Kevyn Adams GM thread

[Sabresfansince1980]

There's plenty of inexperience to blame for how they play, but it doesn't work for Tuch, Skinner, or Okposo. What's the reason for their terrible play? Granato and the staff are responsible, at least in part, to have the group ready at puck drop, and to correct the same dumb mistakes happening since game one (and last season).

 

[PatLaFontaineASMR]

In 4 years, what culture has he built?

It's certainly not a culture of being prepared for the season to start, or for home games, or playing a winning brand of hockey.

We've seen a lot of young players take massive strides in their game. Like Tage, Mitts, Tuch, and Dahlin have taken huge leaps forward. There's been a lot of positives for a team that looked devoid of talent 3 years ago.

I agree though. At some point you gotta start winning games. Feel like we're the Rangers and Donny G is our David Quinn. Might need a Gallant.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Emotions are high after a loss, and it is understandable frustrating, but the current plan has been in motion for three season, not four. Adams' first season the team decisions were absolutely influenced by others and not Adams and Granato.

So here we are, three years in, and the team is the youngest in the league and most of the up and coming players are in their early 20s. That is the reality. So either you except the reality and be patient, or you demand playoffs now, which requires a roster overhaul with older, more mature players.

What would that look like?

You fire Adams, and the new GM is given a playoff ultimatum. The way this current team makes the playoffs is by moving out valuable assets for guys that can perform now. Those trades likely involve moving Cozens, Power, Levi, Peterka and a few of the high end prospects on the farm. In return the team gets older vets coming up on UFA status or that are starting to decline and signed long term, but they are more competitive and they push this team into the playoffs. The team can't get out of the second round because there is not enough cap or depth to build the team right, but they will get you to the postseason 2 or 3 years before the UFAs move on to bigger cities and the older guys become boat anchors that prevent the team from competing while their sunset contracts sink the cap for half a decade.

That is not a great long term plan.

When your team has 9 guys that are 23 or younger and 16 guys that are 25 or younger playing significant roles on your team, there are going to be lot of wild, inconsistent efforts. Ups and downs. Good games and Bad games. The good news is that they will get better. The bad news is that it is going to take time.

Having 9 guys 23 and younger is unacceptable - that’s far too much youth to give fans a consistently enjoyable product, and chance to win when you attend a $100+ game.

 

[toddkaz]

Granato needs to go. This team is not prepared and it shows.

If this team misses the playoffs this year someone's head needs to roll even if its just assistants. You cant possibly want another off season like this with the same guys and same team.

Maybe they turn it around but I dont see it happening.

 

[BFLO]

It's a culture where players aren't demanding trades to leave the team, and it is a culture where everyone wants to be here and is willing to sign long term.

Not too long ago no one was signing extensions and all UFAs had a foot out the door in their contract years.

Now, the rfa's are signing team friendly deals when compared to what many other teams are having to pony up to keep their players, and guys want to stay.

It's a huge improvement.

We seem to have different definitions of what "pony up" means. Adams wasn't willing to pony up to keep Ullmark or Reinhart, but he has been willing to pony up to keep Dahlin, Tage, Cozens, Samulesson. And they didn't sign here for less because "They wanted to be here", they signed for less because Adams took a risk and signed Tage, Cozens and Samulesson before they had broken out.

He has also been willing to pony up for guys like Okposo, Jost, Girgs, Lybushkin, Clifton and Ej when they should be earning a lot less.

Like if he had actually created a culture where guys wanted to be here without an overpay then why are Okposo, Jost and Girgs making a combined $7mil? When they are worth a combined $2.4mil?

Why are Clifton and Ej getting paid a combined $6.55m when they are worth maybe half of that?

Honestly, all the things you are complaining about is on the coaching staff, not the GM.

So many posters are in denial on the coaching failures of this team and want to pin it all on Adams. You can blame Adams for keeping Granato, but then you should be screaming for a coaching replacement not a GM replacement. Don't blame a GM for the failed prep or game plan.

You left out the part where the GM is responsible for hiring the coach.

 

[TehDoak]

My current thought process is:

You "reward" Adams for his loyalty and fiscal responsibility by "promoting" him to Team President. He didn't entangle the team is bad long term deals or quick fixes. The team is flush with prospects.

And you bring someone in from the outside with a proven track record to be the GM and do a top down evaluation. Do a deep dive on the roster and the prospect pool. Find some good metrics to evaluate the coaching staff.

I don't think you a full gut/changeover of the front office is good for anyone at this point. I DO think a new, experienced, voice is needed in the front office to transition this team from a feel good friendship circle to an actual winning hockey team.

Let Adams speak to the media, manage the Pegulas, and give him a voice at the table. But let someone else do the actual architecture and heavy lifting.

 

[Dirty Dog]

This is going to be a hilarious thread to revisit when this core is perennial contender

 

[Irie]

We seem to have different definitions of what "pony up" means. Adams wasn't willing to pony up to keep Ullmark or Reinhart, but he has been willing to pony up to keep Dahlin, Tage, Cozens, Samulesson. And they didn't sign here for less because "They wanted to be here", they signed for less because Adams took a risk and signed Tage, Cozens and Samulesson before they had broken out.

He has also been willing to pony up for guys like Okposo, Jost, Girgs, Lybushkin, Clifton and Ej when they should be earning a lot less.

Like if he had actually created a culture where guys wanted to be here without an overpay then why are Okposo, Jost and Girgs making a combined $7mil? When they are worth a combined $2.4mil?

Why are Clifton and Ej getting paid a combined $6.55m when they are worth maybe half of that?

You are acting like one year deals when the team has cap flexibility for one year is a big financial commitment

It's disingenuous when there is cap space.

This team will have cap casualties this next off-season, but this year, they were cap flexible, so bringing in Johnson and overpaying the other UFAs on one year deals has zero future repercussions

The cost of Clifton is the reality of the UFA market.

Reinhart wanted out. We do not know the specifics of his previous RFA deal or who was pulling the strings in 2020, I think Krueger had way more pull with the Pegulas than the Adams haters are willing to admit. And you can't really sign a guy that won't sign, but trading him for Levi and Kulich is a pretty great return for a player demanding a trade.

You left out the part where the GM is responsible for hiring the coach.

No, I didn't.

You can blame Adams for keeping Granato, but then you should be screaming for a coaching replacement not a GM replacement.

 

[Archie Lee]

My current thought process is:

You "reward" Adams for his loyalty and fiscal responsibility by "promoting" him to Team President. He didn't entangle the team is bad long term deals or quick fixes. The team is flush with prospects.

And you bring someone in from the outside with a proven track record to be the GM and do a top down evaluation. Do a deep dive on the roster and the prospect pool. Find some good metrics to evaluate the coaching staff.

I don't think you a full gut/changeover of the front office is good for anyone at this point. I DO think a new, experienced, voice is needed in the front office to transition this team from a feel good friendship circle to an actual winning hockey team.

Let Adams speak to the media, manage the Pegulas, and give him a voice at the table. But let someone else do the actual architecture and heavy lifting.

It’s going to take some kind of Jedi mind-trick to get the “you” that you refer to, to promote Adams to President so he can “manage the Pegulas”.

 

[MOGlLNY]

My current thought process is:

You "reward" Adams for his loyalty and fiscal responsibility by "promoting" him to Team President. He didn't entangle the team is bad long term deals or quick fixes. The team is flush with prospects.

And you bring someone in from the outside with a proven track record to be the GM and do a top down evaluation. Do a deep dive on the roster and the prospect pool. Find some good metrics to evaluate the coaching staff.

I don't think you a full gut/changeover of the front office is good for anyone at this point. I DO think a new, experienced, voice is needed in the front office to transition this team from a feel good friendship circle to an actual winning hockey team.

Let Adams speak to the media, manage the Pegulas, and give him a voice at the table. But let someone else do the actual architecture and heavy lifting.

To be completely honest, I would give Karmanos full reign as I think he would be the best candidate. If it ever came to that.

But I get why getting a voice from the outside would be a more apt approach.

 

[Irie]

Having 9 guys 23 and younger is unacceptable - that’s far too much youth to give fans a consistently enjoyable product, and chance to win when you attend a $100+ game.

That is fair, and I won't disagree as I have said for a couple of seasons that this team is not built to win now due to it's makeup.

I don't agree with a lot of Adams choices, but this team needs front office stability more than it needs a GM change. Replacing Adams likely restarts the rebuild in a different direction.

I think at this stage this team has to see this rebuild through or risk becoming the NHLs version of the Raiders..

Coaching change is were the changes should start. At the very least there should be assistant changes. I can't count how many times I posted this team needs a proven NHL assistant for the D zone and special teams the past two seasons. It is into the dozens though.

 

[slip]

I just want to know what he was ingesting prior to handing that contract to Power.

 

[toddkaz]

This is going to be a hilarious thread to revisit when this core is perennial contender

How many more years do we have to wait? Just so I can bookmark it.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

This is going to be a hilarious thread to revisit when this core is perennial contender

It will be hilarious to the last three people who are still posting here by that time.

People like you said the same thing when most of us were complaining about Botteril, and yet we’re still sitting here, years away from a team you can count on to play a game worth watching…and even further away from a playoff game.

Your standards are in the toilet, and your sense of humor is too if you think it’s “hilarious” to wait five years to be able to laugh at someone.

I just want to know what he was ingesting prior to handing that contract to Power.

Granato said Power and Dahlin were sucking because they were worried about their contracts, so Adams rushed to get it signed. Granato said as much on the podium.

Maybe Power wasn’t preoccupied with the contract, maybe he just wasn’t playing well enough to be handed so much responsibility.

 

[zenthusiast]

Is there a simple list of what players each GM acquired during our extended rise to slightly above the gutter? The timeline is muddled in my head

 

[Chainshot]

Is there a simple list of what players each GM acquired during our extended rise to slightly above the gutter? The timeline is muddled in my head

This is handy but not necessarily completely accurate -

History of hockey trades by general manager - NHL Trade Tracker

Same goes for this one -

Hockey Draft Pick Transactions

This tool can also be helpful since it often has the link to the press release about a move (though some have become obsolete over time):

Elite Prospects - Hockey Players, Stats and Transactions

Ice Hockey Player Database and Transaction Portal

www.eliteprospects.com

 

[Dirty Dog]

It will be hilarious to the last three people who are still posting here by that time.

People like you said the same thing when most of us were complaining about Botteril, and yet we’re still sitting here, years away from a team you can count on to play a game worth watching…and even further away from a playoff game.

Your standards are in the toilet, and your sense of humor is too if you think it’s “hilarious” to wait five years to be able to laugh at someone.

Playoffs aren't going to be the same this year without you posting here. At least, I assume you won't be supporting their playoff run!

 

[TehDoak]

It’s going to take some kind of Jedi mind-trick to get the “you” that you refer to, to promote Adams to President so he can “manage the Pegulas”.

You aren't wrong.

I think the only way that happens is if the Pegulas simply realize he isn't "the guy" to build their team and they don't want to keep paying him to do nothing so he gets "promoted" to basically be the Pegulas eyes and ears in the organization and a person they trust so the GM doesn't go behind their back.

 

[Irie]

Do any of you honestly trust that Terry Pegula will actually make the right choice and hire a better GM if he fires Adams and not make things worse?

Careful what you wish for.

 

[joshjull]

The rants and agenda pushing in here are something else.

This team struggled out of the gate going 1-3 in the first 4 games. Only win was in OT. It was due to our best players not playing at their best. Especially our top line shitting the bed. We should have been able to rely on Skinner/Tage/Tuch to be a driving force. They've been one of the best lines in the NHL over the previous 1+1/3 seasons. Instead, they were the problem. Only 2 points between them.

It's the job of your core to be the driving force of the team. When they aren't, it's tough sledding.

We actually had a good depth line with Greenway/Mitts/Benson. Had the top line been anywhere near its normal level of play it would be a nice 1 -2 punch. But instead, we had to break up that line in an attempt to our top guys going. We've gone 4-3 since then. Our top guys as a group still aren't where them need to be. Until they are, we're going to have the disjointed play. But there is no reason they can't get back to that level.

 

[Irie]

My current thought process is:

You "reward" Adams for his loyalty and fiscal responsibility by "promoting" him to Team President. He didn't entangle the team is bad long term deals or quick fixes. The team is flush with prospects.

And you bring someone in from the outside with a proven track record to be the GM and do a top down evaluation. Do a deep dive on the roster and the prospect pool. Find some good metrics to evaluate the coaching staff.

I don't think you a full gut/changeover of the front office is good for anyone at this point. I DO think a new, experienced, voice is needed in the front office to transition this team from a feel good friendship circle to an actual winning hockey team.

Let Adams speak to the media, manage the Pegulas, and give him a voice at the table. But let someone else do the actual architecture and heavy lifting.

If only the impossible were possible.....

While I really like the concept and forethought of your plan, I think reality intervenes.

First, no respected and qualified GM is going to come into the situation and not be inclined to blow it up to remake the rebuild in their preferred way, which typically is going to be a reset and set the team back at least a season as a new coach and new players are developing chemistry and getting up to speed.

Second, which respected and qualified GM is going to take the position in Buffalo while the owner is in essence the operating manager. That is a tough sell, and any candidates with a proven track record are probably going to steer clear. (thinking Adams can "manage" the Pegulas is silly)

This is why we get Tim Murray. Jason Bottterill, Kevyn Adams....

The guys with promise that will be willing to take the job are guys like Mathieu Darche or Ray Whitney, and while one of them may be better than Adams, there is a chance they will be worse than Tim Murray.

 

[Chainshot]

 

[jd1970]

Can we send this guy down to the bush leagues?

 

[SharkInABoloTie]

Our reporters need to do their job and really lay into this bum. But lets be real, they wont. He wouldnt give a thoughtful answer anyway.

 

[Ace]

Things will turn around once he lands that forward he’s somehow convinced people he’s been after for five months and counting.

Cant wait for a fifth offseason of futility and then feigning surprise at the results.

Years away. Still. Just throwing kids onto a flaming mess.