Sabres fire Don Granato as record playoff drought continues

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres fired head coach Don Granato on Tuesday, making him the seventh coach to be ousted during what's grown into an NHL-record 13-season playoff drought.

The move was announced by the team after the Sabres closed their season Monday with a 4-2 win at Tampa Bay. They finished with a 39-27-6 record and had been eliminated from playoff contention last week.

Granato completed his third full season in Buffalo after taking over on an interim level during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2021 season when Ralph Krueger was fired. And the move comes with the 56-year-old Granato still having two seasons left on his contract, which featured an extension that kicked in to start next season.

Buffalo stumbled through a season in which the team won three straight games just twice and were often unable to overcome slow starts.

This was not the expectation for a team that opened the season with general manager Kevyn Adams declaring the window of contention as being open. The blossoming hopes were generated by the Sabres missing the playoffs by two points last season.

The Sabres also fired assistant coach Jason Christie and video coordinator Matt Smith.

"I would like to thank Don for his time in Buffalo and commitment to the Sabres organization," Adams said in a statement. "He has been integral in the development of many of our players and has undoubtedly been the right coach to bring us to where we are now, but I felt it was necessary to move in a different direction at this point in time. My expectation is to be a consistent contender and unfortunately that goal has not been met.

"I would also like to thank Jason and Matt for their contributions to the team. This is not a decision I take lightly but know it is in the best interest of our team moving forward."

The Sabres haven't made the playoffs since 2010-11. The playoff drought ties with the New York Jets as the longest active streak in North America's four major professional sports.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.