Sabres Embedded - Draft Edition

[TehDoak]

I know it's a fluff piece but I've never felt more confident that we have the right people in charge putting us on track. Adams and his staff working under him. Eventually you have to get it right, and I think the Pegulas did here.

I'd really hate to see a Sabres produced draft video where the GM comes off as an idiot. They made Tim Murray look like some mastermind too. These are, for lack of a better term, team propaganda.

All that is not to say anything about the front office either way, my opinion has been pretty clear. I'm just saying, don't form your opinion on a front office from a highly edited, manicured view of the draft. The proof is in the results. And like any draft, we won't know the results for a few years.

 

[THUNDERBURST]

I'd really hate to see a Sabres produced draft video where the GM comes off as an idiot. They made Tim Murray look like some mastermind too. These are, for lack of a better term, team propaganda.

All that is not to say anything about the front office either way, my opinion has been pretty clear. I'm just saying, don't form your opinion on a front office from a highly edited, manicured view of the draft. The proof is in the results. And like any draft, we won't know the results for a few years.

They can't edit everything, like Adams' speech or Forton's emotions. Obviously, Adams has smoothed things out in the organization. The best pool of prospects in the league, one of the best analytics departments in the NHL. Good front office, good coach. It's clear to me that the organization is moving in the right direction, and Kevyn Adams has a lot of credit for that.

 

[HaNotsri]

This really shows how much comes down to luck. Trading up for Kulich wouldn't be seen as a bad move, now we got him for "only" the 28th pick.

 

[Zach716]

I'd really hate to see a Sabres produced draft video where the GM comes off as an idiot. They made Tim Murray look like some mastermind too. These are, for lack of a better term, team propaganda.

All that is not to say anything about the front office either way, my opinion has been pretty clear. I'm just saying, don't form your opinion on a front office from a highly edited, manicured view of the draft. The proof is in the results. And like any draft, we won't know the results for a few years.

I purposefully started by saying it was a fluff piece. My opinion on the front office wasn’t formed on a single video, the video just reinforced my opinion.

I just don’t get continuing to follow the team when you can’t even agree with feeling good after watching a feel good video. It’s just complaining for the sake of complaining..

 

[Der Jaeger]

Great video

 

[TehDoak]

I purposefully started by saying it was a fluff piece. My opinion on the front office wasn’t formed on a single video, the video just reinforced my opinion.

I just don’t get continuing to follow the team when you can’t even agree with feeling good after watching a feel good video. It’s just complaining for the sake of complaining..

Unfortunately for all involved (myself included), I think sports fandom crosses a threshold where the relationship is far too ingrained. I've literally been on these boards for 20+ years now. When the Sabres are on the right path, I'll be right there cheering like I am with the bills. Unfortunately, I don't see the team as being in competent hands. I'm sincerely hoping he's more of a placeholder GM, someone who is simple meeting budget quotas while the Pegula's wait out development and someone will come in and start to actually shape and build a team rather than just sitting on a mountain of draft picks/prospects and hoping for the best.

 

[Zach716]

Unfortunately for all involved (myself included), I think sports fandom crosses a threshold where the relationship is far too ingrained. I've literally been on these boards for 20+ years now. When the Sabres are on the right path, I'll be right there cheering like I am with the bills. Unfortunately, I don't see the team as being in competent hands. I'm sincerely hoping he's more of a placeholder GM, someone who is simple meeting budget quotas while the Pegula's wait out development and someone will come in and start to actually shape and build a team rather than just sitting on a mountain of draft picks/prospects and hoping for the best.

Well that I can understand. I disagree and think we just need a bit of patience but at the end of the day all we can do as fans is hope for the best like you said.

 

[thewookie1]

Unfortunately for all involved (myself included), I think sports fandom crosses a threshold where the relationship is far too ingrained. I've literally been on these boards for 20+ years now. When the Sabres are on the right path, I'll be right there cheering like I am with the bills. Unfortunately, I don't see the team as being in competent hands. I'm sincerely hoping he's more of a placeholder GM, someone who is simple meeting budget quotas while the Pegula's wait out development and someone will come in and start to actually shape and build a team rather than just sitting on a mountain of draft picks/prospects and hoping for the best.

I think Adams has honestly done rather well since Krueger departed. He strikes me as a supervisor, or a manager versus the traditional GM role. His lack of scouting experience means he has little in ways of ego in regards to prospect opinions. As such he gives more responsibility out to allow his scouts to figure things out while he helps guide and distribute tasks. Adams sets the targets and the scouts work to meet it the best they can.

My guess is scouts had zero power under Murray to which they could even try to convince him of a different draft choice. His general personality and ego over his previous successes blinded him as well as cowed the scouts below him.
Botts allowed them to work for the most part but handcuffed them with a myriad of rules to follow. For instance no CHL prospects past round 2; hence why look at longer run prospects in the CHL? Additionally it seems Botts used the analytics department to merely back up his opinion versus actual research.
Adams seems to give his scouts the floor and his analytics team it’s own “department.” Analytics aren’t for solely explanations but for helping refine search targets and even challenge the traditional scouting reports

Adams is far from perfect but he certainly has a flair for managing people.

 

[BFLO]

Not to toot my own horn, but I've been saying Savoie could be our Brayden Point.. same size and same skill set. And then to see his interview and see that he looks up to Brayden Point and watches him and tries to model his game and preparation after Point is really great.

 

[Jacob582]

He strikes me as a supervisor, or a manager versus the traditional GM role.

I think supervisor or manager is the traditional role.

 

[debaser66]

Its a nice feel good video, but not showing the really interesting part is a bit of a bummer.
Everybody wants to know who they wanted to trade up for.
It wasn't Savoie, otherwise they would have included the scene like the Kulich bit of how they wanted to trade up and still got their guy.

 

[Buffalo Norsemen]

This really shows how much comes down to luck. Trading up for Kulich wouldn't be seen as a bad move, now we got him for "only" the 28th pick.

I wonder what the offer to move up was for Kulich, 28/41 ? or one of 2nd next year ? Karamonos mentions it's a was helluva offer.

The only logical reason to trade up to 7 for me would been to jump Detroit ? as they had to know Yzerman was high on Kasper.

When Adams is caught saying I feel better about this guy right before the Savoie pick, I wonder if that is a retrospecting the non trade up to seven or Lekkerimaki v Savoie for ie @ 9.

 

[RefsIdeas]

I wonder what the offer to move up was for Kulich, 28/41 ? or one of 2nd next year ? Karamonos mentions it's a was helluva offer.

The only logical reason to trade up to 7 for me would been to jump Detroit ? as they had to know Yzerman was high on Kasper.

When Adams is caught saying I feel better about this guy right before the Savoie pick, I wonder if that is a retrospecting the non trade up to seven or Lekkerimaki v Savoie for ie @ 9.

I think that was Ventura

 

[jc17]

It's interesting that in a year billed as having a lot of uncertainty, or lack of consensus, that teams didn't want to trade down. Guess everyone had "their guy"

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

I think Adams has honestly done rather well since Krueger departed. He strikes me as a supervisor, or a manager versus the traditional GM role. His lack of scouting experience means he has little in ways of ego in regards to prospect opinions. As such he gives more responsibility out to allow his scouts to figure things out while he helps guide and distribute tasks. Adams sets the targets and the scouts work to meet it the best they can.

My guess is scouts had zero power under Murray to which they could even try to convince him of a different draft choice. His general personality and ego over his previous successes blinded him as well as cowed the scouts below him.
Botts allowed them to work for the most part but handcuffed them with a myriad of rules to follow. For instance no CHL prospects past round 2; hence why look at longer run prospects in the CHL? Additionally it seems Botts used the analytics department to merely back up his opinion versus actual research.
Adams seems to give his scouts the floor and his analytics team it’s own “department.” Analytics aren’t for solely explanations but for helping refine search targets and even challenge the traditional scouting reports

Adams is far from perfect but he certainly has a flair for managing people.

There was a time when my agency was led by an interim fill-in. He stayed away from major decisions and let the command staff below him make the decisions they saw best. Everything ran smoothly and it was then that I realized if we just had a leader that allowed the best people to do what they knew best, and stayed out of the way, that we were better off than the ego-driven micro-managers that we had running the show beforehand.

It's amazing what can happen when people trust each other and make group decisions without worrying about who gets credit, etc.

 

[THUNDERBURST]

Danila Yurov about draft:

- Indeed, you could not have been chosen among the first 32 players?

- Yes, I got that impression from conversations with some clubs. Lucky that Minnesota was found. They showed the most active interest.

I thought that they would take the 16th Buffalo. On the day of the draft there was a meeting with Nashville. Then, when after the draft there was a conversation with representatives of the Sabres, they said that they did not dare to take the Russian in the first round.

- Why?

- They didn't explain.

 

[thewookie1]

Danila Yurov about draft:

- Indeed, you could not have been chosen among the first 32 players?

- Yes, I got that impression from conversations with some clubs. Lucky that Minnesota was found. They showed the most active interest.

I thought that they would take the 16th Buffalo. On the day of the draft there was a meeting with Nashville. Then, when after the draft there was a conversation with representatives of the Sabres, they said that they did not dare to take the Russian in the first round.

- Why?

- They didn't explain.

I guess Yurov was blind to everything going on at the time.

 

[THUNDERBURST]

I guess Yurov was blind to everything going on at the time.

I still think Buffalo could have taken Yurov at 28 if Kulich hadn't been on the board and Wild hadn't taken Yurov. Despite the answer that Buffalo does not want to risk the Russians in the first round and that they supposedly could take Leinonen at 28.

 

[Der Jaeger]

I got a lot more confidence in the Sabres front office from this meeting. It’s very clear that Adams kept the good voices in the organization (Fortin, Nightingale) and added smart people (Karmanos, Ventura).

I know it’s video and it’s for show to a degree, but Adams going around the room and table and asking for opinions it’s absolutely critical for good decision making. The Sabres have had 3 straight good drafts with Adams and it’s clear why now.