Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres have relieved Don Granato of his duties as head coach of the team on Tuesday.
Sabres owner Terry Pegula was in town at the time the Buffalo Bills traded Stefon Diggs nearly two weeks ago, and attended two Sabres games during that time. I’m sure there were some discussions on the direction of this team while he was here, and I can’t imagine he was happy with what he saw this season.
"I would like to thank Don for his time in Buffalo and commitment to the Sabres organization," said general manager Kevyn Adams in a statement released Tuesday morning. "He has been integral in the development of many of our players and has undoubtedly been the right coach to bring us to where we are now, but I felt it was necessary to move in a different direction at this point in time. My expectation is to be a consistent contender and unfortunately that goal has not been met."
"I would also like to thank Jason and Matt for their contributions to the team. This is not a decision I take lightly, but know it is in the best interest of our team moving forward."
Granato first took as head coach of the Sabres on an interim basis when Ralph Krueger was fired on March 17, 2021. In the 28 games before the end of the season, Granato went 9-16-3.
He then coached for three-straight seasons, going 32-39-11, 42-33-7 and 39-37-6 with no playoff appearances for Buffalo.
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Granato had brought his close friend Jason Christie on board to be an assistant coach. Both he and video coordinator Matt Smith were also let go on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, assistant coaches Matt Ellis and Marty Wilford will remain on staff for now.
More will be coming Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET when we're expected to hear from Adams. You hear the press conference live on WGR.
