Kevyn Adams GM thread

[TehDoak]

The Bills stadium has nothing to do with the Sabres. The stadium’s final cost will likely fall between 1.5 and 2 billion dollars. Pegula is getting 850mil in tax paying dollars and selling 25% of the Bills to cover his costs. That sale should net him at least 1 billion, probably more. So thats a stadium fund of around 2 billion, possibly more. That doesn’t included PSLs which could net him another 65mil.

The money involved with the stadium dwarfs anything NHL team related. As taxpayers, we alone gave the Bills almost 10X the upper payroll limit of an entire NHL team. If Quinn/Peterka both signed 7-8mil AAV deals. Even combined, that amount would still be less than 1% of the stadium project. I also don’t know why you think the Sabres are in the black.

Pegula will also never make back the money he lost on the Sabres since he initially bought them. The Sabres as a stand alone entity have probably lost over 100mil during his ownership. The Covid season alone was a big chunk of that.

The Sabres have only broken even/made a little money in the two years post full season lockout. That was with an enormous season ticket base that had a big waiting list that drove a ton of sellouts and they had 3 rounds of playoff revenue. Do you envision any of that happening any time soon with this team? They’re not making money now and aren’t likely to do so any time soon. Paying or not paying Quinn/Peterka right now means nothing in the big picture of the numbers involved. Not paying them means losing less money not making money.


Our roster spending habits are entirely due to Adams and the plan he wanted to pursue.

I think that is probably not accurate.

The stadium is a real cash cost. Much of it is 'publicly' paid for via future tax breaks. NYS is not outlaying cash for the Pegulas. So, there is heavy financing involved for this. Any over runs (which have said to have exceeded 600M+ already) is being paid for by the Pegulas. And yes, they will recoup that cost in the future with a partial sale. But none of this is done. This requires real, liquid cash to get done.

And while you are correct, the scale compared to the Sabres is tiny (billions vs 10s of millions), the Pegulas cost consciousness started happening right before the start of COVID (remember the PSE Presentations) and continued through about when they found out were going to have to build a new stadium. Going back to when Adams was hired...the Sabres were under heavy budgetary restrictions from that moment on.

Think of the Sabres as a bleeding attery they chose to tie off so the Bills stadium wouldn't potentially cause any issues with the 'real' family money. Yes empty COVID arenas were part of it, but those were essentially promised to be make right via escrow payments.

There are a lot of reasons why the Pegulas went from "Drill another well" to "Economic, Effective, Efficient", a lot of which we will never know, I'm sure. But saying that the fact the owner had to finance and build a brand new stadium that will cost almost 2B all in wasn't part of the math is silly. It's a huge financial strain, even for someone as wealthy as the Pegulas.

I believe (or hope at least) that when the new stadium opens, the extra cash flow will come to the Sabres as well. But...time will tell.

 

[jd1970]

Imagine going into the off-season and thinking all this team needed was a few 4th line grinders.
Leave this guy in Europe.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Imagine going into the off-season and thinking all this team needed was a few 4th line grinders.
Leave this guy in Europe.

Take away a couple top-line guys, add a checker and a no-defense D-man. It's just spinning in circles...a different looking mediocre that can't compete even if they make the 1st rd.

 

[May Day 10]

But they got that one coach that everyone wanted to get rid of 10 years ago.

 

[Fjordy]

This should be Adams' last chance, I've said before every season that he hasn't done enough while other GMs have played more aggressively, improved their team and made the playoffs.

 

[Ace]

This should be Adams' last chance, I've said before every season that he hasn't done enough while other GMs have played more aggressively, improved their team and made the playoffs.

We have to keep cap space* so we can keep this team** together forever.

*future cap also used to buy out a player you never replaced who will eat into what you can spend for six more years

**does not include Mittelstadt.

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

Some people really need to step off the ledge, it's only the first game. No one likes seeing the team lose, but my god give them a few games before firing Ruff, Adams and half the players into the sun.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Some people really need to step off the ledge, it's only the first game. No one likes seeing the team lose, but my god give them a few games before firing Ruff, Adams and half the players into the sun.

Never!

 

[sabremike]

Some people really need to step off the ledge, it's only the first game. No one likes seeing the team lose, but my god give them a few games before firing Ruff, Adams and half the players into the sun.

It not just that they lost, it's how they lost. If they lose a close hard fought game that would be one thing, instead they got blitzed out of the building the second the puck was dropped and looked exactly like last season's flaming pile of dog poo. That's why this loss was so upsetting: there were zero signs of any improvement after all the offseason bluster and people are tired of the neverending lies and bullshit.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

This should be Adams' last chance, I've said before every season that he hasn't done enough while other GMs have played more aggressively, improved their team and made the playoffs.

He should of copy and pasted the Canucks. But lets give him at least 5-10 games in before we appoint Forton.

 

[sabremike]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1842327388912513225

 

[Ace]

None of this “it’s game 1” stuff for me.

It’s day 1573.

That’s how long he’s been the GM of this team. That’s what this thread is about. That’s what he’s being graded on. That’s what he needs to be fired for.

 

[Fjordy]

He should of copy and pasted the Canucks. But lets give him at least 5-10 games in before we appoint Forton.

Well, I meant this season, not a couple of games.

 

[BFLO]

Some people really need to step off the ledge, it's only the first game. No one likes seeing the team lose, but my god give them a few games before firing Ruff, Adams and half the players into the sun.

It's game one of Kevyn Adams fifth season as Sabres GM.

I'm one of Adams biggest critics here, and I'm not ready to declare this season over after 1 game... but that was not an encouraging start.

As others have already said, it wasn't just that they lost, it's that it was non-competitive from the start and they looked almost exactly the same as last year.

 

[SharkInABoloTie]

I was seriously considering getting tickets to a game when I bring the family up for one of the upcoming long weekends. I haven't been back to Buffalo since my grandparents died. After this showing, why would I do that? I'd rather skip and find something better to do with my time and money in WNY.

 

[Ace]

Someone make the argument against bringing in a qualified, experienced hockey person to run this organization without using the words “money” or “communication with Terry”.

Then think about what the

A: problem is
B: why Adams has this job

 

[kirby11]

Love that this unqualified dipshit decided to recycle last year’s failed “assume no one in the top 6 will get injured and they’ll all play insanely well all the time” roster building strategy

 

[Ace]

Love that this unqualified dipshit decided to recycle last year’s failed “assume no one in the top 6 will get injured and they’ll all play insanely well all the time” roster building strategy

Never forget

 

[joshjull]

This should be Adams' last chance, I've said before every season that he hasn't done enough while other GMs have played more aggressively, improved their team and made the playoffs.

If this season fails, it should be roster players heading out the door as well.

 

[Sabre the Win]

At this point, firing him and getting someone not attached to any of these players is the right move.

We need an eye to evaluate that has no attachment and is willing to move players in and out.

 

[Fjordy]

If this season fails, it should be roster players heading out the door as well.

Of course, but only under the leadership of another GM.

 

[kirby11]

At this point, firing him and getting someone not attached to any of these players is the right move.

We need an eye to evaluate that has no attachment and is willing to move players in and out.

Unfortunately, that takes money that Pegula is almost certainly not willing to spend on this franchise

 

[TehDoak]

It's silly for any hot takes based on two games. If you thought Adams should be fired before the season, it's still true now. If you thought Adams did a good job, it's still true now.

 

[MOGlLNY]

We all knew it when it happened but the Jokiharju signing is so so bad.

 

[Ace]

It's silly for any hot takes based on two games. If you thought Adams should be fired before the season, it's still true now. If you thought Adams did a good job, it's still true now.

If you thought the latter it was never true.

At any point.

Not even close to true.