of that size that we so sorely lack now. Yes there is Paul Gaustad and Patrick Kaleta and they are emerging players, but Grier and Dumont provided leadership and in Dumont's case scoring that has not been replaced.

Next year this team will be different, Max Afinogenov will not be here, Jochen Hecht will hopefully have a new home. Replacing those guys with players like Mark Mancari at 6'4" and 225lbs should help with the size and scoring factor. Mike Weber is in Portland and should have been up with this team this year instead of resigning Teppo Numminen. He will be here next year. There are changes on the way. I would say there are a handful of about 4 players that are untouchable in terms of trades as well, not even.

What ever happens change wise, Lindy should not be the fall guy. I know everyone is looking at Ruff thinking that the message is getting stale, however, there is another team in professional sports that knows they have the right guy for the job and is keeping him for the long haul, the Anaheim Angels. Mike Scioscia signed a 10 year contract to manage the Angels. He was a former Angel himself and has a vested interest in them from his days as a player.

Lindy is no different. He bleeds Sabre blue and gold, what other guy would you rather have behind the bench that has the best interests of this franchise in mind. The players are on the hot seat in this particular go round. They have been down the playoff road, they have played at a high level before and they have not done it for whatever reason. The players will be the only ones changing and on that front, there should be and better be many changes going forward or Darcy Regier is going to be on the hot seat if he isn't already.

As far as the coach, he stays, you are not going to find a better coach for this team, period.