The Buffalo Sabres fired head coach Phil Housley on April 7th after two seasons with the team.
On April 7th, the Buffalo Sabres fired head coach Phil Housley after being with the team for two seasons. In his two seasons as a head coach for the Buffalo Sabres, he posted a 58-84-22 record. Housley is in the first wave of three coaches to be fired on April 7th.
His departure from the team came as a surprise not to just fans, but Housley himself, as he said in interviews that he fully intended to be back with the team next season. After being let go by the team, Housley marks the third straight Sabres coach to be fired after two seasons as head coach. He joins the brotherhood featuring Ted Nolan and Dan Bylsma.
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At the beginning of the 2018-19 season, things were looking good for Housley, as he coached the team to a 17-6-2 (including a ten game winning streak) record. However, the team could not keep up that pace of play as they slipped to a 16-33-8 record, finishing with 76 points.
Whoever the Sabres bring in as the head coach for the 2019-20 season will be in a good situation. The Sabres have a young and talented core with players like Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner (assuming he re-signs), Rasmus Dahlin, and Casey Mittlestadt.
It is surprising that Housley could not lead the team to success as he had a good few seasons as the Nashville Predators’ assistant coach and the fact that he has a good core of players. While it is unlikely that he will jump back in as an NHL head coach right away, he will likely go back to being an NHL assistant coach and wait to be promoted to head coach somewhere.
As for the 2018-19 offseason, the Sabres will likely be shopping for goaltending and defensive help. While shopping for players, they will be searching head coach candidates to lead the team in the years to come. Some frontrunners could be Toronto Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe and Dallas Stars assistant coach Stu Barnes.