Former Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato is back in the NHL.
The Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday named Granato an assistant coach on Rick Bowness’ staff.
Granato, 58, most recently led Team USA’s entry in the World Championship in the spring, his first head coaching gig since his dismissal from the Sabres following a sixth-place finish in the Atlantic Division in 2023-24.
After arriving in Buffalo as an assistant in 2019, he led the Sabres three and a half seasons, first taking over for Ralph Krueger on an interim basis 12 games into a stunning 18-game losing streak in 2020-21. He quickly stabilized the reeling team, helping him earn the job on permanent basis following the season.
As Granato led the Sabres back to respectability, several players developed and enjoy career seasons.
The Sabres fell one win short of the playoffs in 2022-23 before regressing the next season.
He compiled a 122-125-27 record with the Sabres.
Granato has also served as an assistant coach in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks.
He has strong ties to Columbus, having played for the Columbus Chill and later served as coach and general manager for the ECHL team in the late 1990s.
Phil Housley, another former Sabres head coach, was recently named an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings.