Outside of a minority stake in the team being sold, it could also be Kim stepping out of the President role, having Adams take that over and Karmanos be GM.
All Things Pegula 2
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They decided to trade Rick before his midseason treat bonus was due.
I'm going with:
Edit - looks like Chain said in one sentence what took me a novel to say and beat me to the punch
- Terry Pegula to relinquish CEO title and remain on in the org structure solely as Owner
- Kim Pegula to move into the Owner/CEO title
- Kevyn Adams to Team President/President of Hockey Operations
- Jason Karmanos to GM
- Mark Jakubowski to whatever the equivalent title to GM that would put him in charge of the business side including contracts
- Don Granato stays on as Head Coach
- Terry Pegula, for all his apparent tone deaf moves like laying off everyone and firing most of the scouting staff during the pandemic loves hockey and the Sabres. I think that he realizes - for clearly evident reasons like attendance - that the community has reached the end of their rope. I think he'd rather play the role of loved and/or appreciated team owner and benefactor/investor in the Buffalo community than hated/despised owner who destroyed community support for the very team he purchased because he loved the Sabres so much
- I believe that he and Kevyn Adams have formed a relationship at the foundation of which is trust. I think the moves that Adams have made, his developmental philosophy, his cap management this year all show Terry that Adams is the guy they need to run the hockey team. I think that his ability to hire Karmanos and the whole analytics department are evidence of this. I also think that Jim Rutherford in Vancouver and the relationship with Karmanos and a potential GM job there also factor in.
- I think that Adams will be given full authority over the hockey operations and that Kim's role as CEO will be more for guidance and as a figurehead for the family being in control than an impactful day to day role.
Edit - looks like Chain said in one sentence what took me a novel to say and beat me to the punch
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I mean, it would make SOME sense for the Pegula's to add a minority owner. Given the team is bleeding money like a stuck pig, tapping into the equity of the team to offset the losses a bit makes sense. If they sell 30% at a valuation of 600M (which is way too high), that'd be 180M, more than the Pegula's bought it for.
I would be VERY curious how a PE firm would do about the management structure.
Zach716
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Pegs net worth has seen a real nice increase the last year and the bills are a money printing machine. Sure, I could see it but I don't know if I'd do it in his position with a team that looks like it could finally take that next step very soon. Here's to hoping, though.
Buffaloed
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Look for Rick to be named President of Hockey Ops once he's housebroken. The Pegulas have really been impressed with how he keeps his eye on the ball and cuts to the chase. He's able to chew through problems that would baffle Jason Botterill for months.
joshjull
Registered User
I’ve been wondering if this might happen ever since learning Karmanos responsibilities included the entirety of the GM’s role. Plus after his hire he was the one to do the top to bottom review of the organization. Something the GM usually does.
Its seemed to be a de facto President/GM set up as it is.
ValJamesDuex
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TheDawnOfANewTage
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ValJamesDuex
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I laughed, but a bit more seriously...Luckily Rick has been placed in his permanent home now with a veteran suffering with PTSD. Good luck good boy!
They can't really sell the team. With pandemic uncertainty, they'll be lucky to find a qualified buyer.
ValJamesDuex
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May Day 10
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This, to me wouldn't be anything major, and probably not even worth the waves made to get to Peters' ear and compel him to tweet his vague tweet. That reeks of Buffalo Bills circa 2008 when changes were needed and demanded and everyone would just take a half-step to the left with a new title, Russ Brandon would promote himself, and things would continue through irrelevancy.
There have been rumblings over the past 6 months that something 'major' is changing there and it seems to point to an ownership change to some degree. Not sure what that will/would mean... but if you take Peters 'major changes' at face value, it does seem like things within the hockey department will see big change other than new titles for all and promotions.
With that said, it does seem a little odd, based on the Pegulas' affinity for Adams as well as them working to staff and organize the hockey department. Even though I as a fan am not pleased with their organization, they have chosen a direction and who to take them there, leaning heavily on analytics and data mining. They have not failed yet with this "Plan E", although its easy when many fans write entire seasons off nowadays by saying things like "they weren't supposed to be good anyways". I guess they couldn't just sit there with an empty front office indefinitely, and what if the (alleged) ownership shift fell through?
So your scenario does make the most sense and the least amount of waves.... but if I am a major investor coming in and throwing capital into the team, and likely the Key Bank Center, assuming half the losses every season, and seeing a couple thousand lifeless people in that arena game to game, I am demanding that we hire an actual NHL General Manager, or at least a Team President to properly build a professional-grade organization. Say what you will about Adams, but if he were cut loose now he wouldn't sniff a GM job anywhere else in the league. I could see him being protected by the Pegulas though and serve as some sort of executive role
That might be true of day to day operations, but any PE firm is going to do a deep dive on how a team is run before dropping millions on an investment. They are going to see how deep into the red the team runs every year.
In thinking about this some more:
In the last 20 months, the Pegula's have:
- Fired a GM after giving him a vote of confidence weeks earlier.
- Hired a GM with no experience (at any professional level) who was willing to ax people and is loyal
- Reduced scouting/front office/support staff to a bare minimum
- Bumbled an 'all in' by signing Hall and failed miserably
- Fired their head coach and hired the cheapest coach they could (Granato) after an 'extensive' search.
- Purged every large contract they could and running a roster below the cap floor (by adding a LTIR player)
So the Sabres have:
- Good futures (draft picks prospect)
- Minimal long term commitments (only two players signed beyond 3 seasons)
- Lowered operation expenses to a bare minimum.
Of course, all of this is at the expense of on ice performance.
While this isn't typically a mirror of what you see when a business is up for sale (they cut the costs but aim at inflating short term gains in exchange for long term losses to make the books 'look good'), I think that can be seen as the start of a divestment from the pegulas. I wouldn't be shocked if they were either trying to tap the equity they've built due to the team value skyrocketing to offset the past losses or trying to sell the team outright. Either way, it certainly appears the Pegula's aren't digging any more well to help the Sabres, at least not in the near term.
UnleashRasmus
Rasmus has gone Super Saiyan VI!
The worst run of any owner in our franchises history. I'm just staying with the here and now and trying to focus on the Power, Dahlin, Krebs, Peterka, Quinn, UPL, Bryson, Tuch, Samuelsson, Asplund, Thompson side of things. The past is the past, and I'm tired of complaining about the Pegulas. Moving on.
In these 11 years it has never occurred to me to place an ultimatum on my fandom. But as my free time gets less and less and will continue to do so over the next 5 years or so, if we aren't a playoff team in 24/25 I just won't be following the team any more. At least for a few years if not longer.
The only major issue with the roster is the Skinner deal. And its possible that with correct usage and deployment he is only overpaid by 3million (for five more years...). We can't afford any more of that business. Pegulas are and will be gun shy about any more huge deals taking players well into their 30s. This is a good thing.
I trust they have learned from their past mistakes. The Bills going big time may have mitigated some meddling as well. As an afterthought of a franchise there is/willbe less pressure on Dahlin/Power than there was on Eichel/Reinhart.
Peguals can really f things up long term by doing a couple of big free agent deals. No on Klingberg. No on Campbell. No on Gaudreau. There will be multiple core RFA deals to be made every single year and we do not need to have any players being paid big money when they are 32 or 33 (Dahlin being an exception as well as someone like Fiala if we add him).
The only major issue with the roster is the Skinner deal. And its possible that with correct usage and deployment he is only overpaid by 3million (for five more years...). We can't afford any more of that business. Pegulas are and will be gun shy about any more huge deals taking players well into their 30s. This is a good thing.
I trust they have learned from their past mistakes. The Bills going big time may have mitigated some meddling as well. As an afterthought of a franchise there is/willbe less pressure on Dahlin/Power than there was on Eichel/Reinhart.
Peguals can really f things up long term by doing a couple of big free agent deals. No on Klingberg. No on Campbell. No on Gaudreau. There will be multiple core RFA deals to be made every single year and we do not need to have any players being paid big money when they are 32 or 33 (Dahlin being an exception as well as someone like Fiala if we add him).
Taro Tsujimoto
Registered User
Not the smartest thing to say there, Kim.
Woof.
Granted, they've managed to kill attendance and television viewership of the Sabres. Eventually there will be none of us left.
Sabre Dance
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Buffaloed
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Kim is a great fit for the diversity panel. She single handedly slayed the stereotype that all Asians are really smart.
