In an article from The Buffalo News, journalist Mike Harrington argues that the Buffalo Sabres should appoint Brendan Shanahan to a senior advisory role, even if only for one year. Recently, it was confirmed that the Toronto Maple Leafs would not renew Shanahan’s contract, and since then, he has only been publicly linked to the New York Islanders.
While the Islanders were allowed to interview Shanahan, there is no indication of any remaining interest, especially after they hired Mathieu Darche as General Manager and executive vice president of hockey operations yesterday. The Sabres would be the only remaining team seeking a high-level executive this summer. Harrington noted that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Buffalo’s interest in adding a senior advisor to work alongside Kevyn Adams.
The hire would make a lot of sense. The Sabres appointed Adams as a rookie General Manager ahead of the 2020-21 NHL season, and the needle hasn’t moved for the organization one iota. Toronto didn’t make it to the Eastern Conference Final during Shanahan’s 11 years of stewardship, but that’s more than the Sabres can say, who have missed the postseason for 14 consecutive years.