Simply put, the axe had to fall in Buffalo.
Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula is not afraid to pull the plug out from underneath the feet of his head coaches, see former Bills head coach Rex Ryan and now ex-Sabres bench boss Dan Bylsma.
Two years and zero playoff appearances was all the ammunition Pegula needed to dismiss Bylsma, and his .414 winning percentage, on Thursday.
The rumblings that phenom Jack Eichel wasn’t too keen on continuing to play under Bylsma didn’t help his case either.
What’s more interesting was the firing of Buffalo general manager Tim Murray.
Murray may have a personality that resembles a police spike belt — sharp, to the point, and no nonsense — but at least he’s brought some talent to the Queen City.
Apart from picking Eichel, second to Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid two summers ago, Murray engineered trades for Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, and signed free agent Kyle Okposo.
It’s too bad Murray won’t fully realize the fruits of his labour.
Now, it’ll be up to the new GM and head coach to fertilize a winning culture in Buffalo.
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