Written By: Cameron Schoffro
Edited By: Jovan Popovic
In April 2019, Ralph Krueger, current Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres, was dismissed from his position as chairman of Southampton Football Club of the English Premier Club and decided to try his luck at hockey. This endeavour went exactly as expected since there is virtually no crossover between the two sports and their coaching strategies. He and Kevyn Adams, the General Manager, have failed to recognize a vision for the franchise; they ought to be rebuilding to add talent to their already stacked prospect pool, yet they decided to spend big money on free agents as if they are Stanley Cup contenders. Throughout this convoluted mess, the Sabres have become one thing: a disaster.
In his first year in Buffalo, Jeff Skinner was fantastic alongside Jack Eichel, and it seemed they had found a pair of stars for the future. After scoring an incredible 40 goals in the 2018-19 season, Skinner was rightfully rewarded with an exorbitant eight-year $72 million contract. Since then, the organization has failed to put him in a position to succeed. After a slow start to 2019-20, he was separated from Eichel's wing and has rarely spent time there since. He was underwhelming last year with 23 points in 59 games, and he's been utterly abysmal this year, producing 1 point in his first 19 games. Finally, in his 20th game, he got the monkey off his back and scored his first goal of the year. Now, he plays in the bottom-six, if at all, as Krueger scratched him in three consecutive games with the belief this will be to his benefit, "it's good for Jeff to take a look from the outside and come back a stronger player" (Sportsnet). Ralph may have learned differently at Southampton FC, but the best way to motivate your talented players to return to their elite form is by playing them. So, did Jeff Skinner become bad at hockey during his prime years, or is there more at play?
Skinner is snake-bitten like no other player: this chart illustrates his expected goals vs actual goals per 60 minutes over the past eight seasons. His shooting percentage is unsustainably low, and his coaching staff is not helping his confidence through this slump. He is bound for an increase due to his ability to drive play effectively, with 51 CF%. Evidently, Skinner isn't getting filled in each time he touches the ice; in fact, he is leading some awful linemates to create more scoring chances than the opposition. Meanwhile, Kyle Okposo, another overpaid Sabre winger, who has been lacklustre for five years, has a high of 45 points in that time, and has his position on the second line carved into stone. Okposo has a single assist this year; however, that came on an empty-net goal. If Skinner had more ice time and the confidence to capitalize on his scoring chances, he could get his career back on track.
One would assume Jack Eichel has been incredibly successful with his new linemates to justify Skinner's position down the lineup, but that is not the case. The best year of his career came alongside Skinner. As well, Eichel has scored just a negligible two goals this year. The solution to Buffalo's league-worst offence is apparent: recreate past success with Eichel and Skinner. The franchise centre has had his disputes with Krueger, too. They each told the media a different story about Jack's injury; seemingly, Krueger was downplaying the severity of the said injury. Players and coaches disagreeing in the media is typically the sign of locker room issues, which the Sabres must be having plenty of while they sit at the bottom of the standings.
In the offseason, it appeared the Sabres were gearing up to make a run at the playoffs. Adams signed former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall for one season and swapped 29-year-old Marcus Johansson for 35-year-old Eric Staal. He willingly aged the roster by acquiring two past-their-prime forwards when their significant weaknesses reside on the blueline and in the crease. Perhaps, this was a last-ditch effort to satisfy their publicly disgruntled captain, Eichel. Jack is under contract until 2026; thus, trade rumours have begun in an attempt to fulfill his demands of contention.
Buffalo's scouting and development staff have filled the roster with talent, and most of their key contributors have yet to hit their prime: phenom Rasmus Dahlin, World-Juniors sensation Dylan Cozens, and 2020 Calder trophy contender Victor Olofsson. However, the burden upon these players is insurmountable. Krueger and Adams can't expect a group of developing players to guide a franchise to the playoffs; they must surround this talent with a better roster to achieve their full potential.
Kevyn Adams informed the Buffalo media he intends to evaluate the performance of every member of the franchise, then he'll determine if they fit into the future of the organization. In all likelihood, Ralph Krueger's days coaching in Buffalo are numbered if there isn't a quick turnaround in their quality of play. If Eichel requests a trade, the ownership group should be prioritizing his generational talent over the GM that has failed to surround him with a roster fit for the playoffs.
References
- Sportsnet. (2021, February 25). Is Jeff Skinner in the BUFFALO Sabres' doghouse? Retrieved March 09, 2021, from https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/jeff-skinner-buffalo-sabres-doghouse/
- Twitter. (n.d.). JFreshHockey. Retrieved March 08, 2021, from https://twitter.com/JFreshHockey
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