Sabres finally fire head coach Ralph Krueger

The Buffalo Sabres have fired head coach Ralph Krueger in the midst of a 12-game losing streak. 

The move has the Sabres lost to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, dropping their record on the season to 6-18-4. The Sabres, who last won on Feb. 23, have an NHL-low 16 points, and just two points in their past 12.

Krueger was leading the Sabres for his second season and led them to a 30-31-8 record in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the season. They did not take part in the summer's Return to Plan : they were one of the seven teams who did not make the 24-club playoff tournament in hub cities in Toronto and Edmonton. He was signed through next season at a salary of $3.75 million, which the Sabres will have to pay out.

Before he was hired by the Sabres, Krueger spent five years as chairman of Southampton Football Club in England.He also coached Team Europe to second place at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, losing to Team Canada in the championship game. His first head coaching job in the NHL came with the Edmonton Oilers in the lockout-shortened 2012-13. He was fired with a 19-22-7 record.

History repeated itself for Krueger in the NHL. Team insider Mike Harrington was first to report that Don Granato will take over as interim head coach of the Sabres, seeing that the team also dismissed Steve Smith. Development coaches Matt Ellis and Dan Girardi are going to be behind the bench as assistants.