Sabres fire HC Ralph Krueger amid disastrous season

Former Buffalo Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger watches his team play from the bench during the second period against the Washington Capitals at KeyBank Center. Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Sabres fire head coach Ralph Krueger amid disastrous season

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 3/17/21

The Buffalo Sabres losing streak hit 12 games on Tuesday with a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils. On Wednesday, the team fired head coach Ralph Krueger.

Head coach Ralph Krueger has been relieved of his duties. pic.twitter.com/IymNcxg7B3
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 17, 2021

According to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, the Sabres also fired assistant coach Steve Smith on Wednesday. Don Granato will serve as interim head coach.

BREAKING: I've learned Don Granato will be the #Sabres interim coach and Steve Smith has also been fired. Development coaches Matt Ellis and Dan Girardi are going to be behind the bench as assistants.
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) March 17, 2021

Krueger became head coach of the Sabres during the 2019-20 campaign, leading the club to a 30-31-8 record. Although they showed slight improvement, Buffalo still finished in sixth and missed the playoffs for the ninth straight season.

This season has been an absolute disaster for Buffalo. The Sabres have the worst record in the NHL at 6-18-4 and have not won a game since Feb. 23. Superstar forward Jack Eichel has missed significant time due to injury, Jeff Skinner has been a disappointment and Taylor Hall certainly hasn't lived up to the hype after signing a one-year deal with the franchise.

At this rate, Buffalo is well on its way to matching the NHL record for missing the playoffs at 10 consecutive seasons.

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