Sabres co-Owner Terry Pegula has "no timetable to hire new hockey leaders," but he is "confident he has people who can guide the team" in the meantime, according to John Vogl of the BUFFALO NEWS. The Sabres last week fired GM Tim Murray and coach Dan Bylsma. Sabres Assistant GM Mark Jakubowski, who handles contracts and the salary cap, "remains in the organization." Pegula said, "We’ve got a lot of people in the organization that are pretty capable." Pegula said that his interviews will "determine whether the Sabres add a hockey president or stick with just a GM." Pegula: "Experience is going to be key in our search. ... We’re going to move as quickly and efficiently as we can. Sometimes you talk to half a dozen or so people, and you need to talk to more people. It’s all a function of how our meetings go" (BUFFALO NEWS, 4/22). Sabres RW Brian Gionta said he was "completely shocked" by the firings. Gionta, who was appearing as a studio analyst during Friday night's Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage on NBCSN, said, "Leaving our exit interviews, we didn't think that was coming." He added, "Ownership wants a winning team and they want it now" (BUFFALO NEWS, 4/22).
MIXED BAG: After the firings Friday, Pegula took questions from the media for the first time in more than 3 years, and in Buffalo, Bucky Gleason wrote "at best," this was a "start" for Pegula. Gleason: "At worst, he reluctantly followed the advice of a new public relations consultant hired to improve his reputation as one-half of a disoriented, second-rate ownership that's over its head." It was a "step, albeit a tiny one, toward progress" (BUFFALO NEWS, 4/22). Also in Buffalo, Jerry Sullivan wrote Pegula "goes 3-1/2 years without a press conference specifically about the Sabres, then he condescends to give us a brief exchange and we're supposed to feel grateful." Sullivan: "If you see it as a positive sign that Pegula graced us with an audience, fine." Pegula's press conference left him "wanting a lot more and feeling, as usual, that Pegula has an utter disdain for his critics and feels it's beneath him to have to field questions about his dysfunctional teams." Sullivan: "There's just no consistency to what Pegula does. He makes it up as he goes along" (BUFFALO NEWS, 4/22).
THE BOTTOM LINE: In Buffalo, Nick Veronica wrote under the header, "10 Unanswered Questions Worth Asking Terry Pegula." Veronica: "Are you worried about how many people you have fired?" Putting the money aside, the "volume of people the Pegulas have cast aside is troublesome." The Bills and Sabres have "shown five coaches, two GMs and two presidents the door" since '13, and another coach quit. Veronica: "Maybe the money isn't important to them, but what about their reputation and the way they're viewed nationally?" (BUFFALO NEWS, 4/22). ESPN.com's Craig Custance noted Terry and Kim Pegula are "progressive thinkers when it comes to utilizing every bit of advancement available to run an organization" and are "generous with their resources." They "deserve credit for that, even if it hasn't come with a payoff yet." Targeting someone with experience is "fine, but it also has to be someone who meshes" with their philosophy and belief system. In the NHL, that is "not always an easy marriage." Custance: "The key will be finding that mix of experience and progressive thought" (ESPN.com, 4/21).
