During the third period of last night’s game against the Islanders, a report came out from Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet indicating that the Sabres are not only putting Darcy Regier on the hot seat, but that they may have already decided to replace him sooner rather than later.
Kypreos’ language in this report is unusually strong, which is what’s raising ears in Buffalo. His exact quote regarding Regier is as follows (emphasis ours):
I think in a perfect world, the ownership group in Buffalo would have rather waited until Christmas, but I’m hearing that the decision could come a lot sooner here, and they ultimately will make the change.
Kypreos is basically saying that the firing of Regier is a when, not if situation, and that it could happen as soon as the next few weeks. He’s a well-connected reporter, and while he doesn’t name any specific sources here, there’s reason to believe this report could have a bit of truth to it, especially when you consider the Sabres abysmal start.
The Sportsnet report goes on to mention two names that could be potential replacements for the longtime Sabres GM. Jason Botterill, a former Sabres player, is currently the assistant GM to Ray Shero in Ptissburgh, and has been since 2009, and also mentioned was the Penguins assistant to the GM, Tom Fitzgerald. His name would be up there thanks to the significant Buffalo-Pittsburgh organizational relationship that already includes Ted Black and Ken Sawyer. Montreal assistant GM and another former Sabre player Rick Dudley was also mentioned as a possibility to replace Regier, should such a move take place.
We knew that this season would be a rebuilding one, but if this report is to be believed, Darcy Regier may not be the one to lead that rebuild. What say you, Sabres fans? Are you putting stock in this report, or do you want to see something more concrete before you’ll allow yourself to believe that Regier might actually lose his job?