Kevyn Adams - New GM

[sabremike]

It all depends on who Adams puts around himself, really. I can't imagine there are many guys who are great at every single aspect of the job, but good GMs (good leaders, in general) understand their own weaknesses and recruit people who can cover for those while they play to their strengths.

He literally has zero experience of any kind in regards to running a hockey team. He has never held any type of executive position relating to hockey operations of a professional team in his entire life. None. Zero. Zilch. Just about every single aspect of the job is a weakness for him.

 

[Jim Bob]

How will the Buffalo Sabres rebuild their scouting department? - TheHockeyNews

This was a good article.

 

[tsujimoto74]

He literally has zero experience of any kind in regards to running a hockey team. He has never held any type of executive position relating to hockey operations of a professional team in his entire life. None. Zero. Zilch. Just about every single aspect of the job is a weakness for him.

That's not true. He's been a player agent, and he's worn a number of different hats for the Sabres over the years. Plus, if they're going for a Beane-McDermott type of managerial team, you've already got Krueger in the fold, who has a ton of management experience in soccer.

 

[OkimLom]

He literally has zero experience of any kind in regards to running a hockey team. He has never held any type of executive position relating to hockey operations of a professional team in his entire life. None. Zero. Zilch. Just about every single aspect of the job is a weakness for him.

It’s worse, it is unknown on how well he will handle a task and how prepared he will be. If it was a weakness, they could improve his ability by working on it, but we’re going to watch him learn on the job in real-time, at a time, once again, where we can’t afford to.

It’s going to be the Housley version of the GM hire. People will be blindly optimistic about the hire and excited by what he says, only for the fact it’s not the other guy. The Pegulas just NOW have it figured out. There’s no way the Pegulas won’t Be inpatient this time around. It’s not like they change their mind about people. Another failure of a season, or a change of heart from Ralph wanting to get back home, I’m sure that won’t mess up the roster in anyway. Thankfully the future isn’t impacted.

 

[Jim Bob]

That's not true. He's been a player agent, and he's worn a number of different hats for the Sabres over the years. Plus, if they're going for a Beane-McDermott type of managerial team, you've already got Krueger in the fold, who has a ton of management experience in soccer.

His experience as an agent didn't give him any experience on the hockey operations side of a pro hockey team. It did give him a look into things like contract negotiations and scouting players, though. But, that side of the business is different than the team side.

And for all the hats that he has worn, his only hockey operations experience with the Sabres was as a player development coach and as an assistant coach.

He has experience is various pieces of hockey and pro hockey.

But, none of it has been on the hockey ops management side of things.

 

[jc17]

Didn't burke jump right from agent to gm?

 

[Jim Bob]

Didn't burke jump right from agent to gm?

It has happened once or twice. But, those people also had a lot more agent experience than Adams has under his belt.

Adams has more experience running HarborCenter than he does working for the Sabres in any role.

My outside the box idea was going all in on analytics and having someone like Meghan Chayka as GM. A hire like that would have the same type of concerns.

And having concerns about Adams' lack of experience is a legit one, IMO. Some rookie GMs have worked out. Some haven't.

Only time will tell with Adams. My biggest concern is that it seems like the Pegulas will be heavily involved in hockey decisions. And I trust Adams waaaaaaaaay more than Terry and Kim.

 

[May Day 10]

Brian was hired as a director of hockey operations out of being an Agent. Hired by Pat Quinn who was team president. Much better experience than running concessions at Harbor Center, followed by botching up the business side of the Sabres for a year (it was a very embarrassing year as far as the peripherals go).

Burke wasnt a GM until 5 years of the director of hockey operations role, and he left that GM role quickly to work for Bettman



As far as I see, this team and franchise is at a critical juncture. It is a very heavy lift. Would have much preferred someone with experience to build with Eichel, Dahlin, and some cap flexibility and a few remaining assets. 'Wait and see', or trying to wait 3 years to see if this works out can and will be catastrophic to the franchise and the fan base. Getting cute with a guy you like and are comfortable with isn't the right answer. We dont need comfortable. We need this thing turned around. Kruger is also a big unknown and I have serious doubts about him as head coach, let-alone give him equal 'power' within the organization as the GM and owners.

 

[flashsabre]

Being GM of a team isn’t a rocket science position. You don’t need 20 years of experience to be a good GM. You need to be organized, a good communicator and have hockey intelligence.

I’m not saying it will be easy for Adams but if he can surround himself with some quality people (Futa, Brackett, Chayka types) he has a chance of becoming a good GM quickly. There is a ton on his plate and he needs help but some of these people thinking he will be incompetent or trading Eichel for two 7th round picks, come on.

Whichever experienced GM they brought in everyone would say, “ he made this move or this move so I don’t like him”

Botterill had a lot of experience and I feel much better with Adams in the GM chair then Botts.

All we can do is hope for the best. Adams gets praise as a great leader, hard worker and an intelligent hockey mind. IF he can surround himself with some good people AND the Pegulas want input but not a dictatorship and allow The FO and Krueger have a big say in the roster then we could see some progress next season.

 

[May Day 10]

They have to build an entire hockey program that has been gutted. Adams has never worked (not as a player) in an organization who has gotten it right. I know the Pegulas havent. Kruger?

 

[Buffaloed]

Adams is a sponge. He talks to everyone about everything and soaks it all up. People like to talk to him. He attended NHL Board of Governors meetings, and he knows a lot of people. He actually learns from his experience unlike some people who go through the motions to "check all the boxes". I know Dale Tallon took a shine to him.

Here's an old interview.

 

[Buffaloed]

Didn't burke jump right from agent to gm?

I'm glad they didn't bring him in lol

 

[dotcommunism]

Mike Gillis went right from being an agent to a general manager, but he was an agent for almost two decades.

 

[Jim Carr's Rug]

I'm glad they didn't bring him in lol

Maybe you can't fix a team in three years but you can certainly hurt it in far less time.

 

[Sabre the Win]

I hate the Bean-McDermott references of how it worked for the Bills it could work for the Sabres.

The Bills aren't as good as you think are. It's been more luck than it has been talent so far.

 

[CrazyPsycho]

I hate the Bean-McDermott references of how it worked for the Bills it could work for the Sabres.

The Bills aren't as good as you think are. It's been more luck than it has been talent so far.

Sigh

 

[tsujimoto74]

I'm not gonna hate on Adams for a lack of experience. Murray and Botterill were both heralded as young up-and-comers in hockey management with loads of front office experience, and look what stellar job they did turning the Sabres around.

I want to see who Adams brings in and what his plans are.

 

[Jim Carr's Rug]

I hate the Bean-McDermott references of how it worked for the Bills it could work for the Sabres.

The Bills aren't as good as you think are. It's been more luck than it has been talent so far.

Results be damned, for the most part there is a clear strategy being implemented over there on One Bills Dr.
Obviously the leagues are structured so differently that its a little apples to oranges but here some things we can say about the bills that we can not say about the Sabres:

1. The Bills have been relatively smart with their money: They have gotten out of bad contracts and generally signed free agent vets to short term deals. That being said, the rubber will start to meet the road when the entry level contracts for some of their young horses (Tre White, Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmonds, Milano etc) are up for new deals.
2. The Bills have drafted relatively well: Again, apples to oranges but early returns on Beane's picks are positive and above league average.
3. The Bills have successfully developed their young players: Josh Allen was surrounded by offensive veterans for the most part (Mitch Morse, John Brown, Cole Beasley, Matt Barkley, Spain, Felliciano, Dawkins, Gore, Lee Smith, Kroft). The only other developing rookies he played with last year were Singletary, Ford & Knox. They also let their rookies defensive players develop under veteran leadership at all three levels of the defense.
4. The Bills have generally used extra assets to their advantage: When they have a surplus at a position or a devaluation of a player, they have not hesitated to move them. We can't say that about JB. (Zay Jones, Bodine, Wyatt Teller, McCarron, Glenn, Tyrod)
5. The Bills have stuck with a plan: They realized the back-doored into the playoffs in 2017. Instead of trying to bandage and patchwork the team, they still kept with their plan of tearing down and building as they saw fit. This probably took more gumption than they're given credit for.
6. Coach and GM are on the same page: There seems to be some continuity between what McDermott is looking for in his players and what Beane is adding to the roster. We have not seen that with the Buffalo Sabres since Darcy & Lindy.


So sure, they have had some luck, but lets give them credit where credit is due. Especially when we compare the organization's functionality to that of the Sabres.

 

[TalkingProuder]

I hate the Bean-McDermott references of how it worked for the Bills it could work for the Sabres.

The Bills aren't as good as you think are. It's been more luck than it has been talent so far.

It's an unknown. Are they actually good or were they a mediocre team that feasted on a weak schedule?

We'll know more soon as this year's schedule we won't be playing a lot of 3rd string QB's.

 

[Buffaloed]

Mike Gillis went right from being an agent to a general manager, but he was an agent for almost two decades.

There's some parallels with Brian Lawton but I don't want to ruin a good day.

 

[Fezzy126]

It has happened once or twice. But, those people also had a lot more agent experience than Adams has under his belt.

Adams has more experience running HarborCenter than he does working for the Sabres in any role.

My outside the box idea was going all in on analytics and having someone like Meghan Chayka as GM. A hire like that would have the same type of concerns.

And having concerns about Adams' lack of experience is a legit one, IMO. Some rookie GMs have worked out. Some haven't.

Only time will tell with Adams. My biggest concern is that it seems like the Pegulas will be heavily involved in hockey decisions. And I trust Adams waaaaaaaaay more than Terry and Kim.

I have been a long time proponent of outside the box thinking. I refuse to believe that being a former player in any sport makes you inherently more qualified to scout, analyze information, communicate, identify and hire quality people, build a healthy personnel department, or just generally perform well in an executive role. The skills required to be a good executive (communications, analytical thinking, etc.) have nothing to do with the skills required to be an NHL player. In fact, the only advantage a former player has is the past relationships formed with people in the hockey world, which admittedly isn't insignificant, but by no means should it be a prerequisite for an executive position.

In fact, when many in the 'old boys' club criticized the Sabres for getting rid of all their 'hockey people' I kind of chuckled, as it's something I've wanted them to do for quite some time. But then they went and hired a former hockey player with no relevant experience, thus squashing most of my optimism.

I won't criticize Adams, as he's done nothing to be critical of yet. But I will be very critical about the process used to hire Adams. Perhaps there's more to it behind the scenes, but this it is eerily similar to a dinner with Patty before a previous round of massive changes.

 

[TalkingProuder]

I have been a long time proponent of outside the box thinking. I refuse to believe that being a former player in any sport makes you inherently more qualified to scout, analyze information, communicate, identify and hire quality people, build a healthy personnel department, or just generally perform well in an executive role. The skills required to be a good executive (communications, analytical thinking, etc.) have nothing to do with the skills required to be an NHL player. In fact, the only advantage a former player has is the past relationships formed with people in the hockey world, which admittedly isn't insignificant, but by no means should it be a prerequisite for an executive position.

In fact, when many in the 'old boys' club criticized the Sabres for getting rid of all their 'hockey people' I kind of chuckled, as it's something I've wanted them to do for quite some time. But then they went and hired a former hockey player with no relevant experience, thus squashing most of my optimism.

I won't criticize Adams, as he's done nothing to be critical of yet. But I will be very critical about the process used to hire Adams. Perhaps there's more to it behind the scenes, but this it is eerily similar to a dinner with Patty before a previous round of massive changes.

The skills that Kevyn has shown is that he got along with Terry and Kim. Hopefully, we'll find there are more talents to bring to the table that we don't know about.

 

[RWatson29]

It's an unknown. Are they actually good or were they a mediocre team that feasted on a weak schedule?

We'll know more soon as this year's schedule we won't be playing a lot of 3rd string QB's.

I don’t think it has as much to do with the record as the entire outlook on what beane wanted. He’s stated that even if they won the Super Bowl in 17 somehow that they would have operated the exact same way, shred the cap, collected draft stock, get a qb ect. They have a clear mindset in place and it’s painlessly obvious. Sabres will never have that with a new gm hire every 2-3 years with the new regime moving out players from the old regime, rinse and repeat.

 

[OkimLom]

I have been a long time proponent of outside the box thinking. I refuse to believe that being a former player in any sport makes you inherently more qualified to scout, analyze information, communicate, identify and hire quality people, build a healthy personnel department, or just generally perform well in an executive role. The skills required to be a good executive (communications, analytical thinking, etc.) have nothing to do with the skills required to be an NHL player. In fact, the only advantage a former player has is the past relationships formed with people in the hockey world, which admittedly isn't insignificant, but by no means should it be a prerequisite for an executive position.

In fact, when many in the 'old boys' club criticized the Sabres for getting rid of all their 'hockey people' I kind of chuckled, as it's something I've wanted them to do for quite some time. But then they went and hired a former hockey player with no relevant experience, thus squashing most of my optimism.

I won't criticize Adams, as he's done nothing to be critical of yet. But I will be very critical about the process used to hire Adams. Perhaps there's more to it behind the scenes, but this it is eerily similar to a dinner with Patty before a previous round of massive changes.

the important thing for me, is who he surrounds himself that will help him shore up his shortcomings. I’m not a fan one bit of him and Krueger putting their heads together to build the roster, though I get the idea why you would want the coach to have some say. I question the quality of “management” decisions Ralph will have a say in with roster construction. I fear for Pegulas getting involved as well.

I personally can’t get to a place where some are to be so optimistic about this promotion. Intelligence and experience in areas that actually pertain to this position were the selling factors for his predecessor. Sure, that experience didn’t work out, but the owners that hired that last guy, Hired this guy as well. Take out the “it’s not Botterill” factor and there’s nothing to analyze to get a sense of how qualified he is to handle the GM duties.

I’ll give him time, but this “tenure” is not off to a good start at this point. It’s not because of him, but he has a mountain to climb.

 

[TheWhiskeyThief]

I don’t think it has as much to do with the record as the entire outlook on what beane wanted. He’s stated that even if they won the Super Bowl in 17 somehow that they would have operated the exact same way, shred the cap, collected draft stock, get a qb ect. They have a clear mindset in place and it’s painlessly obvious. Sabres will never have that with a new gm hire every 2-3 years with the new regime moving out players from the old regime, rinse and repeat.

A big difference between the NFL and the NHL is roster limits and career length.

Having 6 picks in the 1st 3 rounds and 12 overall for 2-3 years is great until you start having to find spots on the 50 man roster for all of them. Then the next problem is doing all the contracts in groupings like that.

It’s doable, but it’s just a different set of headaches/planning.