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Report: Sabres were set to extend coach Nolan last week, future uncertain now

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Buffalo interim coach Ted Nolan’s resume is looking a lot better lately.

He took a Latvian national team that no one thought much of and led them to the quarterfinals in the 2014 Winter Games. In the NHL, he’s helped the Sabres at least look respectable after their horrendous start under old coach Ron Rolston.

It’s not surprising that the Sabres would want to keep him around on a more permanent basis. What is eyebrow raising is the revelation that they were ready to announce that they had agreed to terms on a multiyear contract last Tuesday, but then something changed, according to the Buffalo News.

Now it’s not clear if he’s going to stay at all. That corresponds with the news that Nolan’s close friend Pat LaFontaine has resigned from his post as president of hockey operations.

“We did talk about contract,” Nolan said. “Right now is not about my contract. It’s about the situation that just happened. It’s about what transpired in this organization, what happened to a very dear friend.”

Sabres GM Tim Murray made it clear that he wants to keep Nolan onboard, but he’s not going to speculate on what Nolan’s decision will be or “beg” the bench boss to stay.

Between this and the Ryan Miller trade, the Sabres have been dominating the headlines lately and they are likely to stay in the news with the trade deadline approaching.

Follow @RyanDadoun