Krueger makes his first comments since being canned in Buffalo; was he really the main issue?
If anyone has a reason to be bitter, it's probably Ralph Krueger. While his firing seemed inevitable amidst a 12-game losing streak by the Buffalo Sabres, there is much more wrong in Buffalo than just coaching. However, when contacted by TSN's Pierre LeBrun on Wednesday for comment, Krueger chose to take the high road.
"I loved every minute!," said Krueger of his time in Buffalo. "What an amazing game hockey is. On to new adventures with more wisdom in the bag."
For now, Don Granato takes over behind the bench in Buffalo. He's been tagged as interim head coach. A decision on who will be behind the bench next season will likely be made in the summer.
In the meantime, is Krueger to blame for the Sabres seemingly never-ending issues? LeBrun doesn't seem to think so. He said the problems in Buffalo run much deeper than coaching just after Krueger was shown the door.
"Number one for me is getting Kevyn Adams some help," said LeBrun. "He's a rookie GM and it's a thin front office."
Buffalo could look at going with the Pittsburgh model, where Ron Hextall is the GM and Brian Burke serves in an advisory role titled President of Hockey Operations. That will only work if the ownership is willing to pay someone, though. LeBrun stated former Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford would be a perfect person to bring in for that role which, in all honesty, makes a lot of sense.
"If you're Terry and Kim Pegula (owners of the Sabres), how do you not pick up the phone and think about that," said LeBrun.
"How could he not be a great benefit for Kevyn Adams in helping develop Kevyn Adams as a GM."
I can't help but agree with LeBrun completely in this thinking. It just makes total sense. There is also a pre-existing relationship between the two. Rutherford was the GM of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 when the team won the Stanley Cup. Adams has his name etched on the Cup as a player for the Canes that season.
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 6, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Martinook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||