Sabres GM Kevyn Adams: Lindy Ruff 'is here to win'

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- The reintroduction of Lindy Ruff as Sabres head coach likely invoked plenty of nostalgia for fans who remember the successes of his 16-year run behind the bench in Buffalo.

However, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams made it clear during Ruff's introductory press conference Tuesday that this hire is far from just a feel-good story.

"It is tremendous that Lindy has a long-storied history in the Buffalo Sabres. It is terrific that he is connected to the City of Buffalo and the Western New York community -- but that's really just an added bonus," Adams said. "He's the right person for this job, and I truly believe that he is the person that's going to take us to the next level."

The search for a new Sabres head coach lasted just about a week, but despite the relative shortness of the hiring process, Adams said he spoke to "double-digit" candidates before settling on Ruff.

"I just kept coming back to the conversations with Lindy," Adams said. "There was a lot of really highly qualified candidates, but every hour that went by, I felt more and more strongly. After in-depth conversations with Terry (Pegula), this was our guy."

While Ruff brings back a strong familiarity with the franchise and city, he also has a familiarity with Adams. The Sabres GM spent two years behind the bench with Ruff as an assistant coach from 2011-2013 and another two years in a player development role.

Adams mentioned Ruff's ability to lead, challenge players while building a relationship and handle "non-negotiables within a system" as some of his biggest takeaways during his time on Ruff's staff. He acknowledged their past relations matters, but despite the connection, he emphasized that this hire is about on-ice success only.

"Ultimately, as I went through it, because there's a tremendous amount of coaching candidates out there, it just for me came back to this is the right coach for this team to win," Adams said.

Ruff joins the Sabres as they look to end an NHL-record 13-year playoff drought that began while he was still behind the bench. The 64-year-old coached Buffalo's last postseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2011.

Now, over a decade later, Adams is confident Ruff will be the next to do so.

"That’s why he’s here, he’s here to win," Adams said. "The past is the past – that’s great. But this is about now. This is about the players in that locker room now. This is about the fans that come in here and can believe in something great. That’s why he’s sitting here."