After weeks of waiting, the Buffalo Sabres will finally announce who will be behind the bench with Ted Nolan this upcoming season – former Rangers head coach and NHL Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier.
Bucky Gleason of The Buffalo News broke the news today, and he adds that the Sabres are not planning on making an announcement about the hiring at this point, though it appears to be a done deal.
Trottier previously served as the head coach for the New York Rangers in 2002 (though he only lasted 54 games) and has also been an assistant coach for the Avalanche, where he won a Stanley Cup behind the bench. His impressive playing career saw him bring home six more Stanley Cup championships and a Hall of Fame induction in 1997.
After reassigning or firing all of their assistant and positional coaches at the end of the year, Ted Nolan and the Sabres needed to bring in a completely new crew behind the bench, and Trottier is the first official hiring. We’d previously heard rumors about Nolan’s fellow Latvian Olympic coach Artus Irbe taking over as the goaltending coach, but at this point they remain unconfirmed rumors.
Sources: Sabres have reached an agreement with Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier to serve as assistant coach under Ted Nolan.
— Bucky Gleason (@TBNbucky) July 29, 2014
Sabres say no announcement is planned, but my sources say Trottier is a done deal. Announcement could come in next week.
— Bucky Gleason (@TBNbucky) July 29, 2014