Preface: Nobody likes calling for any coach’s job and there are no signs things will be changing, but it is a results business. With the standings so close and the season slipping away, questions will start to be raised in Buffalo. If they have not been already.
Could Changes Be Coming Buffalo?
With the news coming out of Ottawa and DJ Smith being removed as the coach, the same questions are being asked in Buffalo. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio and when asked about the situation in Buffalo he stated if things do not turn around, changes could happen.
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** NHLRumors.com Transcription
Scott Laughlin: “There were a few chants of ‘fire Donnie, fire Donnie,’ of course talking about Don Granato. What do you see changing if anything here in the coming days or weeks ahead in Buffalo, because right now whatever it is they’re doing, it’s clearly not working and this team came in with some high expectations this season. And they failed the drug to achieve those expectations.”
Elliotte Friedman: “Yeah, it’s it’s not good and it comes basically, well almost a year to the day, well not to the day, but not far off, where Buffalo embarrassed Columbus at Columbus, right? Like, I’m sure there’s a little bit of payback in terms of that too.
I haven’t really checked with anyone there this morning. I tend to let these things breathe a little bit. By you’ve got to be wondering, like with Ottawa, I was surprised by the timing of Ottawa and I know that they like it’s kind of funny, not funny, but weird how these things go.
Like Ottawa this year they thought Pierre Dorion and DJ Smith, were going to last the entire season. That was their plan. They work this year and Andlauer and Staios, get a lay of the land and then make their decision. And Andlauer was mad about the penalty with Vegas and he fired Dorion and the situation with DJ because they felt became untenable and they made the change.
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And like my grandmother’s old line you plan God laughs right? I don’t think Buffalo saw anything like this coming in this year. You know, I watched Don Granato’s media availability after last night’s game and you can just see that the frustration and the lack of answers. I see Buffalo situation trending the same way that Ottawa was.
I think Kevyn Adams and Don Granato are two guys in lockstep. I think they support each other. I think they have the same vision from what I understand. They really are on the same page with decisions made when it comes to goaltending and everywhere else. But I think they’re in the danger zone where you worry that changes can be coming.”
