Kevyn Adams GM thread

[Beerz]

I'm here because I follow the team and like to talk about them -- I don't sit here pouting and demanding unrealistic things about ownership, which is literally the one single thing that we know isn't changing. It's like complaining about the sun.

You keep preaching about an unrealistic buy out of Jeff Skinner.

 

[Gras]

To add on to this, it is also insane to me that anybody could say "well he didn't even try and make the playoffs for 2 of his 4 years" and think that that is OK.

Imagine being on the job for 4 years and telling your boss "well listen, I know I didn't hit target for 4 consecutive year. But this past year? This was the only year I actually really tried to do it. So basically I only missed once....which isn't that bad when you think of it.

You can't miss the target if its not your target. Thats like complaining that GMTM didn't make the payoffs in 14 or 15.

20-21 They sign Hall trade for Staal to try and make a push with the core, Kruger ends up getting fired

21-22 Season was a rebuild since they traded away core players, Jack, Sam and Risto.

22-23 They overachieved from where most people though that they would be.

23-24 They are underachieving from where people thought they would be.

 

[sabres4ever]

Bargain bin GMKA will wait til Friday at noon, picking through the remnants, snagging contracts for $850K-$1.1M. "Economic."

Don't see him improving the team - that should be done during the offseason.

Maybe Girgs and okposo gone. Which prospects will be stuffed into the lineup to fill the voids?

 

[sabremike]

I am quite cynical about GMKA but expecting anything meaningful at the deadline is unrealistic. For reasons any sane person can comprehend (teams who are looking to acquire guys at the deadline to put them over the top aren't going to trade actual contributing NHL players and are only trading picks/prospects. If they trade actual NHL players they weaken themselves in another area) hockey trades are virtually unheard of at the deadline.

 

[Beerz]

Paywall so I don't know what is said

 

[jd1970]

This guy got fleeced in the Eichel-Reinhart trades, why is he still here and being allowed to mess things up even worse?

 

[Beerz]

This guy got fleeced in the Eichel-Reinhart trades, why is he still here and being allowed to mess things up even worse?

Eichel probably yes

Reinhart .. we will see.

 

[Buff15Sabres]

This guy got fleeced in the Eichel-Reinhart trades, why is he still here and being allowed to mess things up even worse?

Given Eichel's injury and stalemate with the team I think he did fine on that trade.

Reinhart trade was also fine based on his production as a Sabre.

Complaining about those trades is just hindsight

 

[May Day 10]

He uses .500 often to imply they are average. That is deceptive.

Being at the NHL .500 puts you in the bottom quartile of the league (bottom 8).

 

[OkimLom]

Paywall so I don't know what is said

They were a less than .500 team for the majority of the season. Maybe you should've ventured some investigations why that was then. Now because you are at .500 you are now interested to look into the issues...

Is that the problem in your timeline to stay the Sabres GM for as long as possible to sell that you will forever be in a rebuild?

 

[BFLO]

Paywall so I don't know what is said

I stole these excerpts from the reddit thread on the topic. I don't pay for buf news. edit: His plan to replace Quinn was to sign Patty Kane. When that fell apart he went after guys with NTC/NMC and no one would waive.

The Sabres thought they would be able to lure future Hall-of-Famer Patrick Kane to return to his hometown once he was cleared to return from hip-resurfacing surgery. The final training camp of Adams’ 10-year-NHL career included an assignment from the Chicago Blackhawks to room with Kane, who was a few months removed from his selection first overall at the NHL draft. Granato worked with Kane during his two seasons as an assistant coach with Chicago from 2017-19.

Once Kane opted to sign with the Detroit Red Wings in late November, Adams pivoted and tried to trade for multiple players with no-trade protection, only to learn that none was willing to go to Buffalo.

he Sabres’ general manager met with center Casey Mittelstadt recently to explain, while the club plans to begin contract talks with the pending restricted free agent’s agent, Neil Sheehy, following the deadline, it also must listen to and consider any trade offers that occur before 3 p.m. Friday…

Any significant change to the roster likely will have to wait until the summer. Adams has informed other general managers that the Sabres’ prospects and picks are available for the right price. However, those types of trades are easier to make in late June or early July. He’s open to moving notable young players – Mittelstadt and Peyton Krebs have generated interest – but only if it’s a move that improves Buffalo’s roster now. But general managers with realistic Stanley Cup aspirations, or who are on the playoff bubble, aren't willing to move proven NHL players off their roster before a postseason run…

The Sabres aren't in the market for more prospects and players in any trade involving a significant player who isn't on an expiring contract. Adams, for example, won’t be interested in a trade like the one that sent Sam Reinhart to Florida for goalie Devon Levi and a 2022 first-round pick, which the club used on Jiri Kulich.

Bottom-six forwards and third defense pairs are areas in which Adams would like to improve for next season and beyond.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I stole these excerpts from the reddit thread on the topic. I don't pay for buf news. edit: His plan to replace Quinn was to sign Patty Kane. When that fell apart he went after guys with NTC/NMC and no one would waive.

The Kane part is funny. This guy

 

[TehDoak]

I stole these excerpts from the reddit thread on the topic. I don't pay for buf news. edit: His plan to replace Quinn was to sign Patty Kane. When that fell apart he went after guys with NTC/NMC and no one would waive.

Bottom-six forwards and third defense pairs are areas in which Adams would like to improve for next season and beyond.

Since this is from Lance, I'm going to assume this is the gospel truth as he essentially is the Sabres mouth piece

If the plan this summer is to only tweak the bottom six and bottom pairing d-men....after 13 years out of the playoffs.

 

[Havok89]

Given Eichel's injury and stalemate with the team I think he did fine on that trade.

Reinhart trade was also fine based on his production as a Sabre.

Complaining about those trades is just hindsight

Not allowed to judge the GM’s work with hindsight?

 

[Gras]

Not allowed to judge the GM’s work with hindsight?

So if Ostlund becomes a better player than Sam or Levi wins a Vezina does the narrative change to us fleecing the FL

 

[Havok89]

So if Ostlund becomes a better player than Sam or Levi wins a Vezina does the narrative change to us fleecing the FL

Why wouldn’t it? The way the ROR trade narrative changed when Tage Thompson became good

Also it was Kulich and not Ostlund

 

[Tatanka]

The bs reeks.

Once Kane opted to sign with the Detroit Red Wings in late November, Adams pivoted and tried to trade for multiple players with no-trade protection, only to learn that none was willing to go to Buffalo.

So there were no players without trade protection? Less than 35% of the players have such clauses.

 

[Mattilaus]

The bs reeks.

Once Kane opted to sign with the Detroit Red Wings in late November, Adams pivoted and tried to trade for multiple players with no-trade protection, only to learn that none was willing to go to Buffalo.

So there were no players without trade protection? Less than 35% of the players have such clauses.

Yea but you also have to account for a lot of them either not being very good good or being so good their current teams don't want to trade them. I am not making excuses as other GMs find deals, just saying you can't just look at the entirety of NHL players and assume all of them are both good enough to trade for and available by their teams. Most of them aren't.

 

[TageGod]

Wait Kulich and Levi was not a good trade for a player without a contract?

A top line winger ostlund and Krebs is not worth a player with massive surgery risk who wanted out?

Those exerts basically say what I’ve been saying, no one wants to come here. The inaction is not intentional inaction it’s the players he wants don’t waive.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Since this is from Lance, I'm going to assume this is the gospel truth as he essentially is the Sabres mouth piece

If the plan this summer is to only tweak the bottom six and bottom pairing d-men....after 13 years out of the playoffs.

We pretty much all agree about the bottom six FW group, nothing to complain about there. My best targets are Lafferty, Noesen, and some knucklehead like Watson, and could easily cost less than the 5 mil paid to Girgs and Okposo.

The D-corps was much improved with Clifton and even EJ...over the AHL quality forgettable four from the season before (Pilut, Fitz, Clague, Bryson). There's still room to improve over EJ. Joker and eventually Clifton have played better and with the amount of cap dedicated to the defense (one of your arguments) there is a case to say that only replacing EJ is necessary or reasonable. A veteran 6/7 guy for relatively cheap, as opposed to the guy I want for 5 mil+ (Matt Roy).

This team, as frustrating as the season has been, is 14-10 since Jan 1, and adding some vets like above can shore up an already improving group. I still think that the biggest change to this team is not on the ice, but behind the bench. If we are lucky enough for Carolina to cheap out on RBD, there won't be a better chance to boost this franchise forward since Pegula bought the team.

 

[Jim Bob]

I said there was plenty of opportunity. I have zero insight into whether it actually happens.

My post was mainly trying to figure out if the conversation was about the deadline or offseason. I STILL can't tell based on your answer, so I must have put the question marks in the wrong places or something.

Adams talked about how he is willing to do a prospect(s) for vet signed beyond 2023-24 deal right now. But, other GMs are unlikely to want to make that kind of trade at the deadline. Especially if they are a playoff team.

So, Adams is open to making moves. But, the kind of deals he wants to make are unlikely to be made at this time of the year and are more likely to happen in the pre-draft to early FA window which is the 3-4 weeks where those types of deals happen most often.

With the talk that Adams talked to the pending UFAs and everyone is on the same page, Okposo saying the same thing, and Okposo talking about having played his last home game as a Sabre, I won't be surprised if Adams just sells off guys for the most part. Best case is that there is a Greenway type deal that pops up. But, Adams did not seem optimistic about that happening given the conversations he's had so far.

 

[TageGod]

Anyone else find it funny Adams basically called his team mid?

 

[Tijuana Donkey Show]

delete

 

[Chainshot]

Anyone else find it funny Adams basically called his team mid?

At least he sees it. If he'd been putting a shine on the way they've played it would have landed worse.

 

[Jim Bob]

At least he sees it. If he'd been putting a shine on the way they've played it would have landed worse.

He also owned players using NTC protection to not come to Buffalo, as well.

It was nice to hear him be honest about some of these things rather than trying to spin them to make the team sound better than it really is at this point in time.