USA TODAY International Edition
Sad- sack Sabres take page from Avalanche
Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula copied the Colorado Avalanche playbook Wednesday when he looked backward to go forward with this struggling franchise.
With the hockey world marveling at the Avalanche’s transformation since former stars Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy were put in charge, Pegula announced Wednesday that former Sabres star Pat LaFontaine was the new president of hockey operations and former Buffalo coach Ted Nolan was the interim coach.
LaFontaine is a mirror image of Sakic. Both are levelheaded, well- reasoned, aggressive in their planning and careful in their execution.
Pegula’s move was shrewd, because the LaFontaine- Nolan tandem could fix the last- place team’s problems over time. But the immediate impact will be to re- energize a fan base that had become angry or disillusioned over the Sabres’ collapse.
Fans regularly chanted for former GM Darcy Regier’s firing, and fingers were being pointed at Pegula for being slow to oust Regier, the team’s boss for 17 years.
LaFontaine was a popular player in Buffalo. And Nolan was a popular coach. Fans don’t care that he didn’t see eye- to- eye with goalie Dominik Hasek or GM John Muckler. All they care is that the last time he was behind the bench, in 1996- 97, the Sabres won a division title and advanced to the second round.
Nolan was in Buffalo for two seasons. But fans act as if he was there for 10.
LaFontaine inherits a train wreck. The Sabres have won four games and are on pace for 37 points, which would be a league low since 1993- 94.
If not for goalie Ryan Miller’s strong play, the Sabres could be giving up four goals a game. They are last in the NHL scoring at 1.65 goals a game.
Although LaFontaine has much work to do, including hiring a general manager, the management team has enough chips to get back in the game in a relatively short period.
Regier actually had done some of his best work over the past several months. He received a good return in last season’s Jason Pominville trade and got good value when he sent Thomas Vanek to the New York Islanders for Matt Moulson plus a firstand second- round pick.
He has drafted well over the past couple of seasons, and the four teenagers ( Zemgus Girgensons, Mikhail Grigorenko, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov) on the roster will be foundation blocks. Mark Pysyk, 21, a first- round pick in 2010, tops 21 minutes a game on defense.
Sabres management will be able to trade pending free agents Steve Ott and probably Miller for draft picks or prospects before the deadline.
LaFontaine and the GM he hires will have to make a decision about Moulson, 30, who has gifted hands and won’t break the bank. If Buffalo can’t sign him, he could be moved for a second- round pick or better.
Certainly, Regier has left LaFontaine with problems. Ville Leino’s signing was a mistake, and his contract hurts the budget. Tyler Myers is overpaid unless he suddenly lives up to his potential, not unthinkable because he’s 23.
If LaFontaine limits mistakes, the turnaround time could be two to three seasons. The Sabres could be back in the playoffs by 2015- 16.
The Avalanche management mod- el of hiring former stars to trigger a resurgence is hardly a novel approach. It doesn’t always work. Just ask the Edmonton Oilers.
Bob Gainey was a revered Montreal player but couldn’t get it done as Canadiens general manager. Brett Hull’s tenure as Dallas Stars GM was short and uneventful. Former Kings star Dave Taylor could not deliver a title in Los Angeles.
What’s happening in Colorado is enough to give Buffalo hope. Like Sakic, LaFontaine was a smart, humble star who was insightful in his views. Each had a special intuition about the game.
The Nolan- Roy comparison doesn’t work. Different personalities. Different approaches. But each has a passion that seems to be contagious. What Buffalo needs most is a belief that tomorrow will be better than today. Nolan can sell that.
By putting an interim tag on Nolan, LaFontaine has made sure his new GM has a say in the coaching decision. But Nolan has a personality that will reinvigorate the fans and make the Sabres want to keep him. LaFontaine’s intuition probably already has told him that.