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Report: With Sabres gig gone, Richardson to re-sign in Ottawa

Luke Richardson 3

Rumored to be in the running for the now-filled Buffalo head coaching gig, Luke Richardson -- the bench boss of Ottawa’s AHL affiliate in Binghamton -- appears primed to stick with the Sens.

More, from the Ottawa Sun:

League sources say the Senators have tabled an offer to the 46-year-old former defenceman and while a deal isn’t in place it could happen soon now that the Buffalo coaching situation has been settled.

It’s believed the two sides need to work out the final details of the contract.

Richardson, at one point the oddsmakers’ favorite to get the Sabres job that eventually went to Dan Bylsma, is held in pretty high regard throughout the NHL. Few his age can match the combination of experience as a coach and player; Richardson appeared in over 1,400 games with the Leafs, Oilers, Flyers, Blue Jackets, Lightning and Senators before immediately moving behind the bench, where he spent three years as Ottawa’s assistant coach (under both Cory Clouston and Paul MacLean) before transitioning to the American League.

During his time in Bingo, Richardson has played a key role in the development of guys like Mike Hoffman, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Patrick Wiercioch, Cody Ceci and Mark Stone, one of the this year’s Calder Trophy finalists.

But despite Richardson’s good standing league-wide, the Sens hadn’t been asked by any clubs for permission to interview him. That came as a bit of a surprise, especially after Buffalo lost out on the Mike Babcock sweepstakes; there were also (since filled) vacancies in Edmonton, San Jose and Toronto and head coaches are still needed in Detroit and New Jersey.