The players on the Buffalo Sabres praised head coach Lindy Ruff, who signed a two-year extension on Wednesday to stay with the team.
Ruff and the Sabres had a season to remember. They won the Atlantic Division for the first time in franchise history, snapping a 14-year playoff drought in the process. Then, they beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs, before heartbreakingly losing 4-3 to the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Following the last game of the season, Ruff’s contract with the Sabres expired. But on Wednesday, he re-signed with the team to a two-year extension, meaning the 66-year-old head coach will be back behind the team’s bench next season.
Sabres Players Praise Lindy Ruff
After it was revealed that Ruff had re-signed with the team for two more years, the team’s players offered nothing but praise for their veteran head coach.
“He is so good at pushing us. That’s the main thing. There’s no time for effing around, you have to be uncomfortable every day. I think that’s what really helped us as a group. We took care of the other stuff, but he made sure he pushed us every day, and I think that brought us a lot of success for sure,” said captain Rasmus Dahlin (via NHL.com).
“He’ll come in and tell you he’s gonna share the morning coffee and then let a couple guys hear it. It’s not like he’s personally going after guys, but he definitely puts the group on notice about the standard around here. I think he’s been great this year just with feeling what the group needs that day, whether it’s a kick in the ass or just some support,” said alternate captain Mattias Samuelsson.
Lindy Ruff Hoping to Lead Sabres Back to Playoffs
The Sabres made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years this season, but the organization is hoping that this was not a one-off and instead, the start of something beautiful.
The team has many young and talented players throughout its lineup, with Dahlin being the best player on the team, as he is one of the three Norris Trophy finalists this season as the league’s best defenseman. As well as Dahlin, the Sabres also have superstar center Tage Thompson, and star winger Alex Tuch, though Tuch is a free agent this offseason and expected to command a mega deal on the open market. The Sabres, of course, will hope to re-sign him.
One area the Sabres can improve on is in goal, where the team went with a tandem of Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen this year. Both of these goalies are solid, but they are more suited for the backup role rather than being a full-time starter. To that end, the Sabres might be better off looking at the trade market for their next goalie, with names such as Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues among the potentially available names in net.
Sabres Players Praise Lindy Ruff After Signing 2-Year Extension