Sports

Sabres' Lindy Ruff snubbed from top 10 in 2026 NHL head coach rankings

Sabre Noise · Jul 22, 2026 16:15 · 4 min read

Sabres' Lindy Ruff snubbed from Top 10 in 2026 NHL head coach rankings — Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lindy Ruff was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award last season. Where did he land in rankings of the NHL's top coaches ahead of the 2026-27 season?

Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff put together one of the best performances of his decorated career last season to lead the franchise to its first playoff berth since 2011. He's not getting the type of recognition he deserves for guiding the turnaround, though.

First, Ruff was beat out for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's Coach of the Year by Tampa Bay Lightning counterpart Jon Cooper, a laughable voting decision by the NHL Broadcasters' Association, which bizarrely decided to turn last season's honor into a quasi-career achievement trophy.

Then, on Wednesday, the leader of Buffalo's coaching staff was placed No. 12 by Adam Proteau of The Hockey News in his rankings of the league's best coaches ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

"Lindy Ruff was in danger of being fired early this past season, but the veteran bench boss turned things around for the Buffalo Sabres, who went 39-9-5 in their final 53 games to surge to the top of the Atlantic Division," Proteau wrote. "And Ruff is a previous Jack Adams Award winner, so he's earned the respect of his peers."

Ruff ranks fourth in NHL history in coaching victories, including the postseason, with 1,028. He sits behind only Scotty Bowman (1,467), Joel Quenneville (1,139) and Paul Maurice (1,042). They are the only four to cross the 1,000-win threshold.

The 66-year-old Canadian, who also spent a majority of his playing career in Buffalo, guided the organization to the 1999 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Dallas Stars in controversial fashion, and won the 2006 Jack Adams Award after the post-lockout Sabres surged into contention.

His league-wide reputation would likely be a lot different if he'd managed to hunt down one Stanley Cup title, either with the Blue and Gold or during his stops with the Stars and New Jersey Devils. A championship has remained elusive for the 1979 second-round draft pick, though.

Ruff should get a few more cracks at finally capturing a ring with the Sabres finally rejoining the contender category after reaching the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Lindy Ruff will once again face difficult challenges with the Sabres in 2026-27

In the grand scheme of things, Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has put together a strong offseason. He traded away Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram, two players who weren't going to sign long-term contract extensions, and inked emerging cornerstone Zach Benson to a new seven-year deal.

Kekalainen also brought in a few promising defensemen, Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier, and used the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft (acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in the Byram trade) to land prized prospect Daxon Rudolph.

The Sabres will hope rising stars like Benson, Josh Doan, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich and Konsta Helenius can help offset the loss of Tuch since no high-profile forwards were signed. (At least so far. They've been linked to Buffalo native Patrick Kane, an unrestricted free agent.)

So, through a long-term lens, Buffalo's front office has done a nice job of making sure the organization is still on a straight path toward building a sustainable winner.

This season could be a bit tricky for Ruff and his assistants, though.

Tuch was one of the NHL's most multifaceted contributors. The veteran winger made a three-zone impact at 5-on-5, while also playing a key role on the team's power-play and penalty-killing units. He wrapped up his Buffalo tenure with 309 points in 360 games.

Byram was a critical piece of the club's top-four defense group, especially in terms of his work creating offense in transition. The Sabres are hoping Zellweger can grow into that role over time, but his defensive weaknesses may limit the amount of ice time he can take on.

In turn, replacing those two keys pieces won't be a simple plug-and-play scenario. Ruff will have to create new roles for a variety of players to help fill those voids, and there will probably be a lot of lineup juggling until he finds something that works consistently.

The longtime coach also faces the task of handing a three-goalie rotation again featuring Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis, barring a blockbuster trade for Winnipeg Jets superstar goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. Keeping a trio of netminders sharp isn't easy.

There could be some growing pains along the way, which may leave Buffalo in a crowded race for a postseason berth in the loaded Eastern Conference, particularly if the Atlantic Division ends up being as strong from top to bottom as it currently looks.

It creates an environment where Ruff should once again be in the Jack Adams Award discussion if the Sabres capture a top-three spot in the Atlantic in 2026-27.