Buffalo Sabres

Granato in Driver’s Seat for Sabres Coaching Search

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It’s becoming more apparent that Don Granato will be named the next head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.

While not official as of the writing of this post, there has been a lot of smoke indicating that Granato will be retained and have the interim tag removed from his title. This comes after Elliotte Friedman noted that the Sabres are expected to give Granato clarity soon among other Tweets and notes over recent weeks. I believe the Sabres intent is to bring back the coaching staff as it was when Granato took over as interim coach, though that leaves openings in player development. So we’ll see what the staff looks like if Granato is indeed the choice.

With so many questions lingering around this offseason, it’s hard to say definitively what sort of coach the Sabres should have coveted. It seems as if Jack Eichel will be traded this summer, a move which will almost certainly trigger a rebuild for the Sabres. Should that be the case, Granato’s interim stint showed signs that he might be the perfect coach for a rebuilding team which will be leaning heavily on young players to play key roles.

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The Instigator Podcast 9.25 – Draft Lottery Rewind

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We’re back from a brief break to offer up analysis of the Sabres nabbing the top pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and the prospect who Kevyn Adams may be looking at with the first selection. We also discuss the second round of the NHL Playoffs and enjoy a bit of comic relief thanks to our friends up the QEW. All that and more on this week’s episode.

Sabres Get First Pick in 2021 NHL Draft

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The Buffalo Sabres haven’t made the postseason since the 2010-2011 season. They hit rock bottom this past season with the worst record in the league at 15-34-7. With the best chance at the first overall pick at nearly 17 percent, the Sabres hit the jackpot, when the lottery set the draft order.

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The Instigator Podcast 9.24 – Cooking Up Eichel Packages

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This is a little outside the norm for the podcast but knowing what this summer is bound to hold, it seemed wise to discuss potential landing spots and packages in a potential Jack Eichel trade. We also discuss Wayne Gretzky joining the TNT NHL broadcast and some of the current playoff results.

The Instigator Podcast 9.23 – Assessing the Sabres Coaching Search

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It’s about time that we give Don Granato his own episode and even our best efforts to discuss his merits as the next Sabres head coach were partially interrupted by our NHL playoff preview. But we do spend a lot of time on the Sabres coaching search and on whether or not Granato is the best candidate for the job in Buffalo. We do offer up a few alternatives along the way as we do differ on whether Granato is the best hire the Sabres can make.

The Instigator Podcast 9.22 – Locker Cleanout Meltdown featuring Joe Yerdon

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It was quite the day for the Sabres as Jack Eichel’s comments at locker cleanout day made headlines throughout the hockey world as he was extremely transparent about the disconnect between his camp and the organization. We discuss the potential fallout from Monday’s interview as Eichel certainly sounded like a player who was on his way to being dealt. Not to mention to similarly negative outlook portrayed by Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen.

The Instigator Podcast 9.21 – Miller Time

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Ryan Miller’s career is coming to an end and we attempt too give him a proper send off, celebrating his career with the Sabres and discussing just how much of an impact he made on the ice and in the community. We also touch on Tom Wilson, the Department of Player Safety and the fallout from Monday’s incident in New York.

The Instigator Podcast 9.20 – The Eichel Episode

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There has been a whole lot said about Jack Eichel over the last few years – and this year in particular. We try and encapsulate some of that conversation related to the Sabres star as we analyze how badly the Sabres miss him on the ice, some of the questionable opinions that exist about him publicly and also the potential that he could be traded. Not only do we discuss the idea that Eichel could be moved but what a trade would look like and how it could affect the club in both the short and long term. Also on this week’s show is a discussion on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and his NHL debut.

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The Instigator Podcast 9.19 – The Kids are Alright

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Buffalo’s young players have been getting plenty of attention since Don Granato took over, playing key roles in the Sabres’ stretch run. We discuss the impact some of the prospects and young players have had this spring and the potential that exists for that group to have a significant impact in the future as well. We also place focus on Don Granato and whether or not he should be the first choice as the long-term head coach of the team. There’s also bonus conversation on the European Super League and the fallout of the apparent failure of some of soccer’s biggest clubs to break off and make their own competition.

The Instigator Podcast 9.18 – Deadline Recap

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The deadline has passed and while Kevyn Adams checked off the boxes he needed to, he hardly gets a passing grade after a pretty underwhelming deal for Taylor Hall. We run through Buffalo’s work at today’s deadline and touch on some of the bigger deals swung at the 2021 deadline.