The Buffalo Sabres announced on Wednesday that the franchise has signed head coach Lindy Ruff to a two-year contract extension through the 2027-28 season.
The agreement comes two days after a 3-2 overtime loss to Montreal in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series.
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Ruff, 66, was completing the final year of his contract upon returning to Buffalo, where he previously coached for 15 seasons and spent 10 years as a player.
He is the winningest coach in franchise history and a finalist for the Jack Adams NHL coach of the year award.
Dramatic Turnaround
The Sabres experienced a dramatic turnaround after being in last place in the Eastern Conference in early December.
They went 39-9-5 over their final 53 games to finish second in the conference with 109 points and an Atlantic Division title.
"It's great to be here in a sense that I'm going to continue, and I'm humbled again by the opportunity," Ruff said during a season-ending news conference.
The veteran coach credited the turnaround to a healthier roster and the vital presence of captain Rasmus Dahlin, whose fiancée recovered from heart transplant surgery in Europe.
"The energy that our fans brought, the energy in the city, where we got to in the second half of the year, excited me," Ruff added.
The season marked the first time Buffalo advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2007, when a Ruff-led squad reached the Eastern Conference Final.
