A New Bye Week Gig?: Buffalo Sabres coach says he ‘could use’ Bills QB Josh Allen

Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff wouldn't mind seeing Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen switch sports.

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

He’s already a regional icon who is one of, if not the, most beloved figure in Western New York sports history, and if the head coach of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres has his way, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen could soon cement his his legendary local status by donning the uniform of the city’s other professional sports team.

Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff, who himself is a long-time Bills fan, offered Allen a pseudo-invitation to join his club during a Tuesday morning appearance on the WGR550 radio station, telling hosts Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase that his team ‘could use” the 6-foot-5 signal-caller if he has skates. The veteran coach also commented on the field general’s heroic 26-yard game-sealing touchdown run in Buffalo’s Week 11 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, describing it as “One heck of a call and one heck of a touchdown.”

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff on @WGR550 with @JeremyWGR and @SneakyJoeSports: “I think if Josh Allen had skates I could use him.”

Called it “One heck of a call and one heck of a touchdown.”

— Sal Capaccio 🏈 (@SalSports) November 19, 2024

Ruff, who rejoined the Sabres organization this past offseason after previously serving as their head coach from 1997–2013, has expressed admiration for Allen in the past, stating in June that he wanted his team to play with the fearlessness and relentlessness of the former All-Pro. The current bench boss also played for the Sabres from 1979–1989, and has, thus, been a Bills fan for decades, maintaining his support even when his coaching career took him to other football-hungry markets like New York and Dallas.

Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

Allen himself is a noted Sabres fan, previously writing in his team’s annual media guide that his dream sporting event to attend is a “Sabres Stanley Cup game in Buffalo.” With Buffalo’s bye week now upon him, perhaps Allen could don a pair of skates and take a few shifts alongside Alex Tuch and company; currently holding an 8-9-1 record while amidst a decade-plus playoff drought, the Sabres could likely benefit from his presence.

With 6-foot-6 center Tage Thompson currently missing time with a lower-body injury, the Sabres have a need for a first-line center. We don’t know if he’s ever laced up a pair of skates, but if Allen plays hockey with an iota of the passion with which he plays football, he’d likely provide a boost.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI —

More Buffalo Bills News:

• Bills QB Josh Allen ties unbelievable franchise record with stellar TD run vs. Chiefs

• Bills DE Von Miller loves Josh Allen so much that we can't even publish what he said

• ESPN pundit crowns Bills star Josh Allen as the NFL’s best QB after win over Chiefs

• Bills WR Amari Cooper describes what the ‘Josh Allen experience’ is like

• HOF WR Andre Reed breaks down what makes this Bills team different from years past