The Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma era of the Buffalo Sabres is officially over as the GM and head coach, respectively, were fired early Thursday morning.
The news comes a day after rumors surfaced that star center Jack Eichel made it clear that he would not sign a contract extension with the Buffalo Sabres as long as Bylsma was still the head coach of the team. Eichel vehemently denied those rumors, stating that he and Bylsma were “on the same page” after their exit interviews, but it was clear that potential changes were a possibility.
Not even 24 hours later, both Bylsma and Murray were relieved of their duties. Owner Terry Pegula released this statement on the major changes:
"“After reviewing the past season and looking at the future of our organization, Kim [Pegula] and I have decided to relieve General Manager Tim Murray and Head Coach Dan Bylsma of their duties. We want to thank Tim and Dan for their hard work and efforts that they have put in during their tenures with the club. We wish them luck. We have begun the process to fill these positions immediately.”"
Disappointing Tenures
Murray and Bylsma’s tenures with the Buffalo Sabres organization were short-lived. Murray joined the club in 2014 and never got the club’s roster to where it needed to be in order to compete in the Eastern Conference.
His most well-received move was drafting Jack Eichel with the number two overall pick in 2015’s draft. Eichel has been a boon for the Sabres, tallying 113 points (48G, 65A) in 142 career games with the Sabres.
Unfortunately, almost none of his other draft picks have seen NHL ice time. Of the 25 draftees during Murray’s time in Buffalo, only Eichel and 2014 number one overall pick Sam Reinhart have seen more than a handful of minutes on the ice for the Sabres.
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Coach Dan Bylsma’s time with the organization was even shorter, as he coached just two seasons with the Sabres, finishing with a disappointing 68-73-23 record. The Sabres finished last in the Atlantic Division in his first season and 7th this season.
With not much positivity during his tenure to point to, many expected Bylsma to be on the hot seat. And once those rumors about Eichel’s contract extension surfaced yesterday, the writing seemed to be on the wall.