Confirmed with Link: Lindy Ruff and Kevyn Adams will be answering YOUR questions at Blue & Gold Insights on June 12!

[Gabrielor]

Response: "Terry has not limited our spending towards the cap in any way" and then onto the next question.

Gotta phrase it in a way that makes Adams not answer in one sentence with something he's said before.

This is going to be an exercise and a half. I want a question that forces insight we don't have.

 

[Zman5778]

This is going to be an exercise and a half. I want a question that forces insight we don't have.

Yeah. It's not going to be easy.

Personally, I'd try to make it "plan" based. Something like -- "Kevyn, when you are planning long-term for these Sabres.....what is your vision for the offense? For the defense? What do you need to do to make your plan come to fruition?"

Because holy hell a lot of us don't see a plan right now.......it's more of an accumulation of talent than anything.

 

[MOGlLNY]

This is going to be an exercise and a half. I want a question that forces insight we don't have.

maybe something tying it into the off ice stuff like "How much will the team's on ice success and bottom line from ticket sales affect how the rink will see improvements?"

 

[ValJamesDuex]

I'm reasonably sure a question like that would result in a media members access getting revoked. And possibly their organizations access to all Pegula properties. It's a question designed to embarrass the owners.

You would need a national media member who doesn't need the access to ask that pointed question, and to be fair, we simply aren't relevant enough.

I think one of the reasons we've seen so little Pegula bashing is that, the Pegulas literally own the sports in Buffalo. Every single team.

And sports journalism jobs are harder to find by the minute as big national places like ESPN are cutting back.

It's obviously clear what is happening in terms of the Pegula's pull back of resources on the team. Adams is there to deliver the company lines, that is what he was hired to do. I think you could reasonably ask "Are the Sabres going to spend to the cap this year?", but you would get a non answer for Adams about "doing what we need to do for sustainable success" rather than a real answer.

If Harrington didn't get revoked for pushing a kid around, a question won't.

 

[TehDoak]

Things have changed. I'm going now.

I mean, I would essentially ask “what team are you trying to model after, specifically with the volume of youth on defense. If you look at teams that have won with a young defense, such as the LA Kings and Blackhawks, they were very aggressive in adding veterans and they did it very early. For example, Chicago signed Brian Campbell and Marian Hossa, LA went and got Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. They also spent at or near the cap. Do you feel the lack of veteran support being added over the last 3 years and unused cap space (specifically spending at the or below the cap floor two seasons) has been a big contribution to the teams lack of success? Can you cite an example of teams going with a ton of youth and little spending that has even been a playoff team, let alone a contender/cup winner?"

And if you get a follow up, you can ask if he feels missing out on the window of Power on his ELC was a missed opportunity.

 

[Gabrielor]

Yeah. It's not going to be easy.

Personally, I'd try to make it "plan" based. Something like -- "Kevyn, when you are planning long-term for these Sabres.....what is your vision for the offense? For the defense? What do you need to do to make your plan come to fruition?"

Because holy hell a lot of us don't see a plan right now.......it's more of an accumulation of talent than anything.

This is a good idea.

 

[Willgamesh]

My first instinct is to re-phrase the 'Will Terry spend to the cap?' question that Adams has parried a few times into 'In the 2022-2023 season (2 ago), you traded for Ben Bishop's expiring deal and used that to reach the cap floor. With that context now given, does Pegula intend to spend to win? The evidence doesn't match how you've answered that question.'

This is of course assuming I even get to speak. I have no idea what I signed up for and how many people actually go. It is free after all.

I'd love to see it i hope you get your chance.

 

[Ace]

My question for Adams would be the follow up that wasn’t asked on his Jack Quinn comment in the one after he fired Granato. He dismissed not filling his hole in the lineup by saying he didn’t have a crystal ball saying he would get hurt again. It was a terrible answer since he knew he was hurt for half the year in the first place. And it speaks to a complete failure to have proper lineup construction. Forget replacing a top six you are counting on in a year that was supposed to be a step forward…you didn’t have the depth to cover it in any way and were…hoping no one else would get banged up too? The question is what was your mindset last free agency when Quinn was already gone for 2023 and has the result of that mindset changed how you approach the lineup now?

It’s the one answer he gave that I cannot stand. He is completely wrong from thought process to execution. His best case scenario was being thin on offense. The realistic one was taking a massive step back on offense. Which is exactly what, predictably, happened. And he’s being flippant about it and throwing crystal ball shots back at the questioner when this was all obvious before he chose to do nothing?

Still hate it. Want it answered again.

Anyway for Lindy I’d just ask if he has the stroke to get Adams to fill out a competitive lineup. Because no one else has had it.

 

[Dingo44]

Hopefully they put this up on YouTube.

 

[MOGlLNY]

From the updates on Twitter doesn’t look like we learned much new besides that Lindy clearly likes Peterka

 

[Jacob582]

Pro scouting now more important with team looking to add more through trade and free agency.

 

[Dingo44]

 

[Fjordy]

So, they had the biggest B&G I yet. Had about 2/3s of the rink set up with chairs and about 3/4's of those were full. A few people were also scattered throughout the lower bowl but there weren't too many of them.

Some topics covered (with my commnets in parenthesis):

What's been the main thing this off-season so far. For Adams it was the exit meetings with the players; finding out what they thought of their individual seasons and letting them know what he thought of them. Missed Ruff's answer.

Kevyn & Lindy talk every day so he's getting an understanding of what players Lindy wants to target. Mentioned part of that is getting the pairings right. (So though personally didn't expect to see any changes to the D perhaps there might be some changes there. Guess we'll see in 3 or so weeks.)

Kevyn - Jerry Forton's done a "phenomenal job" and he will now oversee the pro scouting in addition to just the amateur scouting. He said that Jerry is the one that oversees the draft. (So, love or hate the past couple of drafts, it seems that Forton is the one getting all the input and making the choice.)

Lindy - No settling in period for him getting back to Buffalo. Spoke a few times about how glad he is to be back and how he considers himself to be a Buffaloanian. Says the biggest area of improvement will come from how the Sabres defend. Said a big part of the offense last year tailing off some is teams were gameplanning to take the rush away from the Sabres and they weren't ready/able to get the tip in / net front goals they needed to make up for that. Sounds like getting guys to the front of the net will also be a priority (along with the improved play in their own end). They will find different ways to win hockey games this year; they won't only beat teams via goals off the rush.

Both have been watching the playoffs and spoke of how the D play picks up in the playoffs.

Lindy - wants to get to know the players this off-season. Spoke about how Appert knows many of the young players and gives Lindy input on them. (But there are a lot of guys on the team Appert has never worked with. He's worked with a lot of the young guys but there are more than a few that haven't spent any appreciable time in Ra-cha-cha.)

Kevyn - loves the draft. So much going on this time of year - draft coming up, contract negotiations w/ RFAs, UFAs become available shortly; and all at essentially the same time.

Duff - Development camp will be held July 1 - 4.

Lindy says he's evolved from earlier in his career by focusing more on building relationships with the players. He wants to get to know their families and their games so that trust is built because guys are going to get asked to change their games. He then rementioned how he's just getting to know the guys.

Kevyn says he's learned and lot and continues to do so. He's found there are better ways to do things (presumably than from when he was starting out). And he tries to prioritize "what matters most" each day and that might be something w/ a ST focus or a LT focus depending upon the day. Lou Lamiorello told him to remember that the GM is putting out fires every single day.

Q to Lindy - do you know what's on a GM's plate? Lindy - Kevyn is constantly trying to make the team better; it differs from what a coach does because he evaluates the play after every game but moves on by the next day's practice. They both need to set what the standard is of what is acceptable. Kevyn added - do the right things at the right time. Not sure if this next statement was from Lindy or both of them - there needs to be a higher level of play. (Applause for that answer.)

How to choose a captain. Lindy - it has changed through the years. The captain sets the example for everyone and is the captain for the whole team. He leads by example; he doesn't chirp his teammates; EVERYBODY has to meet his standard. The captain sets the examples by how he practices, does stuff like gets to the rink on time, helps the coaches by asking guys why they did what they did in a particular situation (and helps to critique it).

Kevyn - "we'll have a real good captain." (So, it sure does seem like they already know who they intend to be wearing letters this year.)

How do you keep guys in the moment? (paraphrasing that Q) Lindy - it seems counter intuitive, but let them have fun. There will be tough games but put it behind them and get ready the next day in practice.

Kevyn - we both want to raise the standard. What will you do today to make yourself the best you can be. (The way they've been bringing this theme up, it seems this is a new thing. Personally, like it in theory; let's see how it get implemented.)

How do you drop a guy down a line? (another paraphrased Q) - Lindy - You talk with them. You never really arrive; you always have to get better; there is always somebody trying to take your job.

Missed a bit of the answer to a Q about the vision for the bottom 6. Only caught the part about how in the playoffs the top lines tend to cancel each other out and the bottom 6 become more important (mentioned E-Rod). Missed the rest of the answer.

Question asked about whether there will be additional changes to the coaching staff and to the hockey department with a follow up about who will be coaching the PP because it was disappointing last year. (Question got an ovation. Well, it was either the question or the questioner's flow that got the ovation. Maybe it was both. (Actually, the ovation for the Q was pretty sweet. It was the only one that was asked by an adult that got that reaction.) Lindy - Seth Appert and Lindy will run it with Seth leading it. There will be significantly more motion. They want to get shooters into different positions. (Draisatl and McDavid in the playoffs as the example of what they're going to strive for.) Motion is a key to keep your best shooters open. The Amerks PP has been good. They want to keep possession on entries and want to keep the same 5 guys together on the PP. (So don't expect a lot of experimentation wtih personnel in season once they get something they expect will work.)

Kevyn - would like to possibly add another pro scout for out west to the staff. The analytics staff is an extension of the 2 scouting staffs (pro and amateur).

Lindy was asked about similarities between Hamilton and Power. Said he sees similarities with Hughes, Bratt, and Hischier on the Sabres. Presumably Dahlin was the 1st comparable (but maybe he was talking about the other Hughes, would Thompson be the comparable(?)). Peterka was the Bratt comparable and Cozens the Hischier comparable. He talked about how it took that Devils team 2 years to come together and this team has been together for 2 years as well.

KA - seems to be rooting for Florida as the Okposo draft pick improves by 2 rounds if they do.

From a Q by a kid about the dream of playing hockey, Adams mentioned how you don't retire, you just get told you're not good enough anymore. And he's always dreamed of winning a Stanley Cup with the Buffalo Sabres. (So, still chasing the dream.) Lindy says chase your dream. And Duffer mentioned there are areas you can work in the game even if you aren't good enough to play at that level.

They answered a few other Q's about Capfriendly going away and the Salary Cap going up; about FA and how Adams approaches it; who Dahlin's partner will be this coming season; and about the goalies heading into last year and heading into this year.

Lindy ended the night telling the crowd at Kevyn's insistance about what he told the security guard at the Bills practice this morning. He 1st told him that he was Adams' Uber driver. (Apparently Adams was in the back seat for some reason.) He then told him that he's the Bills new Tight End. His 40 is slow but the hands are still good.

 

[joshjull]

For those wondering if the Sabres have their own stuff vs using CapFriendly

 

[Fjordy]

For those wondering if the Sabres have their own stuff vs using CapFriendly

They failed to recognize that they had a lot of cap space because they didn't rely on CapFriendly, which is why we didn't spend.

 

[TehDoak]

They failed to recognize that they had a lot of cap space because they didn't rely on CapFriendly, which is why we didn't spend.

Imagine kevyns shock when he looked under the mattress for all the cap space he had been saving up was gone.

 

[Jim Bob]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1801027481580745036

https://x.com/i/web/status/1801030960915288349

This thread has Anthony's reports from B&GI.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1801026186279096655

Here is another thread on the event.

 

[joshjull]

Byram doesn’t appear to be an option for Dahlin, at least at the moment.

 

[Fjordy]

Byram doesn’t appear to be an option for Dahlin, at least at the moment.

That's interesting. Lindy said he likes balanced D pairings (like he had in New Jersey). Maybe some trades are in order.

 

[joshjull]

That's interesting. Lindy said he likes balanced D pairings (like he had in New Jersey). Maybe some trades are in order.

I’d be surprised if there were any trades to change the top 4 further. Byram will probably just pair with whoever Dahlin doesn’t pair with.

 

[Fjordy]

I’d be surprised if there were any trades to change the top 4 further. Byram will probably just pair with whoever Dahlin doesn’t pair with.

I doubt he will be paired with Power, as Lindy likes to have one defensive D in the pairing. Then it will be either Samuelsson or Jokiharju. But if it is Sammy, there will be no room for Jokiharju or Clifton.

 

[joshjull]

I doubt he will be paired with Power, as Lindy likes to have one defensive D in the pairing. Then it will be either Samuelsson or Jokiharju. But if it is Sammy, there will be no room for Jokiharju or Clifton.

They may move on from Joker or Clifton ( I’m assuming it will be Joker). But thats not a change in the top 4.

If they do make a trade for a defense top 4 dman. Then what was the point of acquiring Byram?

EDIT: Having said the above. The deployment layout you posted is a good idea with what we have.

 

[Jacob582]

They may move on from Joker or Clifton ( I’m assuming it will be Joker). But thats not a change in the top 4.

If they do make a trade for a defense top 4 dman. Then what was the point of acquiring Byram?

I doubt they trade Clifton. I think it will be Jokiharju since he has arbitration rights.

 

[Fjordy]

They may move on from Joker or Clifton ( I’m assuming it will be Joker). But thats not a change in the top 4.

If they do make a trade for a defense top 4 dman. Then what was the point of acquiring Byram?

EDIT: Having said the above. The deployment layout you posted is a good idea with what we have.

Well, formally it changes the top 4, Joki played in the top 4.

Power - Dahlin
Byram - Samuelsson
xxxx/Johnson - Clifton

 

[joshjull]

Well, formally it changes the top 4, Joki played in the top 4.

Power - Dahlin
Byram - Samuelsson
xxxx/Johnson - Clifton

I’ve viewed Joker as already outside the top 4 ever since the Byram trade. So for me the top 4 is working out pairings with Dahlin/Power/Sammy/Byram. I thought your trade suggestion was about changing one of those 4.