The interim tag has been removed from newly appointed Buffalo Sabres head coach Ron Rolston, the team announced Tuesday morning.
Rolston was acting as the head coach of the Sabres’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans, before being named the interim replacement for long-time bench boss Lindy Ruff in Buffalo. Since taking over in February, Rolston compiled a 15-11-5 record in 31 games with the team.
Apparently, it was a strong enough showing to convince management in Buffalo to name him the 16th head coach in franchise history.
Moving forward, Rolston will be at the helm of an assumed rebuild for the Sabres.
It remains to be seen what type of talent he will have, as rumors continue to swirl about the futures of No. 1 goaltender Ryan Miller and leading scorer Thomas Vanek. With both players entering the final years of their contracts in 2013-14, the potential of offseason trades has been discussed. General manager Darcy Regier and president Ted Black have stated that the franchise will look to develop talent through the draft.
With that in mind, it’s not hard to imagine a scenario where either one — or potentially both — of Miller and Vanek are moved for any kind of assortment of picks and/or young prospects.
In one sense, this potential scenario could allow Rolston to develop a team of his guys, so to speak. In another sense, it might leave him with a far less talented roster to work with.
Regier and Rolston are scheduled to meet with the media at 11 a.m., ET on Tuesday morning to discuss the promotion.