Kevyn Adams - New GM

[littletonhockeycoach]

No, most people that wanted a Pres of Hockey Ops wanted someone with more of a track record between Adams and the Pegulas to both insulate Adams from the Pegulas meddling and give the rookie GM some sage advice.

IF this really means that the Pegulas will stop meddling, this is good news. Adams looking to add an AGM is good news. But, this is far from the same thing as hiring a solid PoHO.

Agree vis a vis the Pegula's. The title of Pres Hockey Ops is less important than the power one contains.

I've spent my whole life watching organizational management staff's get bigger and bigger. Sometimes even taking advantage of that for personal career gain.... (Yeah I admit it when I have to look at myself in the mirror.)

But I've also learned that size does not equate to efficiency or effectiveness and smaller, lower overhead structures - staffed with the best and brightest people - true multi-function geniuses - rarely fail.

It's a long shot that we're talking about the Buffalo Sabres becoming one of those but if it was done by someone smart who knows what they are doing, it might change the paradigm for NHL franchise front offices.

(Yeah, I know we are talking the Pegula's here.....)

 

[explore]

Karmanos would be a good hire. He has real GM tendencies. He's quite a bit more qualified than Adams. It would also end any possibility of Rutherford being involved with the Sabres. From what I understand, Rutherford fired Karmanos in a fit of anger. Then when Rutherford was fired, Karmanos interviewed for the Pens GM position. That kind of drama belongs in Buffalo. Karmanos also interviewed for the Coyotes GM position.

Jason Karmanos fired in Oct, officially interviews for Pens GM opening
The twist in the story here is that it wasn’t the Penguins after all that forced Rutherford to fire Karmanos in late October, which was assumed by many due to how close Rutherford and Karmanos had been for years.
Multiple sources close to the situation confirm the Karmanos firing was Rutherford 100% driven due to a blow up

Bringing Karmanos on board just screams future stability in Buffalo

Next up, the Pegulas will announce that they've hired a random assortment of Kardashians to manage the Bills/Sabres PR

 

[slip]

That implies every rookie GM is the same.

Idk if adams will be good or not, but thinking it will be the "same result" because the one similarity is being a rookie is way oversimplifying.

When you look at Murray vs botts vs Adams so far, its hard to argue we are where we are because they have been rookies. Each have flaws (like experienced GMs), but they're far from the same.

I think looking for "types" is never a good idea. I don't want to eliminate a pool of GMs because I need previous experience, I don't want to eliminate coaches because I need a tough coach, I don't want to rule out players because we need fast skaters. I think whenever you start reaching for types instead of just good at what they do, it's not a good process.

I'd like Adams to work with someone experienced for guidance but "same result because they're all rookies" just lacks substance

Hess not just a rookie. Even worse, he’s ’s a Pegula errand boy who got the job because they “trust” him. Quite the resume.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Bringing Karmanos on board just screams future stability in Buffalo

Next up, the Pegulas will announce that they've hired a random assortment of Kardashians to manage the Bills/Sabres PR

I mean, the Sabres would get plenty of views and news then if they did!

And Twitter would have a field day with edits of the buffalo in the Sabres logo having an absolute dump truck of an ass

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

Also from the article


Adams is going to be addressing the team on Thursday, and his message is going to be crystal clear.

Adams said it will be a very honest conversation about having some pride in the jersey, having some pride in the fact that you’re an NHL player, and having some pride in the history of the team and city you play for.

Hopefully those are just trite cliche words for the media to consume and Adams doesn't actually buy that this teams main issue is "player effort" rather than bad coaches with bad strategies not putting players in position to succeed.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Hopefully those are just trite cliche words for the media to consume and Adams doesn't actually buy that this teams main issue is "player effort" rather than bad coaches with bad strategies not putting players in position to succeed.

I imagine the Sabres are fed up to their teeth with motivational speeches.

Get a proven NHL winner as HC, and let's see what this (depleted) roster can do.

 

[slip]

Also from the article


Adams is going to be addressing the team on Thursday, and his message is going to be crystal clear.

Adams said it will be a very honest conversation about having some pride in the jersey, having some pride in the fact that you’re an NHL player, and having some pride in the history of the team and city you play for.

How we imagine the locker room after Adams' speech:

How it actually went:

 

[joshjull]

 

[Jim Bob]

How we imagine the locker room after Adams' speech:

How it actually went:

 

[joshjull]

Hess not just a rookie. Even worse, he’s ’s a Pegula errand boy who got the job because they “trust” him. Quite the resume.

I completely agree that his resume wouldn’t get him hired anywhere but here.

But on the flip side of it, I doubt anyone else would have been trusted or allowed to dismantle the “flat management” set up the Pegulas/Krueger had put in place. Where Krueger was effectively Co-GM with Adams and had a huge hand in last offseason’s moves. It was something the Pegulas loved and were gushing about during the announcement of Adams as GM.

Adams was also able to take full control of the team after meeting with the Peguals in Florida (iirc last weekend) and laying out his plans for rebuilding the team. We now have a normal hockey ops set with the GM in full control. Instead of the “flat management” set up with the Krueger, Adams and the Pegulas all on the same level.


I have no idea if Adams will be any good at his job. No idea If he will hire the right coach, make the right trades, draft well, etc. But I’m very happy he was able to reset the front office into the way it should be. Now comes the work of rebuilding the staff, starting with an assistant GM.

 

[Buffaloed]

"Sure Kevyn, you can fire Ralph, but you'll have to find the money to hire another coach"

 

[slip]

I completely agree that his resume wouldn’t get him hired anywhere but here.

But on the flip side of it, I doubt anyone else would have been trusted or allowed to dismantle the “flat management” set up the Pegulas/Krueger had put in place. Where Krueger was effectively Co-GM with Adams and had a huge hand in last offseason’s moves. It was something the Pegulas loved and were gushing about during the announcement of Adams as GM.

Adams was also able to take full control of the team after meeting with the Peguals in Florida (iirc last weekend) and laying out his plans for rebuilding the team. We now have a normal hockey ops set with the GM in full control. Instead of the “flat management” set up with the Krueger, Adams and the Pegulas all on the same level.


I have no idea if Adams will be any good at his job. No idea If he will hire the right coach, make the right trades, draft well, etc. But I’m very happy he was able to reset the front office into the way it should be. Now comes the work of rebuilding the staff, starting with an assistant GM.

Do you think it was Adams who sold the Pegulas on dismantling the flat management structure, or was it instead the Pegulas coming to terms with the fact that their structure had produced the worst team in hockey and something needed to change? I think it was the latter, and if the Pegulas only felt comfortable moving forward because of their trust in Adams, well that says far more about the incompetence and insecurity which has plagued the Pegulas since terminating Murray/Bylsma than it does about Adams' ability to steer this team out of the gutter and back to respectability.

The fact that Buffalo is going to rebuild its hockey operations back to where they should have been all along is hardly anything to get excited about in the short term. I mean, who really gives a f*** about an assistant GM? In fact, the only thing that matters is the GM and his ability to hire the right coach, to make the right trades, to draft well, basically to shape the roster to win games on a consistent basis. Those should not be after thoughts, but the the only thoughts. And as far as I'm concerned, this weak ass roster has Adams' fingerprints all over it, even if Kreuger and Pegula chimed in for this or that player decision. Like Botterill, Adams' first year on the job has been a total disaster. Given the razor thin resume, the nepotistic reasons behind his hiring, and the craptastic results so far, I have zero confidence that this guy is anything more than another bad hire by a bungling ownership group that seems to value loyalty and constant access over success.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

"Sure Kevyn, you can fire Ralph, but you'll have to find the money to hire another coach"

Wow... that was a quick tenure.......

What did he accomplish - besides consuming Pegula's salary monies?

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

I completely agree that his resume wouldn’t get him hired anywhere but here.

But on the flip side of it, I doubt anyone else would have been trusted or allowed to dismantle the “flat management” set up the Pegulas/Krueger had put in place. Where Krueger was effectively Co-GM with Adams and had a huge hand in last offseason’s moves. It was something the Pegulas loved and were gushing about during the announcement of Adams as GM.

Adams was also able to take full control of the team after meeting with the Peguals in Florida (iirc last weekend) and laying out his plans for rebuilding the team. We now have a normal hockey ops set with the GM in full control. Instead of the “flat management” set up with the Krueger, Adams and the Pegulas all on the same level.


I have no idea if Adams will be any good at his job. No idea If he will hire the right coach, make the right trades, draft well, etc. But I’m very happy he was able to reset the front office into the way it should be. Now comes the work of rebuilding the staff, starting with an assistant GM.

Actually, (in a somewhat demented way of looking at things), Ralph did us all a favor by being so bad at coaching.

I don't know much about Adams at all. But I will say that even with that Pegula trust factor, it took steel balls to face off against Ralph's power and hold on the organization, go for the gold and take back the power that a GM's normally holds.

This was JR vs Bobby Ewing style internal politics.

Thanks for digging that hole for yourself Ralph. And thanks to the players who helped make it bigger.... (whether by design or happenstance...)

 

[brian_griffin]

Hey.....building "Carolina North" worked for the Bills. Maybe it'll work for the Sabres? Please?

(and)

Karmanos, Brind'Amour, take everyone.

Sabretooth is on notice. The Hurricane's mascot is a pig.

===
Re: Adams and trust from Pegulas. Trust is the most important quality for relationships. Personal, business, etc. High competence tainted with mistrust, whether merited or not, will always hold back the ultimate achievements of relationships.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

Do you think it was Adams who sold the Pegulas on dismantling the flat management structure, or was it instead the Pegulas coming to terms with the fact that their structure had produced the worst team in hockey and something needed to change? I think it was the latter, and if the Pegulas only felt comfortable moving forward because of their trust in Adams, well that says far more about the incompetence and insecurity which has plagued the Pegulas since terminating Murray/Bylsma than it does about Adams' ability to steer this team out of the gutter and back to respectability.

The fact that Buffalo is going to rebuild its hockey operations back to where they should have been all along is hardly anything to get excited about in the short term. I mean, who really gives a f*** about an assistant GM? In fact, the only thing that matters is the GM and his ability to hire the right coach, to make the right trades, to draft well, basically to shape the roster to win games on a consistent basis. Those should not be after thoughts, but the the only thoughts. And as far as I'm concerned, this weak ass roster has Adams' fingerprints all over it, even if Kreuger and Pegula chimed in for this or that player decision. Like Botterill, Adams' first year on the job has been a total disaster. Given the razor thin resume, the nepotistic reasons behind his hiring, and the craptastic results so far, I have zero confidence that this guy is anything more than another bad hire by a bungling ownership group that seems to value loyalty and constant access over success.

Question/point 1: We will never know. Does it matter as long as it is gone?
Question/point 2: In the wake of COVID, league shut down, delayed playoffs, delayed 2020-21 season start, reconstruction of all the league's timeline for trades, drafting, UFAs, etc.,...... the negotiations needed between the league and the players union just about EVERYTHING, do you really believe that Adams has had any sort of fair shot at meeting normal job performance expectations?

I don't.

I am certainly not thrilled about how most of his acquisitions have panned out or some of the moves he made. But apparently, Krueger had a lot more to say about those things than I expected. And the team's play on the ice is definitely Krueger's product.

I get that life is unfair and he did agree to the job. But all of the above did make it a whole hell of a lot more difficult to pull off.

I don't know if Adams is given a budget to run the organization on and gets to negotiate and make decisions within that envelope (including hiring a coach) or whether he has to ask mother may I on just about everything he does financially?

I tend to think it might be the latter and yes, that really does matter.

 

[slip]

Question/point 1: We will never know. Does it matter as long as it is gone?
Question/point 2: In the wake of COVID, league shut down, delayed playoffs, delayed 2020-21 season start, reconstruction of all the league's timeline for trades, drafting, UFAs, etc.,...... the negotiations needed between the league and the players union just about EVERYTHING, do you really believe that Adams has had any sort of fair shot at meeting normal job performance expectations?

I don't.

I am certainly not thrilled about how most of his acquisitions have panned out or some of the moves he made. But apparently, Krueger had a lot more to say about those things than I expected. And the team's play on the ice is definitely Krueger's product.

I get that life is unfair and he did agree to the job. But all of the above did make it a whole hell of a lot more difficult to pull off.

I don't know if Adams is given a budget to run the organization on and gets to negotiate and make decisions within that envelope (including hiring a coach) or whether he has to ask mother may I on just about everything he does financially?

I tend to think it might be the latter and yes, that really does matter.

I too believe it is the latter, which reinforces my point that Adams is at the helm because the Pegulas value loyalty and the right to meddle in roster decisions over pure managerial competence. It’s precisely why they eschew talented GMs in favor of untested newbies.

Adams was indeed dealt a bad hand this season. And he played that hand as poorly as possible. I’m not wishing for him to fail, but I have yet to see any signs of shrewdness or creativity in his response to the adversity.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

I too believe it is the latter, which reinforces my point that Adams is at the helm because the Pegulas value loyalty and the right to meddle in roster decisions over pure managerial competence. It’s precisely why they eschew talented GMs in favor of untested newbies.

Adams was indeed dealt a bad hand this season. And he played that hand as poorly as possible. I’m not wishing for him to fail, but I have yet to see any signs of shrewdness or creativity in his response to the adversity.

Gotta agree that 1.) this franchise is doomed as long as these owners dabble at their own discretion.

2.) Adams public video presence unfortunately has not impressed me one tiny bit. He comes off as bewildered.

Ralph obvious fed everyone a deep dish of bull shit. But he did so in such a professional manner! /sarc. 100 years ago he would have been selling snake poison as medical elixirs from the back of a medicine wagon to the unsuspecting.

Or swindling indians out of their lands. He's that good!!

 

[joshjull]

Do you think it was Adams who sold the Pegulas on dismantling the flat management structure, or was it instead the Pegulas coming to terms with the fact that their structure had produced the worst team in hockey and something needed to change? I think it was the latter, and if the Pegulas only felt comfortable moving forward because of their trust in Adams, well that says far more about the incompetence and insecurity which has plagued the Pegulas since terminating Murray/Bylsma than it does about Adams' ability to steer this team out of the gutter and back to respectability.

The fact that Buffalo is going to rebuild its hockey operations back to where they should have been all along is hardly anything to get excited about in the short term. I mean, who really gives a f*** about an assistant GM? In fact, the only thing that matters is the GM and his ability to hire the right coach, to make the right trades, to draft well, basically to shape the roster to win games on a consistent basis. Those should not be after thoughts, but the the only thoughts. And as far as I'm concerned, this weak ass roster has Adams' fingerprints all over it, even if Kreuger and Pegula chimed in for this or that player decision. Like Botterill, Adams' first year on the job has been a total disaster. Given the razor thin resume, the nepotistic reasons behind his hiring, and the craptastic results so far, I have zero confidence that this guy is anything more than another bad hire by a bungling ownership group that seems to value loyalty and constant access over success.

This is a very misguided rant based on the mistaken assumption that I was arguing Adams is the answer at GM. I said no such thing nor do I believe that. All I said was he is the one (not the Pegulas) who reset the front office back to what it should be. For that I’m thankful even though it never should have gotten to that point in the first place. But I’ll take any victories in this dysfunctional organization where I can find them, no matter how small.

 

[joshjull]

I too believe it is the latter, which reinforces my point that Adams is at the helm because the Pegulas value loyalty and the right to meddle in roster decisions over pure managerial competence. It’s precisely why they eschew talented GMs in favor of untested newbies.

You’re take on the previous GMs is off base. Adams hiring wasn’t a continuation of something. Its was a complete change from the previous two GMs.

Teams hire GMs usually from a pool of retreads or up and coming assistant GMs. The Pegulas wanted to go the up and coming route. But they have no idea who they are or where to look. So they went to the NHL front offices for advice and got a list of AGMs to interview. Thats the process that got us both Murray and Botts.

They weren’t hired to be puppets and were given a good amount of autonomy. Coaching hires were their own decisions. For example Murray deciding to chase Babcock and ultimately sign Disco was all him. Signing off to pay what was needed was the owners.

It was the failure of those two GMs that made the Pegulas feel like they were burned by that outside advice on candidates. They also felt like they were lied to. So they skipped any advice and hired for GM a guy they’d had a years long relationship with and trusted. Thats what got us Adams.

I agree with you that those traits alone are a terrible reason to hire a GM.

Adams was indeed dealt a bad hand this season. And he played that hand as poorly as possible. I’m not wishing for him to fail, but I have yet to see any signs of shrewdness or creativity in his response to the adversity.

He was more than dealt a bad hand. Last off season was Krueger’s baby. Thats not my opinion thats what was reported by Vogl, Lebrun and others.

As crazy as it will sound, the Pegulas thought Krueger was the Sabres McDermitt. Again, not my opinion but what was reported.

 

[joshjull]

Actually, (in a somewhat demented way of looking at things), Ralph did us all a favor by being so bad at coaching.

I don't know much about Adams at all. But I will say that even with that Pegula trust factor, it took steel balls to face off against Ralph's power and hold on the organization, go for the gold and take back the power that a GM's normally holds.

This was JR vs Bobby Ewing style internal politics.

Thanks for digging that hole for yourself Ralph. And thanks to the players who helped make it bigger.... (whether by design or happenstance...)

You ain’t kidding.

The Pegulas were so in love with him they thought he was the Sabres McDermitt. Which is crazy.


For all of his nice guy stuff, Krueger is one vicious infighter when it came to organizational politics. He not only survived the purge of Botts connected hires, he led the charge to get rid of Taylor and also came out the other side with a TON of power.

I have absolutely no idea if Adams is up to the job of running a hockey team. But hats off to him for purging Krueger and his influence.

 

[PegulasSportsEmpire]

I'm not sure Adams will be a good GM or not, but I trust him more then a guy who thinks Taylor Hall is our ticket to the Stanley Cup.

 

[jc17]

Allowing more goals than we score wasnt good enough strategy?

 

[flashsabre]

Allowing more goals than we score wasnt good enough strategy?

What does that job title even mean? You know he wasn’t laying out any strategy that Adams or Krueger would be following. Typical corporate B.S. of a job title that sounds important but has no teeth whatsoever. I guarantee he was a ham and egger whose most important contribution was “Ha, good one boss!”