Kevyn Adams GM thread

[Ace]

Bottom line is Granato and Adams aren't going anywhere, so you all may as well strap yourself in or abandon ship.

For how long? Next year will be year five of the Adams plan of inaction. We flop again…and there is zero reason to expect an other result…we just roll into year six?

How long does Granato survive Adams‘s disastrous reign of boredom? Someone always pays the price eventually. When they fire Ellis this year as their token change…bullseye moves firmly to Don. Kev will hold out as long as possible keeping him in the crosshairs…but after year six? Seven? How much more expected failure does it take for a move 31 organizations would have made in December?

Given our pro scouting department (lol) and Adams targets thus far…what happens if he starts to actually try and makes things even worse? Year eight? Because even that…we’re already halfway there

 

[TageGod]

ANY time you can add elements to your team is a good time to add them. There are elements to this team that still lack, IMO, that you were not getting from any prospects currently in the system, that they felt they needed to gift a spot to, I mean, not block. The management, development, coaching, and scouting department are all being paid to determining the quality of the path a player is on. If they can't see where a player is headed without being on the main roster, then they shouldn't be in the organization.

This is just false. Countless players, especially on the Sabres, were AHL stars but couldn't make it in the NHL. You never know. You have to look at them in the NHL or you will never know.

 

[Gorskyontario]

My worst nightmare is when Dahlin gets tired of losing and asks out like Eichel did. I would not blame him at this point.

 

[SabresNorth]

My worst nightmare is when Dahlin gets tired of losing and asks out like Eichel did. I would not blame him at this point.

I think if we don't have some big additions to the squad this summer it'll be more then Dahlin wanting out. How many guys are going to sit there listening to the gm say the problem is lack of effort year in year out when the front office idea of effort is sitting on their hands?

 

[Ace]

The difference between Dahlin and Jack is that Rasmus is pretty obviously obsessed with being a part of the solution and leading them out of this. Jack didn’t carry that…it’s not what drove him. I mean….yeah…give it more years of disaster and anyone will break. But what drives Rasmus and what drives Eichel don’t appear to be quite the same thing. Jack wanted to win as bad as anyone…but he was part of the culture problem and looked like he wanted to die every time things didn’t go his way. Dahlin bears down and uses it as motivation. He just has far too much put on his plate because the organization will not help him. The more he feels he has to do the harder it is to do it at an elite level. Everything comes back to this organization putting its players in position to fail.

 

[Irie]

Trades are the best option for adding talent, IMO. The challenge is that Adams has not been afraid to pass on deals where he felt the ask was too much.

He seems to be in the Regier mold of trying "win trades" as opposed to other GMs who care more about filling needs on their rosters.



But, in general, big money, long term UFA contracts do tend to be regrettable before they expire. Okposo and Skinner have both been contracts of late that did not age well, for instance.

Trades are the solution, but trades are really hard. Posters will say "That's just an excuse to defend Adams!", but here is the thing, I don't even like Adams, but I do like honesty and reality. I don't necessarily believe it is about having to "win" a trade, you just can't get taken to the cleaners.

Almost every player in the league with term that we are looking for will not be available. The only good players with term that are available will be older guys that are overpaid and their team needs to shed cap. Unfortunately, the Sabres are now entering a constrained cap situation, and adding any over-priced contract is going to cost the team one of the young talented players as a cap casualty.

The best solution is finding a diamond in the rough that has not yet broken out, like a Toews situation on long-island, but those opportunities are few and far between and require a lot of scouting skill and a fair amount of luck. 95% of GMs will never find a deal like that in their entire career. Some posters are expecting Adams to find multiple players that way, which is, of course, a pipe dream.

 

[Jim Bob]

Trades are the solution, but trades are really hard. Posters will say "That's just an excuse to defend Adams!", but here is the thing, I don't even like Adams, but I do like honesty and reality. I don't necessarily believe it is about having to "win" a trade, you just can't get taken to the cleaners.

Almost every player in the league with term that we are looking for will not be available. The only good players with term that are available will be older guys that are overpaid and their team needs to shed cap. Unfortunately, the Sabres are now entering a constrained cap situation, and adding any over-priced contract is going to cost the team one of the young talented players as a cap casualty.

The best solution is finding a diamond in the rough that has not yet broken out, like a Toews situation on long-island, but those opportunities are few and far between and require a lot of scouting skill and a fair amount of luck. 95% of GMs will never find a deal like that in their entire career. Some posters are expecting Adams to find multiple players that way, which is, of course, a pipe dream.

Trades are hard.

So is signing big money, long term UFAs to contracts that are not really regrettable.

It is also hard to build a playoff team primarily through drafting and developing without the proper veteran support around the kids coming into the NHL roster.

 

[Irie]

Trades are hard.

So is signing big money, long term UFAs to contracts that are not really regrettable.

It is also hard to build a playoff team primarily through drafting and developing without the proper veteran support around the kids coming into the NHL roster.

You know what isn't hard? Hiring a pro coach with a pro "X's and O's" strategies that don't just rely on an "outwork your opponent" gameplan.

Building a playoff team through the draft should not be this difficult. The miss-steps of "play and develop the kids in the NHL" is on Adam's and Granato. Why anyone would think that would have a positive outcome needs only to look to the many attempts tried in this league in the past to see the fallacy in the endeavor.

They don't need HoF mentors on the roster for the younger players to develop, you just can't have fourteen guys 25 or younger on your twenty-three man roster and expect the players to develop at an optimal pace without tons of frustration.

 

[Jim Bob]

You know what isn't hard? Hiring a pro coach with a pro "X's and O's" strategies that don't just rely on an "outwork your opponent" gameplan.

Building a playoff team through the draft should not be this difficult. The miss-steps of "play and develop the kids in the NHL" is on Adam's and Granato. Why anyone would think that would have a positive outcome needs only to look to the many attempts tried in this league in the past to see the fallacy in the endeavor.

They don't need HoF mentors on the roster for the younger players to develop, you just can't have fourteen guys 25 or younger on your twenty-three man roster and expect the players to develop at an optimal pace without tons of frustration.

Hiring the coach that is right for a team isn't super easy. And getting a coach that people don't gone within 3 years is about as hard as finding a solid trade to make.

None of this stuff is super easy. Especially with everything that has happened with this team over the past decade and a half.

 

[OkimLom]

The difference between Dahlin and Jack is that Rasmus is pretty obviously obsessed with being a part of the solution and leading them out of this. Jack didn’t carry that…it’s not what drove him. I mean….yeah…give it more years of disaster and anyone will break. But what drives Rasmus and what drives Eichel don’t appear to be quite the same thing. Jack wanted to win as bad as anyone…but he was part of the culture problem and looked like he wanted to die every time things didn’t go his way. Dahlin bears down and uses it as motivation. He just has far too much put on his plate because the organization will not help him. The more he feels he has to do the harder it is to do it at an elite level. Everything comes back to this organization putting its players in position to fail.

Jack was expected to carry the organization and became the face of the organization from day 1 when he was drafted. Dahlin has never been given/nor put under that much pressure. Not to mention, and this is a good thing, Granato has relieved a lot of the pressure that Dahlin would have on him otherwise.

Much like Dahlin's 2022-2023 season, which was by far his best season, Jack also had his MVP-level season in 2019-2020 where he literally carried the team through games. The reason why Jack looked like he wanted to die was because he knew, especially post-ROR trade, that if he wasn't able to accomplish something, nobody was able to, and for the majority of the time, he was right.

I understand the emotional purposes of "revisioning" Jack's time here, but I feel a lot of fans don't want to remember or give credit for the sheer crap Jack had to endure here while incompetence reigned in management and the coaching staff, much worse than what Adams and Granato has done here.

 

[Irie]

Hiring the coach that is right for a team isn't super easy. And getting a coach that people don't gone within 3 years is about as hard as finding a solid trade to make.

None of this stuff is super easy. Especially with everything that has happened with this team over the past decade and a half.

I think a lot of people underestimate the raw talent of this current Sabres team and the draw it would have to many accomplished coaches.

If Adams were to agree to work with a new coach to bring in a couple of targeted vets the way he seemed to do with Granato, I think there would be a ton of upside for a lot of guys to be behind the Sabres bench.

All coaches have a shelf life. The hesitancy of bringing one n because they may only be around for a few seasons is misguided.

The real crime is constantly hiring coaches that do not have a track record of NHL success and hoping they may turn out differently.

 

[Gorskyontario]

The difference between Dahlin and Jack is that Rasmus is pretty obviously obsessed with being a part of the solution and leading them out of this. Jack didn’t carry that…it’s not what drove him. I mean….yeah…give it more years of disaster and anyone will break. But what drives Rasmus and what drives Eichel don’t appear to be quite the same thing. Jack wanted to win as bad as anyone…but he was part of the culture problem and looked like he wanted to die every time things didn’t go his way. Dahlin bears down and uses it as motivation. He just has far too much put on his plate because the organization will not help him. The more he feels he has to do the harder it is to do it at an elite level. Everything comes back to this organization putting its players in position to fail.

That is wishful thinking if I have ever seen it. I can see it in their eyes, the good players are tired of losing.

 

[zenthusiast]

It’s important to remember that while Eichel had legitimate grievances with this joke franchise he was and is also independently a huge bitch

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

It’s important to remember that while Eichel had legitimate grievances with this joke franchise he was and is also independently a huge bitch

In other words, it's never as black and white, as many posters seem to make it.

Except when it comes to Skinner

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

My worst nightmare is when Dahlin gets tired of losing and asks out like Eichel did. I would not blame him at this point.

It's not like he's very good this season.

 

[Jim Bob]

I think a lot of people underestimate the raw talent of this current Sabres team and the draw it would have to many accomplished coaches.

If Adams were to agree to work with a new coach to bring in a couple of targeted vets the way he seemed to do with Granato, I think there would be a ton of upside for a lot of guys to be behind the Sabres bench.

All coaches have a shelf life. The hesitancy of bringing one n because they may only be around for a few seasons is misguided.

The real crime is constantly hiring coaches that do not have a track record of NHL success and hoping they may turn out differently.

Whenever you hire a coach with a track record of success, you also get the people questioning their success because they are a retread who has been fired.

Exhibit A: the conversation the last time the Sabres hired a head coach with a Stanley Cup on his resume.

And as far as how attractive the current Sabres job would be is hard for me to really guess at. Most openings are really attractive because there are only 32 of them and you always have more people looking for a job than there are openings.

But, would a team who hasn't made the playoffs in over a decade be a real draw to a coaching candidate with options? Would a team with an owner that wants to be a part of the decision making process and who sits in on scouting meetings be a real draw to a coaching candidate with options?

Maybe. Maybe not.

 

[Irie]

Whenever you hire a coach with a track record of success, you also get the people questioning their success because they are a retread who has been fired.

Exhibit A: the conversation the last time the Sabres hired a head coach with a Stanley Cup on his resume.

And as far as how attractive the current Sabres job would be is hard for me to really guess at. Most openings are really attractive because there are only 32 of them and you always have more people looking for a job than there are openings.

But, would a team who hasn't made the playoffs in over a decade be a real draw to a coaching candidate with options? Would a team with an owner that wants to be a part of the decision making process and who sits in on scouting meetings be a real draw to a coaching candidate with options?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Well you also have to understand what you are getting with each hire. Bylsma is not a strong X's and O's coach. He's is very similar to what they currently have, a coach who depends on his guys out skating and outworking their opponents who had found success in the league with a ridiculously loaded roster and could ride a ton of HoF talent to be the difference on special teams.

He was never a good fit with the roster buffalo had.

Pegula is definitely a problem, and his involvement in hockey operations would likely be a glaring red flag for any quality coach that has options, but coaches negotiate terms during the hiring process. Adams already GMs by committee, is it unrealistic to think that a new coach coming in might not be offered a seat at the management table too?

It may or may not be as big of a problem as we can imagine.... it is definitely a wild card in the scenario though.

As for playoff history, if I am a coach, I am looking at the current roster, farm, and upcoming draft capital situation, and unconcerned about things that transpired years ago.

I am probably more concerned about the weather and the status off the arena being a factor than the "several years ago team performance", tbh.

 

[Jim Bob]

Well you also have to understand what you are getting with each hire. Bylsma is not a strong X's and O's coach. He's is very similar to what they currently have, a coach who depends on his guys out skating and outworking their opponents who had found success in the league with a ridiculously loaded roster and could ride a ton of HoF talent to be the difference on special teams.

He was never a good fit with the roster buffalo had.

Pegula is definitely a problem, and his involvement in hockey operations would likely be a glaring red flag for any quality coach that has options, but coaches negotiate terms during the hiring process. Adams already GMs by committee, is it unrealistic to think that a new coach coming in might not be offered a seat at the management table too?

It may or may not be as big of a problem as we can imagine.... it is definitely a wild card in the scenario though.

As for playoff history, if I am a coach, I am looking at the current roster, farm, and upcoming draft capital situation, and unconcerned about things that transpired years ago.

I am probably more concerned about the weather and the status off the arena being a factor than the "several years ago team performance", tbh.

I would be worried about the extended lack of results under the ownership of someone who wants to be a part of the hockey decisions.

But, I also do not have the arrogance that a lot of NHL head coaches have, either.

 

[TehDoak]

Hiring the coach that is right for a team isn't super easy. And getting a coach that people don't gone within 3 years is about as hard as finding a solid trade to make.

None of this stuff is super easy. Especially with everything that has happened with this team over the past decade and a half.

This is the most correct thing posted in this thread.

Managing a NHL (or any professional sports team for that matter) is extremely difficult. There are a lot of factors at play that none of us even think about.

This is why you don't hire Kevyn, the practice arena manager, to do the job.

This was a bad hiring from the start. It's time to get someone in here and fix this mess.

 

[Jim Bob]

This is the most correct thing posted in this thread.

Managing a NHL (or any professional sports team for that matter) is extremely difficult. There are a lot of factors at play that none of us even think about.

This is why you don't hire Kevyn, the practice arena manager, to do the job.

This was a bad hiring from the start. It's time to get someone in here and fix this mess.

The problem is that building a winner was not the primary ability that Terry Pegula was looking for when replacing Botterill as the GM.

He wanted a GM that would work with him, take the team in the direction he wanted (efficient & economical), and allow him to be a part of the decision making process.

Adams fired the people Pegula wanted fired and has included Terry in the decision making process from all reports.

I doubt there are qualified GM candidates out there that will fit what Pegula wants more than Adams.

 

[TehDoak]

The problem is that building a winner was not the primary ability that Terry Pegula was looking for when replacing Botterill as the GM.

He wanted a GM that would work with him, take the team in the direction he wanted (efficient & economical), and allow him to be a part of the decision making process.

Adams fired the people Pegula wanted fired and has included Terry in the decision making process from all reports.

I doubt there are qualified GM candidates out there that will fit what Pegula wants more than Adams.

You are 100% correct. That was why they hired Adams.

If you aren't running a NHL team to win games, then what is the point? If the team is just a burden of expenses, it's time to move on.

The problem for ownership is there are two ways out of this money pit.

1. Build a legit front office out and provide it the resources needed to build a competitive team, a full arena and playoff revenue will cut into the losses.

2. Sell the team at a massive profit to an owner that is interested in doing 1.

Going forward with a GM that doesn't know how to run a NHL team is just asking for extended mediocrity. That will mean more empty arenas. Last year was best case scenario you can expect from the Adams regime. You get a bunch of players with career years at the same time, you might make the playoffs. But it's not going to be a regular expectation of an Adams built team. Why? Because he simply doesn't know what he is doing. And that isn't his fault. He has no experience or time in a winning front office to know what to do. He is simply making it up as he goes. It's not fair to him and it certainly isn't fair to the fans.

The Pegula ownership here as already lost a generation of fans. A 21 year old has no memories of the last Sabres deep playoff run. They have to right the ship here and fast or this team will die on the vine.

 

[Old Navy Goat]

It makes me laugh this arguing about how involved he is. So what if he sits in meetings, there isn't a single one of us that wouldn't be doing the same. It's amazing that he wants to be kept informed about what's going on, if you ever had employees you do the same. It doesn't mean you give final blessing or override their decisions. It seemed in the early days it was how can he help facilitate things like spending, sending his private jet etc. Even when Ralph wanted to get Hall, it wad how big of a check did he have to write.

As for Adams, after getting screwed by the NHL here's our list of up and coming GMs he picked someone he knew and gave him autonomy to flesh out his front office. I would imagine after losing money for years, seeing shitty team after shitty team that he spent to the cap on that KA saying he wants to tear it down and rebuild made perfect sense.

 

[joshjull]

I think this is false.

If this team re-signs Mitts and UPL and brings in even one more upgrade from outside, something will have to give next off-season. It is doubtful they can afford all of their RFA's unless they plan on running with five or six more ELCs/bargain -bin-UFAs on the roster on top of their already ridiculously young roster, which makes being competitive really difficult.

You assert my post is false. Then proceeded to prove that it isn’t with the rest of your post.

I didn’t say the bolded part of your post. That’s you trying to expand the point I made beyond what it was. But the funny thing is, you prove with the underlined, that even your expanded version is doable.

You just don’t like what the outcome might be and that its a bad idea. Or least what you think the outcome might be.

 

[HaNotsri]

My worst nightmare is when Dahlin gets tired of losing and asks out like Eichel did. I would not blame him at this point.

He is very loyal but at some point enough is enough.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

I expect all UFAs to walk, except maybe Robinson because he'll stay cheap. I expect he and the RFAs to re-sign for around this -

Mitts - 6.5 mil
Krebs - 1.2
Robinson - 1.8
Jokiharju - 3.0
UPL - 3 mil (more of a guess than the others)

I assume Kulich and Rosen will be up or maybe rotate between Rochester and one FW spot, and Levi comes back up. This leaves KA with about 3-3.5 mil in cap space with 1-2 FW spots and a 7th D-man to fill. I'd love to debate possible bigger additions and how to fit them in but I just don't see that in the plans. Accepting this, I'm searching around for bargain bin vet UFA FWs and D-men that might be good additions for under a total of 3.5 mil. Here are some options...

FW - Ryan Lomberg, Nick Cousins, Austin Watson, Stefan Noesen, Tomas Nosek, Matt Martin, Yakov Trenin, Mattias Janmark, Sam Lafferty, William Carrier.

D - Colin Miller, Erik Gustafsson, Nick Seeler, Calvin De Haan, Joel Edmundson, Jani Hakanpaa.

These aren't all exactly great choices, but these are non-ancient vets that come under around 1.5 mil, and can still play. This is probably the tier we should expect KA to be shopping in this summer.