I have no issue with recent moves by KA. He knows where the team is deficient and has had time to sort through his asset vault. Trading Mittelstadt, Cozens and Savoie for Byrum, McLeod and Norris/Bernard Docker were very decent moves as was extending Greenway and Zucker. UPL still COULD be a decent NHL net minder and consistent top goalies are as rare as hen's teeth. He identified what he needs and he has to make the deals to satisfy them. I see better structure now than in previous years-and Ruff has instilled this in them- and to a large extent only inexperience (and to some extent lack of size) leading to brain farts has hurt them at key points in their losses.
Adams is at the plate with the bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, 2 outs. He gets a strong 2 way PF with a nasty but controlled mindset and a big, smart defenceman preferably right hand then he has hit at least a triple. It is not our job as fans to tell him what deals to make--he is making millions not us to make those deals. If he cannot even when given the go ahead to over pay to get the player-to the dealing team and or in salary to incoming player-then it is time to find GM who can...This presumes Pegula gives him the licence to do what is required.
For me, it comes down to this; Has Kevyn done anything at this point that has cemented his positioning for his job? Meaning has he done anything for the organization that ONLY he was able to accomplish in building to progress the organization's competitive level. That would be a resounding NO for me.
His time here has been a tenure of below average to average management. He's built a team that is a middle of the road team in league where average gets you into the playoffs. Of the team's that have missed the playoffs since his time started here, he's probably had the highest quality of assets to utilize to shape the team, and had the fortune of draft picks to use to shape the organization and he's gotten nowhere in terms of making the playoffs.
We've had too many "If's" at the end of each of Kevyn's offseasons and we come away at the end of each offseason with "he just did enough" and lo and behold, we miss the playoffs again, because he's not proactive, he's reactive, and then puts himself into a position where he loses leverage so then he's not able to make any moves he feels comfortable with.
I don't mind Greenway OR Zucker, and McLeod. But I don't think those are the level of moves that ONLY Kevyn can make. I feel those are run of the mill moves. As for the Byrum move, it was a move that comes away with the feeling that he couldn't achieve coming to terms with a home-grown talent that would help in the structuring of the forward lineup so he settled on getting something over leaving with nothing, which he then had to "double dip" in his assets to accomplish in filling, getting Norris because his organization broke one of their promising young players.
I'm not going applaud Kevyn for cleaning up his own mess, with mistakes/lack of foresight to accomplish building a competitive team. We're in year 5 of Kevyn, and we're still waiting on Dahlin's long term partner. We are to expect him to fill Power's long term partner? Kevyn just hasn't been a GM that has come to the point where we should be afraid of losing him. He's not a good GM, he's not a guy that is unique in finding talent. The amount of missteps Kevyn has shown during his time here, in just the fundamental aspects of building a team alone, and what sort of glue a team needs to build a winning CULTURE, he should be out of the job.
Hire someone with experience in building a team, Kevyn isn't taking you farther than this and THIS, is not good enough. Stop giving him the benefit of the doubt. He's not good enough of a GM to see another season, full stop. He's had times of no pressure, and time of pressure, and neither were prosperous times for the team.
