Kevyn Adams GM thread

[WhereAreTheCookies]

Not ponying up and paying Ulmark was one of the biggest blunders in Sabres history. We essentially functioned as a second Boston AHL affiliate by developing a Vezina candidate goalie for them. Adams dropped the ball and shit all over it with Taco Bell level diarrhea.

I can't remember who said it , I think maybe it was Marek or someone. They had said on one of their podcasts that the belief was that they had agreed upon a contract with Ullmark and all that was left was for him to sign it, but once they got to that point he basically left Adams standing at the alter.

No idea if that's true or not, but it would certainly explain at least in part why they seemed taken by surprise when they suddenly needed to find goalies in UFA and had to scrounge the bargain bin at that point. It doesn't in any way excuse Adams of his responsibility to provide a quality starting goalie, but it does give more context to the Ullmark thing and why they didn't just try to gain some sort of asset if there were indications of him not wanting to stay.

 

[Chainshot]

All true. But Botts did trade out the Sabres best players for prospects and draft picks, and was able to pick a first overall, 7th overall, 8th overall, 31st, 32nd, and 37th in his drafts, so it should be expected he would have added some talent to the farm. Adams made similar moves in that regard, but that is where the similarities end.

My post was just pointing out the point that Botts paid more for below average help than Adams, who paid bargain basement prices for one year bandaids that were obvious tank moves.

My post was just in response to the argument that the two made the exact same type of moves for help.

Botterill swapped O'Reilly out and Skinner in though it seems like Adams has dealt away more with the Eichel, Reinhart, and Ristolainen moves out and Tuch, Krebs in. I don't know if what Botterill did was trade out their best to the extent Adams has.

Fully agree on Botts being a poor judge of roster moves. He also let a few NHL depth forwards slip through his fingers.

Looking at the difference in drafts is also odd: Botterill found 6 NHL players thus far, with four more currently on the AHL roster and 2 on the reserve list (Huglen and Johnson) while Adams has three NHLers thus far, 4 AHLers, and another signed major junior player. The number of picks shows a divergence as well since Botterill was constantly using his picks for ineffective filler or just outright 2-for-1 pick deals, he selected only 18 players in his time as GM. Adams has 27 selections to his credit already.

 

[threeVo]

Today is a great day to waive victor olofsson

 

[Zman5778]

Today is a great day to waive victor olofsson

C'mon now. I'm as done with him as you are, but he's not being waived before the end of the year.

 

[TehDoak]

All true. But Botts did trade out the Sabres best players for prospects and draft picks, and was able to pick a first overall, 7th overall, 8th overall, 31st, 32nd, and 37th in his drafts, so it should be expected he would have added some talent to the farm. Adams made similar moves in that regard, but that is where the similarities end.

My post was just pointing out the point that Botts paid more for below average help than Adams, who paid bargain basement prices for one year bandaids that were obvious tank moves.

My post was just in response to the argument that the two made the exact same type of moves for help.

Botts, essentially, turned RoR and Kane into picks which he parlayed into defensive help. Now, he did a bad job at it.

Adams big issue is he hasn't added any immediate help and left cap space unutilized. He got tremendous draft capital for Risto, Eichel, and Reinhart, but he used all of that to draft players. He also didn't utilize their cap space to improve the team either. If Adams had parlayed picks or utilized his cap space to improve the blueline or goaltending, the results this year would be better.

 

[threeVo]

C'mon now. I'm as done with him as you are, but he's not being waived before the end of the year.

yes i know

 

[Chainshot]

Botts, essentially, turned RoR and Kane into picks which he parlayed into defensive help. Now, he did a bad job at it.

Adams big issue is he hasn't added any immediate help and left cap space unutilized. He got tremendous draft capital for Risto, Eichel, and Reinhart, but he used all of that to draft players. He also didn't utilize their cap space to improve the team either. If Adams had parlayed picks or utilized his cap space to improve the blueline or goaltending, the results this year would be better.

Tuch and Krebs?

 

[TehDoak]

Tuch and Krebs?

Tuch was, at the time of the trade, a middle six winger who was coming off major shoulder surgery. Not exactly a cap dump, but close to it. Krebs has developed....but he isn't really having a big impact...yet. Now, Tuch has come back and exceeded expectations SINCE the trade.

But, when you trade out a Franchise center, a top line winger, and a *hold for laughter* top 4 d-man and get a middle six winger and prospect center + picks in return, that isn't really the immediate help any of us were hoping for.

I've complained about Adams since his hiring. However, the part that has irked me the most is he had, essentially, a proof of concept that the faith in his roster was paying off last summer. Thompson with a 38 goal season, Dahlin taking a step forward, Cozens taking a step forward, etc. And to 'run it back' with the, essentially, same group, add a career backup goalie, and not convert any of that draft capital or cap space to a sizable addition when the team took a sizable step forward last year is a missed opportunity.

 

[Chainshot]

Tuch was, at the time of the trade, a middle six winger who was coming off major shoulder surgery. Not exactly a cap dump, but close to it. Krebs has developed....but he isn't really having a big impact...yet. Now, Tuch has come back and exceeded expectations SINCE the trade.

But, when you trade out a Franchise center, a top line winger, and a *hold for laughter* top 4 d-man and get a middle six winger and prospect center + picks in return, that isn't really the immediate help any of us were hoping for.

I've complained about Adams since his hiring. However, the part that has irked me the most is he had, essentially, a proof of concept that the faith in his roster was paying off last summer. Thompson with a 38 goal season, Dahlin taking a step forward, Cozens taking a step forward, etc. And to 'run it back' with the, essentially, same group, add a career backup goalie, and not convert any of that draft capital or cap space to a sizable addition when the team took a sizable step forward last year is a missed opportunity.

Doak, your strong displeasure at the Adams hiring and everything he has done has been an overt theme. *shrug* I didn't like him when he came in either. Yet, the "what is" for how he's brought in guys who want to play in Buffalo and have done very well in doing so is hard to discount. They've gone from dysfunctional, league worst to contending for a playoff spot in 2 years. League mouthpieces, RSN hosts in other cities, press folks of a variety of readership levels from meager to nationally followed are talking about how the team is on the cusp of being very good under Adams' guidance. He's not infallible but there is certainly enough there to credit what he's done more than just landing a middle six winger and a guy with future upside.

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

Doak, your strong displeasure at the Adams hiring and everything he has done has been an overt theme. *shrug* I didn't like him when he came in either. Yet, the "what is" for how he's brought in guys who want to play in Buffalo and have done very well in doing so is hard to discount. They've gone from dysfunctional, league worst to contending for a playoff spot in 2 years. League mouthpieces, RSN hosts in other cities, press folks of a variety of readership levels from meager to nationally followed are talking about how the team is on the cusp of being very good under Adams' guidance. He's not infallible but there is certainly enough there to credit what he's done more than just landing a middle six winger and a guy with future upside.

It's worth noting many of those same people also agreed that adding big pieces was not the way to go for Adams right now especially at the TDL despite the fanbases desire to do so. The patient approach has mostly been seen as the right choice outside of Buffalo.

 

[Bobby Bottle Service]

Doak, your strong displeasure at the Adams hiring and everything he has done has been an overt theme. *shrug* I didn't like him when he came in either. Yet, the "what is" for how he's brought in guys who want to play in Buffalo and have done very well in doing so is hard to discount. They've gone from dysfunctional, league worst to contending for a playoff spot in 2 years. League mouthpieces, RSN hosts in other cities, press folks of a variety of readership levels from meager to nationally followed are talking about how the team is on the cusp of being very good under Adams' guidance. He's not infallible but there is certainly enough there to credit what he's done more than just landing a middle six winger and a guy with future upside.

Cannot be understated. The Sabres may actually be able to attract free agents who normally would have hung up on a call from 716.

When he was hired, to me was just a yes-man. The only person willing to become GM and leave Krueger in place. A cheap replacement because that's the direction the Pegula's wanted to go.

If I ever meet GMKA... I'll buy him a beer and apologize for misjudging him.

IKWT

 

[OkimLom]

Cannot be understated. The Sabres may actually be able to attract free agents who normally would have hung up on a call from 716.

When he was hired, to me was just a yes-man. The only person willing to become GM and leave Krueger in place. A cheap replacement because that's the direction the Pegula's wanted to go.

If I ever meet GMKA... I'll buy him a beer and apologize for misjudging him.

IKWT

Why would they be interested to play for an organization who is as worried about their internal cap as they were during the Golisano era, nowadays? Nothing about the Sabres screams "we're willing to pay for free agents", or that we are interested in that route. Agents of course will use the Sabres as leverage for their clients' contracts.

Also, not sure Buffalo is a much more desirable place compared to the rest of the teams around us. They are better than they were a couple years ago, but I wouldn't peg them as desirable.

 

[TehDoak]

Doak, your strong displeasure at the Adams hiring and everything he has done has been an overt theme. *shrug* I didn't like him when he came in either. Yet, the "what is" for how he's brought in guys who want to play in Buffalo and have done very well in doing so is hard to discount.

The whole 'we want guys who want to play here' talk was intended to be a way to justify the rebuild that was about to happen. And a way to deflect blame on 'unhappy players' rather than a GM that took the team from .500 to dead last in the league in his first year. It came out on the heels of Eichel's vitrol filled presser that was the effective end of the Eichel era. The Sabres TV version of him seems a far cry from the reality of him. From the pettiness of the Eichel debacle to the back to back years of clearance aisle additions under the guise of 'not blocking' the kids to laying off people in order to secure his GM job, he simply seems like a turd polisher in chief rather than someone with a grand plan to rebuild the team.

They've gone from dysfunctional, league worst to contending for a playoff spot in 2 years.

In a league where 16/32 teams make the playoffs.....that is a very minor achievement. That fact that we appear to be on the way to falling short of that meager goal despite a tidal wave of individual progression this year speaks to error of not making any significant additions last offseason. When every team in your conference is spending 10M more than you, they are at a disadvantage out of the gate. I'm not sure if that makes the progress this year more impressive or more frustrating.

League mouthpieces, RSN hosts in other cities, press folks of a variety of readership levels from meager to nationally followed are talking about how the team is on the cusp of being very good under Adams' guidance. He's not infallible but there is certainly enough there to credit what he's done more than just landing a middle six winger and a guy with future upside.

Those same mouthpieces loved what Tim Murray did and loved the GMJB hiring. It'll be a rare day when anyone at a major hockey media piece takes potshots at front office folks, especially given that they tend end up working with a good number of those guys between their gigs.

I'm curious to see what happens this summer. Plenty of teams have gotten to this inflection point where they appeared loaded with youth, cap space, and assets, and it never panned out. Adams has to both secure a larger budget from the owners, make difficult roster decisions, all while improving the team as a whole.

The Greenway trade is a little light of hope that they see that they have needs that can't be met internally, however, my concern is that we that the status quo and budget will reign supreme and we will see minimal changes. However, I hope I'm wrong, however. I'll gladly eat all the crow on Adams if he comes out, improves the team through well reasoned and shrewd moves, and we become an annual contender.

 

[Irie]

For everyone in this thread calling for Adams head, be careful what you wish for. Let me remind you that Jim Benning, Mike Milburry and Chuck Fletcher are all out there looking for employment

While Adams is not making the moves you personally would if you were GM, always remember that it could be, and there is a good chance it would be, so much worse.

 

[Irie]

The whole 'we want guys who want to play here' talk was intended to be a way to justify the rebuild that was about to happen. And a way to deflect blame on 'unhappy players' rather than a GM that took the team from .500 to dead last in the league in his first year. It came out on the heels of Eichel's vitrol filled presser that was the effective end of the Eichel era. The Sabres TV version of him seems a far cry from the reality of him. From the pettiness of the Eichel debacle to the back to back years of clearance aisle additions under the guise of 'not blocking' the kids to laying off people in order to secure his GM job, he simply seems like a turd polisher in chief rather than someone with a grand plan to rebuild the team.

Yes, things GMs say during rebuilds are far-fetched and misleading. The GMs have to do PR damage control. They can't really come out and say, "We are going to trade all the promising veterans that you fans love, tear this thing down to a pile of scraps and tank for a couple of seasons to rebuild the team to hopefully be better built and stronger moving forward", even though that is likely their exact plan.

GMs still have to try to sell season tickets and maintain a modicum of perception that they are trying to compete. Honesty does not sell tickets, and every GM is going to give those canned responses to questions when reporters are trying to make them admit that "yep, we are burning this sucker to the ground".

 

[Irie]

Adams big issue is he hasn't added any immediate help and left cap space unutilized. He got tremendous draft capital for Risto, Eichel, and Reinhart, but he used all of that to draft players. He also didn't utilize their cap space to improve the team either. If Adams had parlayed picks or utilized his cap space to improve the blueline or goaltending, the results this year would be better.

I believe there are two reasons for the bolded.

1st - it was not in the plan. The plan was to tank. The absolute insane steps Thompson and Tuch took, combined with Skinner's resurgence put this team in a position that no one could have anticipated. I have to think that Adams and Granato where anticipating another bottom 5 finish and a lot more time to slowly mold and build the team the way they had planned. ( and a chance at one of the top defenders in last year's draft would have also put the farm in a very different spot moving forward.)

2nd - You are blaming Adams for not utilizing any of the extra cap, but all signs point to Adams having a very limited spending leash. The move and willingness to bring in Bishop's large cap-hit with a fraction of actual dollars due for a 7th round pick a month before the UFA market opened is a clear indicator that Adams had cutting costs as a top priority. Those types of moves are Owner dictated, and not the moves of a GM trying to build the strongest roster for the upcoming season.

For the record I don't think Adams is a great GM. I think he lucked into the Levi and Tuch returns, making the Eichel and Reinhart trades look much better than they probably should have been, and I think he has made a lot of missteps. His drafting, while looking solid, has the farm looking very homogeneous, and not really in a good way.

But his negotiating contract skills have been excellent. He's created a good locker-room environment, and as I posted before, it could be so much worse. So while I was initially very down on the hire and blasted his early moves, I am being patient now and waiting to see if things won't continue to improve. He has proven me wrong a few times already, so I feel l have to eat some crow and give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he is just a lucky idiot, but as long as his luck holds and things are getting better, I am alright staying the course.

 

[Chainshot]

The whole 'we want guys who want to play here' talk was intended to be a way to justify the rebuild that was about to happen. And a way to deflect blame on 'unhappy players' rather than a GM that took the team from .500 to dead last in the league in his first year. It came out on the heels of Eichel's vitrol filled presser that was the effective end of the Eichel era. The Sabres TV version of him seems a far cry from the reality of him. From the pettiness of the Eichel debacle to the back to back years of clearance aisle additions under the guise of 'not blocking' the kids to laying off people in order to secure his GM job, he simply seems like a turd polisher in chief rather than someone with a grand plan to rebuild the team.



In a league where 16/32 teams make the playoffs.....that is a very minor achievement. That fact that we appear to be on the way to falling short of that meager goal despite a tidal wave of individual progression this year speaks to error of not making any significant additions last offseason. When every team in your conference is spending 10M more than you, they are at a disadvantage out of the gate. I'm not sure if that makes the progress this year more impressive or more frustrating.

If you notice, the variance in teams in the playoffs year on year is about 1 in 3 change over the last 5-6 seasons from playoff year to playoff year. Last year, there were only 4 teams bumped out of the previous season's playoff group.

Those same mouthpieces loved what Tim Murray did and loved the GMJB hiring. It'll be a rare day when anyone at a major hockey media piece takes potshots at front office folks, especially given that they tend end up working with a good number of those guys between their gigs.

National reporting on the GM hire is not what I'm talking about. Those folks didn't say that the team was close to being good under Murray or Botts. The regard for the current team on the ice is very different than it has been in the past and that's the point at both the national level to the various regional sports network analysts and color folks. They think and talk about it being better, talking about them no longer being an easy out or easy game.

I'm curious to see what happens this summer. Plenty of teams have gotten to this inflection point where they appeared loaded with youth, cap space, and assets, and it never panned out. Adams has to both secure a larger budget from the owners, make difficult roster decisions, all while improving the team as a whole.

Who would you say has gotten to that inflection point lately? Edmonton maybe? There aren't many looking at the last five years worth of playoff teams that fit this sort of percolation of talent outside of the Oilers and they have the benefit of a freakish league MVP and one of the best 2C's in the last 10 years. Yes, the move forward could very much start now and should.

The Greenway trade is a little light of hope that they see that they have needs that can't be met internally, however, my concern is that we that the status quo and budget will reign supreme and we will see minimal changes. However, I hope I'm wrong, however. I'll gladly eat all the crow on Adams if he comes out, improves the team through well reasoned and shrewd moves, and we become an annual contender.

All true. Greenway could very well be a well-reasoned and shrewd move since it addressed team needs for size on the wing and a much-needed strong defensive player in their top 9. The Stillman move seems like it could be one too for finding a missing element for the 6 or 7 that was missing after the loss of Fitzgerald. It's a similar player but in a bigger frame. The signs are there that he knows what needs to be improved. He's not stocking NHL players redundantly where he already has depth. While smaller moves, they do show that he's aware of their shortcomings and we should expect him to move for a key improvement over the summer, especially to their defense.

 

[sxvnert]

The whole 'we want guys who want to play here' talk was intended to be a way to justify the rebuild that was about to happen. And a way to deflect blame on 'unhappy players' rather than a GM that took the team from .500 to dead last in the league in his first year. It came out on the heels of Eichel's vitrol filled presser that was the effective end of the Eichel era. The Sabres TV version of him seems a far cry from the reality of him. From the pettiness of the Eichel debacle to the back to back years of clearance aisle additions under the guise of 'not blocking' the kids to laying off people in order to secure his GM job, he simply seems like a turd polisher in chief rather than someone with a grand plan to rebuild the team.

He's allowed to play that card once. Next year its playoffs or the heat on him turns up to 100. So far all of his depth additions haven't been all that impressive but I'm willing to give him this summer to put the final pieces together on a legit playoff run.
The real issue I see convincing the team to play proper D instead of letting them play firewagon hockey just to "keep things fun".

 

[Ace]

He's allowed to play that card once. Next year its playoffs or the heat on him turns up to 100. So far all of his depth additions haven't been all that impressive but I'm willing to give him this summer to put the final pieces together on a legit playoff run.
The real issue I see convincing the team to play proper D instead of letting them play firewagon hockey just to "keep things fun".

He played that card more than once in the same offseason. It’s one thing to use it when addressing forward…they had two rookies who earned a real chance in Quinn and Peterka.

But he also used it in goal. Which was utter f***ing nonsense. Levi wasnt taking a spot this year. It would be an egregious mistake to expect him to take one next year either. So he was holding the spot until 2024-25? That’s the plan people believe in? Just scrap heap guys who blow but are cheap for two years?

And it doesn’t explain the “plan” at defense whatsoever. There’s nothing coming other than trying to trick Johnson into signing…and he isn’t solving the problem.

He can get away with saying it at forward because they have invested an absurd percentage of high end draft capital into it…and a ton of other draft capital as well. Those will inevitably fill top 9 holes for years to come.

His plan at goal is to bank on one guy who has never played a pro game for the next…five years? and his plan at D is nonexistent.

 

[Gras]

He played that card more than once in the same offseason. It’s one thing to use it when addressing forward…they had two rookies who earned a real chance in Quinn and Peterka.

But he also used it in goal. Which was utter f***ing nonsense. Levi wasnt taking a spot this year. It would be an egregious mistake to expect him to take one next year either. So he was holding the spot until 2024-25? That’s the plan people believe in? Just scrap heap guys who blow but are cheap for two years?

And it doesn’t explain the “plan” at defense whatsoever. There’s nothing coming other than trying to trick Johnson into signing…and he isn’t solving the problem.

He can get away with saying it at forward because they have invested an absurd percentage of high end draft capital into it…and a ton of other draft capital as well. Those will inevitably fill top 9 holes for years to come.

His plan at goal is to bank on one guy who has never played a pro game for the next…five years? and his plan at D is nonexistent.

So now he has to trick players into signing.

 

[TehDoak]

If you notice, the variance in teams in the playoffs year on year is about 1 in 3 change over the last 5-6 seasons from playoff year to playoff year. Last year, there were only 4 teams bumped out of the previous season's playoff group.

That certainly doesn't mean the Sabres couldn't have made a leap this year. Heck, the Sabres could have been aggressive in adding everything on my wish list and had a key injury or two and be in the same spot. It's the not trying to improve a team that took a step last year that is frustrating.

National reporting on the GM hire is not what I'm talking about. Those folks didn't say that the team was close to being good under Murray or Botts. The regard for the current team on the ice is very different than it has been in the past and that's the point at both the national level to the various regional sports network analysts and color folks. They think and talk about it being better, talking about them no longer being an easy out or easy game.

THN literally has a 2020 vision article about how the Sabres would be the 2020 cup champs in 2015. There was a crazy amount of hype around the Sabres after the 2015 draft.

Who would you say has gotten to that inflection point lately? Edmonton maybe? There aren't many looking at the last five years worth of playoff teams that fit this sort of percolation of talent outside of the Oilers and they have the benefit of a freakish league MVP and one of the best 2C's in the last 10 years. Yes, the move forward could very much start now and should.

The team that springs to mind is the Ottawa. Yes, they made the playoffs twice and had one run to the ECF....but in the last decade there has been a lot of hype about almost being there and just fizzling out, including this year. They even locked up all their young players early to long term deals. They are very much a cautionary tale that skillful team building isn't just drafting a bunch.

All true. Greenway could very well be a well-reasoned and shrewd move since it addressed team needs for size on the wing and a much-needed strong defensive player in their top 9. The Stillman move seems like it could be one too for finding a missing element for the 6 or 7 that was missing after the loss of Fitzgerald. It's a similar player but in a bigger frame. The signs are there that he knows what needs to be improved. He's not stocking NHL players redundantly where he already has depth. While smaller moves, they do show that he's aware of their shortcomings and we should expect him to move for a key improvement over the summer, especially to their defense.

We will see. I personally think we will see one 'big' move (probably a d-man) and a bunch more hedging, specifically in goal and with the forward group.

 

[5 Minute Major]

I almost want to see Levi and Johnson walk just to watch Adams “intentionally hurt the team by failing to address GOALIE AND DEFENSE because I need to trick children into signing here plan“ blows up in his stupid face

 

[Der Jaeger]

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Adams make a significant goalie move in the off season. I think part of his calculus for both Johnson and Levi was to not make any huge moves that could be seen as blocking the path.

I think it’s crazy to go all in at the franchise level on a collegiate goalie. I like Levi but he’s still only in the NCAA. It’s going to take time.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Adams signed both Johnson and Levi, then pulled the trigger in the off season on a goalie like Saros.

 

[joshjull]

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Adams make a significant goalie move in the off season. I think part of his calculus for both Johnson and Levi was to not make any huge moves that could be seen as blocking the path.

I think it’s crazy to go all in at the franchise level on a collegiate goalie. I like Levi but he’s still only in the NCAA. It’s going to take time.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Adams signed both Johnson and Levi, then pulled the trigger in the off season on a goalie like Saros.

Saros would be an amazing add

 

[Der Jaeger]

Talking head syndrome. These guys need to fill a lot of airtime with very little information or content.

As much as Brain Duff grates on my nerves, I respect that he and Biron actually produce a show and prep for the hour. Even when they have guests on, they at least have questions prepared.




This Saros stuff has really grown legs and I haven't really seen anything to convince me he is available. Makes no sense for Nashville.

“Like Saros.” Eg: crappy team that needs an enema, with an amazing goalie that could be used for a reset trade.