The Buffalo Sabres officially introduced new head coach Phil Housely at a press conference Thursday afternoon. Plenty has been made of how he turned Nashville's defensive unit into the class of the league, especially the top four of Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis, and P.K. Subban.
One can argue those four defensemen were great players prior to Housley's tutelage, especially Subban, who won the Norris Trophy for the 2012-13 season as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. However, Housley thinks his one year of experience coaching the media darling that is Subban will help him handle Buffalo's biggest star in forward Jack Eichel.
Housley compares Eichel to PK Subban in terms of big personalities. "It's a culture. You have to build the foundation, set the standards"
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) June 15, 2017
Eichel has drawn no shortage of criticism this offseason, after it came out he had a significant influence on Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma being fired from their respective roles as general manager and head coach.
Housley is believed to be the guy who can improve a Sabres defense which has ranked no higher than 24th in Corsi For percentage at full strength over the past three years.
While he may hope to improve the Sabres from the net out, he'll need to start forming trust with his players by starting with the centerpiece that currently seems to be the furthest away.
