Yost: Buffalo is 'a desirable market' with 'foundational talent'

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Photo credit Photo: Mike Baggerman - WBEN 930AM

As we finish up the first full week of May, the Buffalo Sabres remain without a head coach.

It has been well over a month since the Sabres have fired Phil Housley as head coach, and multiple reports have surfaced over that time of different names being linked to the Sabres' opening in one way or another. The latest news came on Friday when John Shannon from Sportsnet reported that he has heard that the front runners for Buffalo's head coaching vacancy were former Arizona Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett, and current Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Jacques Martin. Shannon also mentioned that the Sabres will not interview former Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Todd Richards for their current opening.

TSN's Travis Yost joined Schopp and the Bulldog on Friday to discuss the state of the Sabres, as well as give his thoughts on the team's coaching search.

Here is some of what Yost had to say:

 

Yost on "re-tread" coaching in the NHL:
"It's mind-boggling how the same people... the same re-tread coaches keep getting tapped for interviews. That's why it is so hard to crack into the NHL in any sense."

 

Yost on Jacques Martin:

"If it seems like Martin is from another era, it's because he did coach in another era. It's hard to put him and Tippett in the same bucket. Tippett's calling card is getting the most out of low talent."

 

Yost on the sense of urgency Buffalo needs to have:

"The Sabres need to hire a coach now. What if [Minnesota Wild head coach] Bruce Boudreau gets fired in six months? Go through any name they could hire right now, and tell me you would hire them over Bruce Boudreau. Timing is everything."

 

Yost on market appearance:

"I think Buffalo is a desirable market. They have foundational talent, an ownership group ready to spend and they've shown they're competitive in spots."

 

Yost on rivaling markets with coaching vacancies:

"Edmonton has the best player in the world, yet there's this haze around the organization. There's a haze around Ottawa, too. I don't think there's a haze for the Sabres."

 

Yost on what the game-plan should be:

"It's not just about building a contender for right now. It's about building a framework so that players will want to stay there long-term."

 

You can hear Yost's entire conversation below: