Kevyn Adams GM thread

[slip]

I could go along for a while under the premise that the franchise needed to draft, develop, fill in some roster holes with cheap past-prime vets to help while we all waited for the kids to grow. I could go along with wanting to have guys that wanted to be a Sabre, etc... All that mantra turned into obvious bullsh-t after KA walked Ullmark and Reinhart to UFA or wanting out, and trading a C that just hit his prime for a younger player that still needs to develop.

All those guys wanted to be in Buffalo and they all had paid their dues, and reached that point where the waiting was worth it. They were all about to become very good Sabres and fill roster holes that desperately needed them. They were lost for nothing or traded simply to save money and cap space, or kick the can down the road in the name of a gradual re-build. The time to wait for development and fill in holes with cheap mediocre vets is gone. It was time to push forward with a cap ceiling team, with capable vets in needed spots at least a year ago.

Ironically and sadly, two of those much needed upgrades in the roster could have been filled with the very type of players that KA lied about wanting to have in the organization. Actually three players, because Ullmark would've been great to have until UPL fully developed. They could be here and actually fit under the cap, and we'd be looking at a more veteran and capable, legit playoff contender. Instead, we have a fake contender put together under a set of long-running lies from a fake GM pushing a narrative for an owner that doesn't actually care about being competitive anymore.

Eichel for Tuch, Krebs, and Johnson ain’t no Mogilny for Peca, McKee, Warrener (via Wilson).

I'll take those odds. We already know Adams isn't the guy. Delaying moving on from him just means we're taking longer to find the guy. Sticking with a proven loser is much worse than taking a shot on an unknown. Need to keep taking shots until you find a guy who can get it done

And if the next guy is worse? So what. I don't see any difference between not making the playoffs with Adams and not making the playoffs with "XXXX". If he's worse we move onto the next one. If we're extending the drought I'd much rather be drafting 1st-6th than 7th-13th. We need some actual game breakers. Not just some 5'10" 180lb "skilled" wingers.

I'm beginning to feel a bit of deja vu with our current crop of prospects. We're all waiting for this "can't miss" wave of talent to arrive and save us... just like when we were waiting for "can't miss" Bailey, Baptiste, Cornel, Karabacek, Fasching etc.. I'm not saying that Kulich, Rosen, Ostlund, Helenius, aren't better than the previous crop. But I have the same feeling that they won't save us.

Agreed. Not waiting for the AHL cavalry to ride in and save us. Those are encouraging prospects to help round out the roster, nothing more. The real work has already begun, and this roster is it, for better or worse.

For all his flaws, I still think Adams had his best offseason. But to quote Dee Snyder, “if that’s your best, your best won’t do.” He simply lacks the chops to pull off the money trade or trades. Some Murray overpayment is probably necessary to make the final couple of vet moves needed to bring consistency and game preparedness to the lineup. But scared money don’t make money, and Adams is clearly a GM who’s more afraid to fail than do what’s necessary to succeed.

 

[HaNotsri]

Now is the perfect time to fire him. New GM doesn't have much to worry about in terms of contracts and can focus on making the tesm better immediately.

 

[TehDoak]

For all his flaws, I still think Adams had his best offseason. But to quote Dee Snyder, “if that’s your best, your best won’t do.” He simply lacks the chops to pull off the money trade or trades. Some Murray overpayment is probably necessary to make the final couple of vet moves needed to bring consistency and game preparedness to the lineup. But scared money don’t make money, and Adams is clearly a GM who’s more afraid to fail than do what’s necessary to succeed.

The issue with Adams isn't what he did this summer. The issues is what he didn't do. I think most people felt they needed to add, at a minimum, top 6 forward, and many felt a top 4 d-man as well.

The most damning thing Adams said during his pre draft availability is that this was the "first summer" he felt comfortable moving a 1st round pick. Adams has had 7 1st round picks in 4 years.....and never considered moving a single one.

We had Adams initial season (Krueger) and then 3 seasons of evaluation with minimum changes post Eichel trade. Not a top 4 d-man added until the Byram trade, not a top 6 forward sniffed. Greenway and that's it. Despite oodles of cap space in a flat cap world as well as a ton of draft picks. Hoarding prospects and watching cap space go to waste year after year.

This season was Adams 'show me' offseason where, according to him, 'no stone will go unturned'. He walked away overpaying for 4th liners and giving up a former top 10 pick for a utility center. If this was a normal productive GM, I think you could excuse a less than stellar summer with extenuating circumstances. But this WAS a productive summer by Adams standards....and it simply wasn't enough because he had a back log of 3 summers of doing effectively nothing.

Now we are hearing rumors of Adams scrambling to find someone in season as the team is floundering and struggling to even stay .500.

There is a lot of time left in this season, but 18 games in, its looking more and more like the Adams experiment has been a spectacular failure that exchanged 5 seasons of only approaching the playoffs once for a bounty of prospects.

 

[Fjordy]

Now is the perfect time to fire him. New GM doesn't have much to worry about in terms of contracts and can focus on making the tesm better immediately.

But who's going to hire the new GM, Terry?

 

[toddkaz]

At this point you might as well see what Darcy Regier is up to.

 

[michaelsaas]

Karmanos and Ventura each get a promotion. You're not getting some extensive search.

It may actually work out - at least Karmanos has extensive experience in the league.

Did Karmanos push for trading Mitts from a position of need for yet another puck moving offensive defensemen?

 

[toddkaz]

For at least 2 years Adams said he is willing to make trades to improve the team.

He has failed to identify players who will help this team win. He has made trades yes, but those trades haven't materialized into wins.

How is that not a failure?

 

[ValJamesDuex]

There were whispers this summer that Adams was difficult and to deal with around the league as well. Maybe thats him, maybe thats Pegula being in the middle, but that's not a good reputation to have.

There really are not any great outside candidates now anyways (experienced or up and coming), and there will be less in the pool with expansion.

 

[Fjordy]

There were whispers this summer that Adams was difficult and to deal with around the league as well. Maybe thats him, maybe thats Pegula being in the middle, but that's not a good reputation to have.

There really are not any great outside candidates now anyways (experienced or up and coming), and there will be less in the pool with expansion.

If that's true, then that's a problem.

There are no candidates at all? Not even for the role of POHO?

 

[ValJamesDuex]

If that's true, then that's a problem.

There are no candidates at all? Not even for the role of POHO?

Your going to go with this until it doesn't happen again , huh ? He will not hire someone from outside to run his organization because he wants to feel like he's in charge and has a trust issue.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

For at least 2 years Adams said he is willing to make trades to improve the team.

He has failed to identify players who will help this team win. He has made trades yes, but those trades haven't materialized into wins.

How is that not a failure?

They had a couple good moves this summer (McLeod, Zucker, Malenstyn). Your point on those moves not helping with wins is valid based on record and it looking pretty much the same on ice even with Ruff.

There is also the complication of seemingly not having ANYONE ready in Roch that can help right now, although I'm for giving some looks soon if Kulich doesn't seem to have it yet.

 

[Fjordy]

Your going to go with this until it doesn't happen again , huh ? He will not hire someone from outside to run his organization because he wants to feel like he's in charge and has a trust issue.

Well he used to do that, now his plan isn't working, so why not. Others find GMs somehow. There are a lot of AGMs in the NHL who want to be GMs. Hell, even Terry interviewed Zito before hiring JBot.

I'd even be willing to see Ventura and his analytics department as GM. Carolina appointed Tulsky, and Ventura apparently interviewed for the GM job at Pens not too long ago. This is if we only touch on internal options.

 

[Tatanka]

In the article posted in the gdt the author stated that Adams would not be shown the door, but rather promoted to a higher position in the organization. If true, it doesn’t matter if he is replaced. The decision makers will still be the same and it all amounts to lipstick on on a sow. There is no way he would sign off on a deviation from his/their/the plan. Shuffling deck chairs.

 

[toddkaz]

They had a couple good moves this summer (McLeod, Zucker, Malenstyn). Your point on those moves not helping with wins is valid based on record and it looking pretty much the same on ice even with Ruff.

There is also the complication of seemingly not having ANYONE ready in Roch that can help right now, although I'm for giving some looks soon if Kulich doesn't seem to have it yet.

His drafting has been not been good. Again good individual prospects but where in the foresight that matches drafting with need? Where do you see prospects in the minors that line up with spots to fill?

The first 5 picks in the 2022 draft are non-defensemen. Loads of defensive prospects in the 2nd round and he drafts a goalie that will never see the NHL.

The biggest need right now is defensive defenseman with a physical edge and in the 2nd round he is drafting a Russian that weighs 150lbs.

Where is the vision? There isn't any.

Gilbert, E.Johnson, Bryson, Joker, Clifton, Clague, Lyubushkin, Pilut, Stillman, Fitzgerald, Davies, Prow, Hagg, Butcher, Irwin, Davies

This has been our top 4-5-6-7 spots the last 4 years. Adams has had 4 years to bring in solid 4-5-6 and failed.

Imagine having a 5'9 defensive defenseman that doesn't hit, doesn't score and isn't physical. You have had 4 years to replace that guy.

 

[BFLO]

Eichel for Tuch, Krebs, and Johnson ain’t no Mogilny for Peca, McKee, Warrener (via Wilson).

Agreed. Not waiting for the AHL cavalry to ride in and save us. Those are encouraging prospects to help round out the roster, nothing more. The real work has already begun, and this roster is it, for better or worse.

For all his flaws, I still think Adams had his best offseason. But to quote Dee Snyder, “if that’s your best, your best won’t do.” He simply lacks the chops to pull off the money trade or trades. Some Murray overpayment is probably necessary to make the final couple of vet moves needed to bring consistency and game preparedness to the lineup. But scared money don’t make money, and Adams is clearly a GM who’s more afraid to fail than do what’s necessary to succeed.

That's the problem. This was Adams best offseason, by a lot. And it's still far short of what we needed.

Adams needs to pull of a ROR trade and a trade for a top 4 D defensive specialist/pk type.

Something like this:

I don't think he's capable of pulling off a trade that big, let alone getting the right guys or giving up the right guys.

We need him to land a top 4d like Marcus Petterson/Brandon Carlo/Alex Carrier AND a top 6 forward, preferably a 2C.

 

[Ace]

After last season they needed obvious roster surgery. He removed an important organ at the deadline and then left the patient for dead. The failure to acquire a top six forward is a disaster and a more than fireable offense on its own. We’ve been waiting years for that Power D partner…motherf***er is playing with Jacob Bryson because their options are the redundant puck moving LHD he traded for and a RHD who hasn’t played well with him for years and has been scratched for 2 weeks.

He accomplished neither. He didn’t come close.

If he’s promoted just move the f***ing team

 

[Fjordy]

We need him to land a top 4d like Marcus Petterson/Brandon Carlo/Alex Carrier AND a top 6 forward, preferably a 2C.

It's a tough season for these guys, especially on defense.

 

[debaser66]

So If you fail as a GM you should be promoted to higher position?
Unless its just a optics position I rather not.
Seems like since Ellis has been failing miserably as PP coach he has been promoted to a level above the ice too

Clean the house and bring someone in who can actually construct a balanced NHL roster.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

His drafting has been not been good. Again good individual prospects but where in the foresight that matches drafting with need? Where do you see prospects in the minors that line up with spots to fill?

The first 5 picks in the 2022 draft are non-defensemen. Loads of defensive prospects in the 2nd round and he drafts a goalie that will never see the NHL.

The biggest need right now is defensive defenseman with a physical edge and in the 2nd round he is drafting a Russian that weighs 150lbs.

Where is the vision? There isn't any.

Gilbert, E.Johnson, Bryson, Joker, Clifton, Clague, Lyubushkin, Pilut, Stillman, Fitzgerald, Davies, Prow, Hagg, Butcher, Irwin, Davies

This has been our top 4-5-6-7 spots the last 4 years. Adams has had 4 years to bring in solid 4-5-6 and failed.

Imagine having a 5'9 defensive defenseman that doesn't hit, doesn't score and isn't physical. You have had 4 years to replace that guy.

I would agree, there does not seem to be a plan.

E. Johnson is also wasting away in Roch.