Lindy Ruff Signed To Two-Year Extension. The Sabres Signed Head Coach Lindy

Sabres Sign Lindy Ruff to Two-Year Extension

The Buffalo Sabres announced Wednesday that head coach Lindy Ruff has signed a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2027-28 season , rewarding the veteran coach for leading the franchise to end its historic playoff drought.

General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen called extending Ruff "a no-brainer" following the team's remarkable turnaround during the 2025-26 season. Buffalo was 11-13-4 and last in the Eastern Conference on Dec. 5 before ending the season on a 39-10-5 run to win the Atlantic Division with a 50-23-9 record, its first division title since 2009-10 .

The Sabres ended the longest Stanley Cup Playoff drought in NHL history (2010-11) , making their first postseason appearance since the 2010-11 season. Buffalo defeated the Boston Bruins in six games in the first round for its first playoff series win since the 2006-07 season before losing 3-2 in overtime Monday night in Game Seven of their second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens .

Historic Season Performance

In his second season in his second stint with the Sabres, Ruff led one of the more remarkable turnarounds in NHL history and was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year . The campaign was highlighted by an NHL-best stretch of 39-9-5 from Dec. 9 until the end of the regular season .

The Sabres posted strong metrics over that stretch, averaging 3.72 goals per game (3rd in the NHL) while allowing just 2.58 goals against (2nd in the NHL) to clinch the top seed in a strong Atlantic Division .

Ruff's Franchise Legacy

Ruff ranks fourth in League history in wins and is 950-741-169 with 78 ties in 1,938 regular-season games for the Sabres, Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils. He played 12 NHL seasons, including 10 with Buffalo from 1979-89, and served as captain for three seasons (1986-89) .

Ruff is the winningest coach in franchise history at 657-494-100 with 78 ties from his first stint between 1997 and 2013 . He returned to Buffalo as a coach in 1997, remaining with the Sabres until the 2012-13 season when he was dismissed. He was rehired by the organization in 2024 .

The 66-year-old coach expressed his commitment to building on the team's success. "I'd rather be somewhere else, but really excited with the opportunity to carry on here and help lead this team to a championship," he said , referring to his desire to still be competing in the playoffs.