A 40-second phone call by new general manager Kevyn Adams on June 16 left Chris Taylor unemployed and officially signaled a change in how the Buffalo Sabres plan to develop prospects in Rochester.
Taylor, who spent 15 years with the Sabres or Rochester in some capacity, was informed he would not return as the Amerks’ head coach after totaling 116 wins and two playoff appearances over three seasons.
“I asked why and I think his words were, ‘clean slate,’ ” Taylor said during a phone interview following his dismissal.
Multiple sources told The Buffalo News that Taylor reached a verbal agreement with the Sabres on a contract extension before the mass firings in the organization’s hockey operations department. His assistant coaches, Gord Dineen and Toby Petersen, were also let go.
During an interview with The News in June, Adams lauded Taylor’s work in Rochester and explained a philosophical change was needed in player development. The Sabres have yet to hire Taylor’s replacement and Adams has made only two appointments in six weeks, neither of which will directly impact the Amerks.
Though it’s uncertain when or if the AHL will play games in 2020, Adams’ handling of Rochester, starting with the selection of a new coach, could have a significant role in the Sabres’ short- and long-term success.
“It was really, as I explained to (Taylor), philosophically in Rochester where we are looking to go and how we want to make sure (we’re having success) from a developmental perspective,” Adams said. “I want Ralph (Krueger) to be very involved in the coaching search and how that works together with Rochester and Buffalo. Ultimately, it’s about developing prospects to become Buffalo Sabre players.”
The Amerks snapped a three-year playoff drought in 2017 and began to develop NHL-quality players, including goalie Linus Ulllmark and winger Victor Olofsson, who scored 20 goals as a rookie for the Sabres this season. Prospects Casey Mittelstadt, Will Borgen, Tage Thompson, Lawrence Pilut and Jacob Bryson, among others, also made notable progress while playing for Taylor.
But former General Manager Jason Botterill’s plan conflicted with Adams’ vision. Upon his hiring in May 2017, Botterill wanted to improve development in Rochester by supplementing the roster with veterans who could serve as mentors to prospects and create a winning culture that would eventually reach Buffalo.
According to CapFriendly.com, the Sabres spent approximately $4.685 million this season on Rochester players Scott Wilson, Jean-Sebastien Dea, Taylor Leier, Remi Elie, Casey Nelson, John Gilmour and Andrew Hammond. Wilson, Dea and Gilmour played a combined 13 games for the Sabres.
A more expensive AHL roster produced only six playoff games, no wins, though the Amerks were in position for a third consecutive postseason appearance when the season was canceled.
“As coaches you can tell them what we like, but you can’t watch them every second,” Taylor said about veterans. “When you have players on your team that can help be an extension of the coaches, it’s huge. It helps guys prepare and it helps them develop faster.”
Adams has not spoken publicly about potential hires, how the roster will be constructed or changes to development methods, and did not disclose specifics when asked about the plan for Rochester. The Sabres haven’t hired an assistant general manager to run the Amerks, although team president and co-owner Kim Pegula told reporters she’s open to such an addition.
Matt Thomas and Adam Mair are two potential candidates for head coach. Thomas, 44, played hockey at Rochester Institute of Technology and led the Cincinnati Cyclones to an 89-30-16 record over the past two seasons. The Cyclones lost in the second round of the ECHL playoffs last year and were first in the Central Division when the season was canceled.
Mair, 41, has been a development coach with the Sabres since 2015 and played 11 seasons in the NHL, including seven with Buffalo. Mair was also an interim assistant coach with Rochester this season while Taylor filled in on Krueger’s staff, and Mair played for the Sabres while Adams was a development coach for the team in 2009-10.
Whomever coaches the Amerks will likely be working with a much younger roster that’s expected to include center Arttu Ruotsalainen, winger Matej Pekar, winger Brandon Biro, winger Dawson DiPietro, defenseman Mattias Samuelsson and defenseman Oskari Laaksonen.
Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, 21, could also receive a full-time spot on the roster after spending most of this season in Cincinnati.
It’s possible prospects will no longer be healthy scratches in favor of veterans – Taylor did not mind sitting a young player after a difficult game – and leadership could come from Borgen, Bryson and C.J. Smith, although all three could be candidates to make the Sabres’ roster. Perhaps Adams prefers fewer veterans taking away playing time from prospects, particularly on special teams.
Rochester also will be an important strategical tool for the Sabres as Adams navigates a flat salary cap over the next three seasons. Entry-level contracts will be necessary because the team could add expensive long-term deals for Rasmus Dahlin and Sam Reinhart.
“That is the cornerstone of the growth of any sports franchise is to draft well and develop your young players,” Sabres co-owner Terry Pegula said. “And we’re still 100% on that track.”
While the Academy of Hockey will likely continue to hold skill sessions with the Amerks, those practice plans could be adjusted to emphasize individual skill development, as opposed to coaches giving position-based instruction.
The advancement of video and analytics has enhanced scouts’ and coaches’ understanding of a players’ strengths and weaknesses. The Sabres want to apply that information to help a prospect address specific deficiencies.
Some AHL teams have more skill-based practices in place of sessions in which coaches drill even-strength and special teams systems. Adams might need to rebuild a player development department that lost two coaches during the firings.
The team only has two development coaches listed on its staff directory – Mair and Seamus Kotyk, who works with goaltending prospects – and they also work with junior and college players, most of whom are expected to resume competition this fall.
While there are significant unanswered questions, Adams will lean on his experience as a former development coach with the Sabres, an assignment that had him work with Tyler Ennis, Drew Stafford, Nathan Gerbe, Marcus Foligno and Zack Kassian, among others.
“I think I learned right away it’s not a straight line up,” Adams said. “Every player is on their own journey and their own timeline, and you have to be aware of that. You have to be able to truly get people to buy into something you’re trying to help them improve and maybe help them change in those areas. There has to be a lot of trust.”
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