And Just Like That, The Buffalo Sabres Have Fired Tim Murray And Dan Bylsma
It’s just like I said yesterday when Eichel’s camp came out to shoot down all the reports that were flying around about Eichel not re-signing in Buffalo if Bylsma is still the coach. That kind of information doesn’t get out there unless there’s at least a little truth behind it. Where there’s smoke, there is a coach getting fired. And this had to have been the easiest decision in the world for the Sabres to make. Because really, who did they have to choose between. The face of their franchise and one of the brightest young stars in the game? Or a coach who lucked out by taking over the Penguins midway through his first season coaching to win a Stanley Cup and then has essentially done nothing since. I don’t want to pour on Dan Bylsma too much here because it sucks that he lost his job. But if Jack Eichel or anybody else on the Sabres or just a Sabres fan in general, this is a reason to celebrate.
Not entirely sure why Tim Murray had to go as well but I guess Pegula is just looking to get as many new brains behind this rebuild as possible since the now former regime couldn’t get it done. But going into this rebuild, Jack Eichel was the piece that the Sabres were set on. Clearly they would have liked to have the #1 overall pick in 2015 to get McDavid but you can’t go wrong with either of them. However, Bylsma wasn’t their guy from the jump. They were all in on getting Babcock to Buffalo. They were throwing all the money they possibly could to get Babcock in there to team up with Eichel to bring the Sabres back to being contenders. Then Babcock decided to go to Toronto and Bylsma was the man. But he was never the first option from the start and Eichel is clearly their guy.
Now here’s where things get tricky for Jack Eichel. He got Bylsma out. Clearly there was a disconnect there between the two. Clearly it wasn’t a good set up for either of them. But now he can’t blame the Sabres’ shortcomings on anybody else besides himself. No matter who the Sabres bring in now, it’s up to Eichel to get Buffalo out of the basement. If they can’t do that then it immediately becomes an Eichel problem, not a coach problem. He’s used up his one Get Out Of Jail Free card with Bylsma.
At least Disco Dan can enjoy his 4/20 now…
P.S. – Hi guys.
