The firing of Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma came as a huge shock (at least in Murray’s case) to the Sabres universe today. Almost equally shocking was the dismissal of Greg Royce and Rob Murphy, the respective Directors of Amateur and Pro Scouting.
This leaves the Sabres organization in a tough spot. With less than 10 weeks to go until both the 2017 draft, the date at which the team will need to submit their protected list for the expansion draft, and the opening of free agency a few weeks later, Buffalo is without the three men who would have the most influence and control on how the organization approaches these three important events.