BUFFALO – Goalie coach Arturs Irbe won’t return for a second season with the Sabres, new coach Dan Bylsma told WGR this morning.
Bylsma said he talked to some potential coaches at the NHL Draft over the weekend and one could be hired in the next week.
The loquacious Irbe was the only coach Sabres general manager Tim Murray retained after firing former coach Ted Nolan on April 12. Murray said then he would leave Irbe’s future up to the new coach.
The Latvian, a former NHL-All Star, earned high praise last season for helping the Sabres’ regular goalies – Jhonas Enroth, Anders Lindback and Michal Neuvirth – thrive despite poor defensive play all around them. The Sabres allowed a league-high 35.6 shots a game.