Kevyn Adams GM thread

[toddkaz]

IMO in a lot of those cases he didn't have much choice. Many overlook the fact guys don't want to play here. It's hard to get Free Agents to pick the Sabres. They either have to overpay, which IMO is not worth doing, or go after guys that will come here.

Didn't Reinhart want to be here and Adams only gave him a 1 year deal?
Didn't Montour want to be here and Adams only gave him a 1 year deal?
Didn't Ullmark want to be here and Adams only gave him a 1 year deal?

As for the free agents he signed, are you really advocating you take what you can get and that means Adams gets a free pass?

You think players want to go play in Ottawa? They manage to make trades and sign players yet Buffalo is more attractive for tax purposes.

 

[Beerz]

If we are going to use salary as a predictive measurement for the performance of a developing 21 year old defenseman playing 23 minutes a night, then I probably should remind you that Power is earning 900k.



says the guy that berates Power multiple times in every thread daily and starts threads to move him on the main board

So because I think Power should be moved I'm not allowed to make a joke? Get real.

It wasn't even about Power... it was about what it takes for this joke of a franchise to finally make changes.

Spare me your fake outrage.

 

[Gras]

Didn't Reinhart want to be here and Adams only gave him a 1 year deal?
Didn't Montour want to be here and Adams only gave him a 1 year deal?
Didn't Ullmark want to be here and Adams only gave him a 1 year deal?

As for the free agents he signed, are you really advocating you take what you can get and that means Adams gets a free pass?

Sam went to Arbitration when he signed his last deal under Adams

Montour was 1 yr from UFA when he signed the 1yr under Adams

Ullmark was 1 yr from UFA when he signed under Adams

You think any of them wanted to sign long term when they signed those comtracts during the horrid Coved seasons and not knowing the direction the team would go.

The best chance to have signed Sam long term was when he did his 2yr deal under Boots.

 

[toddkaz]

Sam went to Arbitration when he signed his last deal under Adams

Montour was 1 yr from UFA when he signed the 1yr under Adams

Ullmark was 1 yr from UFA when he signed under Adams

You think any of them wanted to sign long term when they signed those comtracts during the horrid Coved seasons and not knowing the direction the team would go.

The best chance to have signed Sam long term was when he did his 2yr deal under Boots.

Yes, you are just posting the process but these guys all said they wanted to be here and arbitration is avoidable and Adams has every opportunity to sign them to long term deals.

Power was signed after 1 season so yes at any time during Adams could have signed them to long term contracts if he wanted to. Ullmark said he wanted to be here.

Throwing covid out there is just a smoke screen. The guys say they want to be here then sign them to long term deals.

You are just making excuses for Adams losing Ullmark and Reinhart to a lesser extent Montour.

 

[Gras]

Yes, you are just posting the process but these guys all said they wanted to be here and arbitration is avoidable and Adams has every opportunity to sign them to long term deals.

Power was signed after 1 season so yes at any time during Adams could have signed them to long term contracts if he wanted to. Ullmark said he wanted to be here.

Throwing covid out there is just a smoke screen.

Ullmark wanted to be here, but wanted to test UFA and wanted more term and $$ than he took in his UFA deal from BOS.

Covid isnt a smokescreen, you have to look at the whole picture not just, Adams could have signed them in a vacuum. We dont know the intimate details of any of the negotiations.

 

[toddkaz]

Ullmark wanted to be here, but wanted to test UFA and wanted more term and $$ than he took in his UFA deal from BOS.

Covid isnt a smokescreen, you have to look at the whole picture not just, Adams could have signed them in a vacuum. We dont know the intimate details of any of the negotiations.

Ullmark wanted 4 million and Buffalo was offering 1.8 million so Buffalo signed Ullmark to a 1 year contract avoiding arbitration. They signed Ullmark at 2.6 million for 1 year knowing he would go to free agency if they don't get him signed.

They could have signed Ullmark long term at around 4 million but Adams kicked the can down the road and lost.

 

[HOOats]

Didn't Reinhart want to be here and Adams only gave him a 1 year deal?
Didn't Montour want to be here and Adams only gave him a 1 year deal?
Didn't Ullmark want to be here and Adams only gave him a 1 year deal?

As for the free agents he signed, are you really advocating you take what you can get and that means Adams gets a free pass?

You think players want to go play in Ottawa? They manage to make trades and sign players yet Buffalo is more attractive for tax purposes.

If you think Reinhart wanted to be here long-term, I've got an abandoned bar on Chippewa to sell you (also willing to trade for a property in Florida).

 

[Gras]

Ullmark wanted 4 million and Buffalo was offering 1.8 million so Buffalo signed Ullmark to a 1 year contract avoiding arbitration. They signed Ullmark at 2.6 million for 1 year knowing he would go to free agency if they don't get him signed.

They could have signed Ullmark long term at around 4 million but Adams kicked the can down the road and lost.

If Adams was only offering 1.8 what makes you think he would have been willing to do 3.5-4 on a term deal, Adams could have been offer 2.5 at term which Ullmark could have turned down, since we dont know all the details of the negotiations. You have two numbers, 1.8 and 4, we have not idea if any term was negotiated or not and if they couldnt agree in a term and dollars deal. You are also looking at it in himdsight with what he has done in BOS, assuming he would have had similar numbers if he had played here.

 

[sabremike]

It all comes back to this: Adams is the most comically unqualified person to be given an NHL GM job since noted batshit crazy lunatic Charles Wang promoted his back-up goalie Garth Snow to that position with the Islanders (and that sure worked out great).

 

[Fearnot]

If you think Reinhart wanted to be here long-term, I've got an abandoned bar on Chippewa to sell you (also willing to trade for a property in Florida).

Well he was just not under KA leadership it was a Botts F up. “I’ve truly given it everything I could have,” Reinhart said on a Zoom call. “For whatever reason, my contract situation has led to this point. I had always been prepared to sign long-term. But the reality of the situation was it was kind of led to this, where there was some decisions that had to be made. It was a tough spot to be in for a city that has given you so much over (seven years).”

He never requested a trade but the mantra with the org now is if a player doesn't want to be here they will get someone else and he wasn't interested in another rebuild going forward.

So I guess both of you are right in the fact up until 2021 season he wanted a long term deal done and after another miserable season didn't anymore.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

"I do believe we have to stick together. We have to find solutions and continue to work and come out the other side. I do believe when we come out the other side, we will be stronger for it." - Kevyn Adams

Sounds like a guy who knows he isn't getting fired.

Also Sounds like a guy who isn't going ot make changes.

Who are the proverbial "we"? Are there internal factions that don't agree with the Adams Family agenda?

Don;t you just love it when someone being questions tells you that you just need to trust them that everything will turn out all right?

What a POS politician this guy is...... Don't try toblow smoke up my a@@ Sonny.... I was coaching hockey before you were born.....

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

If you think Reinhart wanted to be here long-term, I've got an abandoned bar on Chippewa to sell you (also willing to trade for a property in Florida).

I attended Hutch Tech back when Chippawa was truly the exposed sewer of the city.

Every morning walking down that street from the bus stop on Main was an adventure. Practiced a lot of lateral movements (and got good at it) tip-toeing around the previous night's puke and the sleeping bums.

Oh.... those were the days.....! lol!

 

[SundherDome]

Didn't Reinhart want to be here and Adams only gave him a 1 year deal?
Didn't Montour want to be here and Adams only gave him a 1 year deal?
Didn't Ullmark want to be here and Adams only gave him a 1 year deal?

As for the free agents he signed, are you really advocating you take what you can get and that means Adams gets a free pass?

You think players want to go play in Ottawa? They manage to make trades and sign players yet Buffalo is more attractive for tax purposes.

I don't think any of that is true.

Reinhart noted he did not want to be a part of a rebuild. So if they were rebuilding, to move him.

Montour wasn't doing well here and talked about wanting to get back to the playoffs ASAP

Ullmark was apparently offered the same deal he has now from Adams but picked Boston at the last minute

 

[May Day 10]

It all comes back to this: Adams is the most comically unqualified person to be given an NHL GM job since noted batshit crazy lunatic Charles Wang promoted his back-up goalie Garth Snow to that position with the Islanders (and that sure worked out great).

Pretty much this.

Adams had no comparable experience. He got the job because pegula likes him and he was willing to sell his soul and fire a bunch of people during the pandemic. Bad karma/mojo.

 

[TehDoak]

If Adams gets promoted, there's like a 90% chance Karmanos would become the GM. I'm not sure how much would change.

I mean, the whole point of the promotion is to essentially let someone more qualified than him do the actual front office work while he essentially is an over titled office manager at the arena. But after so many GM/Coaching changes, this gives the 'appearance' of continuity.

 

[toddkaz]

I don't think any of that is true.

Reinhart noted he did not want to be a part of a rebuild. So if they were rebuilding, to move him.

Montour wasn't doing well here and talked about wanting to get back to the playoffs ASAP

Ullmark was apparently offered the same deal he has now from Adams but picked Boston at the last minute

All three of them at some point in their career said they wanted to be here.

Adams walked Ullmark to free agency before he signed elsewhere. Ullmark never should have went to free agency and wanted to sign here then when he hit free agency he went somewhere else.

Thats not saying you don't want to be here. Thats a GM refusing to offer an acceptable contract. Adams had every opportunity to sign Ullmark long term and gave him a 1 year deal.

Not sure how you can walk someone to free agency kicking the can down the road and refusing to pay Ullmark the 4 million he asked for and then him going to free agency can be taken as him not wanting to be here. I take it as Adams refusing to sign him long term when Adams had the opportunity but only offered him a 1 year contract.


By the sounds if it Adams didn't even offer Ullmark a contract and then when Boston came knocking, Adams said ok we will match! To me thats a snake thing to do. Its like you aren't even capable of negotiating a contract until Boston decided what Ullmark is worth. Adams lied about it, Adams said it was a priority to sign Ullmark and in reality Adams let Ullmark walk. Ullmark doesn't sound like a guy excited to hit free agency. He sounds like a guy who was willing to sign in Buffalo and Adams didn't take it seriously.

So after Ullmark worked out a deal with Boston then Adams said ok ok we will match! Give me a break, why didn't he just offer him the contract in the first place. Adams let him walk.

Show me where Adams even offered Ullmark that 5 year x 4 million or 5 year x 5 million contract? I have looked. I didn't see where Ullmark turned down that 20 million dollar contract before Ullmark went to free agency. Then I will agree Ullmark didn't want to be here.

Sabres want to re-sign goalie Linus Ullmark: ‘A priority for us’ - Buffalo Hockey Beat

The Sabres sorely need to re-sign goalie Linus Ullmark, who can become an unrestricted free agent following the season.

www.buffalohockeybeat.com

 

[Mattilaus]

All three of them at some point in their career said they wanted to be here.

Adams walked Ullmark to free agency before he signed elsewhere. Ullmark never should have went to free agency and wanted to sign here then when he hit free agency he went somewhere else.

Thats not saying you don't want to be here. Thats a GM refusing to offer an acceptable contract. Adams had every opportunity to sign Ullmark long term and gave him a 1 year deal.

Not sure how you can walk someone to free agency kicking the can down the road and refusing to pay Ullmark the 4 million he asked for and then him going to free agency can be taken as him not wanting to be here. I take it as Adams refusing to sign him long term when Adams had the opportunity but only offered him a 1 year contract.


By the sounds if it Adams didn't even offer Ullmark a contract and then when Boston came knocking, Adams said ok we will match! To me thats a snake thing to do. Its like you aren't even capable of negotiating a contract until Boston decided what Ullmark is worth. Adams lied about it, Adams said it was a priority to sign Ullmark and in reality Adams let Ullmark walk. Ullmark doesn't sound like a guy excited to hit free agency. He sounds like a guy who was willing to sign in Buffalo and Adams didn't take it seriously.

So after Ullmark worked out a deal with Boston then Adams said ok ok we will match! Give me a break, why didn't he just offer him the contract in the first place. Adams let him walk.
View attachment 795048

Show me where Adams even offered Ullmark that 5 year x 4 million or 5 year x 5 million contract? I have looked. I didn't see where Ullmark turned down that 20 million dollar contract before Ullmark went to free agency. Then I will agree Ullmark didn't want to be here.

Sabres want to re-sign goalie Linus Ullmark: ‘A priority for us’ - Buffalo Hockey Beat

The Sabres sorely need to re-sign goalie Linus Ullmark, who can become an unrestricted free agent following the season.

www.buffalohockeybeat.com

I think Adams deserves flack here for sure, but you are making just as many assumptions here as the other side saying we tried our damnedest to sign Ullmark and he just wanted to leave. Sorry but I don't care when players talk about "wanting to be here", that is what they have to say in public and they largely do to a fault.

Here is a totally realistic scenario which fits with everything we do know, which runs counter to your assumptions:

Adams and Ullmark can't agree on term/money so they agree to a 1 year deal and to work on an extension in season and during the summer. Adams doesn't trade Ullmark because he is reasonably confident they will get a deal done, after all, Ullmark has said he wants to stay right?

They hit some snags and it gets to FA. Adams tells Ullmark he really wants a deal done and that if Ullmark gets another offer, he will match it. Ullmark gets the offer from Boston and he takes it instead of letting Buffalo match because Buffalo is a shit show and despite what he said, he really wanted out to go play for a winner.

The simple truth is we don't know enough of the facts and likely never will to be able to determine if it was Buffalo that spurned Ullmark or the other way around.

However, i do agree with you that if Adams had the chance to sign Ullmark long term at 4 million the year before, he should have and he is an absolute idiot for not doing it.

 

[OkimLom]

Things happen, Ullmark didn't sign with Buffalo. Adams needed to move on, and at the end of the day, it's a results based business (well, in most typical situations) and where the rubber meets the road is Adams' response to going to plan B and plan C if something doesn't work out initially.

Quite frankly, IMO, it's been a poor response from him. He's had multiple seasons now where he could've gotten a veteran starting goaltender that was young enough to be a placeholder for multiple seasons until the future "planned starter" (Levi) was ready, but old enough to be a calming presence in the net to help a developing team.

I can forgive him for not signing Ullmark, but his plans after that happened come off very messy. It feels like when he's not able to stick with his plan A, he hasn't recovered well when he has to pivot or there's a change in plans.

Now if his plan was not to sign Ullmark, or wasn't really interested to sign him, that's another topic, but some things even Adams can't control, but Adams should have the capability to change gears when required.

 

[May Day 10]

The sad thing is that Adams is here for the long haul, as engrained and trusted as Larry Quinn once was, but somehow worse.

I think even if the Sabres dropped to #32 this season and next, it wouldnt cost Adams his job. He will be here at least until 2026, and I would be the first time the Sabres go on a 4 game winning streak, that rube owner we have grants him and Granato or Appert another extension.

 

[toddkaz]

Things happen, Ullmark didn't sign with Buffalo. Adams needed to move on, and at the end of the day, it's a results based business (well, in most typical situations) and where the rubber meets the road is Adams' response to going to plan B and plan C if something doesn't work out initially.

Quite frankly, IMO, it's been a poor response from him. He's had multiple seasons now where he could've gotten a veteran starting goaltender that was young enough to be a placeholder for multiple seasons until the future "planned starter" (Levi) was ready, but old enough to be a calming presence in the net to help a developing team.

I can forgive him for not signing Ullmark, but his plans after that happened come off very messy. It feels like when he's not able to stick with his plan A, he hasn't recovered well when he has to pivot or there's a change in plans.

Now if his plan was not to sign Ullmark, or wasn't really interested to sign him, that's another topic, but some things even Adams can't control, but Adams should have the capability to change gears when required.

I didn't want Ullmark to turn into pages but people quote me and say he didn't want to be here and I am wrong then I am going to defend my position and post the timelines as such because people don't bother to go look and see what happened themselves.

That being said, I do believe Adam;s moves are a cumulative effect and it seems like the players Adams lets go move on to be successful while Buffalo continues to lose, Ullmark, Eichel, ROR, Reinhart and so on.

There is two issues I see that are a part of the bigger picture.

1) We keep losing players who don't want to be here or we don't want and they go on to be successful.
2) We bring in players who do want to be here (good vibes) yet the on ice product is terrible.

If Adams and Granato are fired and we get a new GM and Coach is it really gonna change these two points? I have a feeling it wont.

It feels like we are forcing some sort of belief system onto the team and players and if they don't fall in line they are cancers or unwanted. The only problem is that belief system is run by people who haven't won anything.

This "Good Vibes" system isn't working and its making this organization look like a clown show.

 

[Sabretooth]

You guys are really missing the big picture here. Adams is demonstrating he's learning from past mistakes. If it weren't for the failures of not extending ullmark, reinhart, and montour, we'd never have cozens, power, and samuelson signed til forever at this point!!

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Ullmark wanted 4 million and Buffalo was offering 1.8 million so Buffalo signed Ullmark to a 1 year contract avoiding arbitration. They signed Ullmark at 2.6 million for 1 year knowing he would go to free agency if they don't get him signed.

They could have signed Ullmark long term at around 4 million but Adams kicked the can down the road and lost.

But everything has gone so well since he left, so it doesn't matter

Just sweep it under the carpet with the rest of the skeletons

 

[stealth1]

Things happen, Ullmark didn't sign with Buffalo. Adams needed to move on, and at the end of the day, it's a results based business (well, in most typical situations) and where the rubber meets the road is Adams' response to going to plan B and plan C if something doesn't work out initially.

Quite frankly, IMO, it's been a poor response from him. He's had multiple seasons now where he could've gotten a veteran starting goaltender that was young enough to be a placeholder for multiple seasons until the future "planned starter" (Levi) was ready, but old enough to be a calming presence in the net to help a developing team.

I can forgive him for not signing Ullmark, but his plans after that happened come off very messy. It feels like when he's not able to stick with his plan A, he hasn't recovered well when he has to pivot or there's a change in plans.

Now if his plan was not to sign Ullmark, or wasn't really interested to sign him, that's another topic, but some things even Adams can't control, but Adams should have the capability to change gears when required.

He has tried with 2 goalies that played well as backups on other teams. It's not his fault that Hutton and Comrie didn't live up to expectations. Goalies are hard to figure out if they will be good or not. Teams that have the best ones aren't giving them up.

I didn't want Ullmark to turn into pages but people quote me and say he didn't want to be here and I am wrong then I am going to defend my position and post the timelines as such because people don't bother to go look and see what happened themselves.

That being said, I do believe Adam;s moves are a cumulative effect and it seems like the players Adams lets go move on to be successful while Buffalo continues to lose, Ullmark, Eichel, ROR, Reinhart and so on.

There is two issues I see that are a part of the bigger picture.

1) We keep losing players who don't want to be here or we don't want and they go on to be successful.
2) We bring in players who do want to be here (good vibes) yet the on ice product is terrible.

If Adams and Granato are fired and we get a new GM and Coach is it really gonna change these two points? I have a feeling it wont.

It feels like we are forcing some sort of belief system onto the team and players and if they don't fall in line they are cancers or unwanted. The only problem is that belief system is run by people who haven't won anything.

This "Good Vibes" system isn't working and its making this organization look like a clown show.

Good Vibes may not be working but I don't think the Sabres have much of a choice other than getting guys through trades. Guys don't want to play here. Sure you can trade for better players and he's done that with adding Greenway.

As it's been said many times, the type of players the Sabres need to improve with a lot of teams need the same thing. Would it really be worth it to give up Savoie, Ostlund and a 1st for guys that may help for a year or two to end the drought?

 

[OkimLom]

He has tried with 2 goalies that played well as backups on other teams. It's not his fault that Hutton and Comrie didn't live up to expectations. Goalies are hard to figure out if they will be good or not. Teams that have the best ones aren't giving them up.

The top 5 goalies aren't getting moved. But we didn't need a top 5 goalie to be able to fill the role of a solid starter. And an eye of talent evaluation at the management level, should be able to determine how much of a system plays into a goaltender's performance, whether or not a season is an outlier, and other matters when it comes scouting players (hopefully a team hopes to have a team of scouts that could help with that). It's very much Adams' responsibility to make sure he has the team, the coaching, and the support needed to get the best out of the players.

Comrie was a terrible goaltender, even as a backup. He had one outlier of a decent season, and lo and behold Buffalo gets him the next season. Hutton he somewhat gets a pass for me just based on the vision issues he was facing. It was pretty obvious he was a product of the St Louis defensive system though.

 

[May Day 10]

Give David Poile $3-5 Million/year for 5 years.

Full autonomy. Little to no budget constraints (within reason). Build from the top down. Spread word throughout the hockey universe that there is an "Under New Management" sign on the front lawn. Hell, even put one out in front of the actual arena for marketing.

Poile is retired, but might relish the role of building (re-building) an historic franchise like this. Whoever he hires as the GM will do all the heavy lifting. That much money is an offer difficult to refuse.

Instant credibilty.