from John Vogl of the Buffalo News,

In Tim Murray’s perfect world, the Sabres’ general manager would be good buddies with his coach. They would respect each other, chat often and agree on how personnel decisions should be made. Murray didn’t have that with Ted Nolan, so the GM is looking for a new coach.

Buffalo fired Nolan on Sunday, one day after the Sabres finished their second straight last-place season. There is no timetable for hiring a replacement.

“We both said it’s too bad it didn’t work out,” Murray said in First Niagara Center. “Is it chemistry? Maybe it’s just chemistry. Maybe it’s just two different personalities. You need chemistry on the ice, and you need chemistry off the ice....

The Sabres’ search could be intriguing. While Murray has long been fond of Luke Richardson, a minor-league coach hired by Murray when he was assistant GM in Ottawa, several big names could be available. Detroit’s Mike Babcock, a Stanley Cup winner, is in the final year of his contract but is unavailable until after the Red Wings are eliminated from the playoffs. Boston could fire Claude Julien, another Cup-winning coach.

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