The Buffalo Sabres has fired head coach Don Granato, according to an announcement from the team. In addition, the Sabres have fired assistant coach Jason Christie and video coordinator Matt Smith.
The Sabres missed the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season under Granato. Buffalo hasn’t qualified for the postseason since the 2010-11 campaign, when they lost in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals to the Philadelphia Flyers.
The 13-year playoff drought is the current NHL record.
Granato put together a 122-125-27 record in four seasons as the Sabres’ head coach. His best season came in 2022-23, when the Sabres produced a 42-33-7 record (91 points) but still managed to finish fifth in the Atlantic Division.
Granato was originally promoted to interim head coach after previous head coach Ralph Krueger was fired during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2021 season. The 2023-24 campaign marked his third full season behind Buffalo’s bench.
Granato, 56, still had two seasons remaining on his current contract.
The Sabres were eliminated from playoff contention last week after an underwhelming season was coming to a close. Star forward Tage Thompson surprisingly just tallied 56 points (27 goals, 29 assists) after recording a career-high 94 points (47 goals, 47 assists) during the 2022-23 season.
