dudacek

This is my take on Adams' tenure so far, fantasy as it may be: Situation: He gets hired, mostly on a whim and without a full resume, with marching orders from Pegula to purge the hockey department. Verdict: Pass. He does what he was hired to do. It's not clear yet whether the people he kept were the right ones, but the people let go haven't hurt. Situation: Eichel immediately rebels, saying if this is a rebuild, trade me. Krueger convinces the Pegulas that the team is not too far away. Adams is told to pacify Jack and give Ralph the players he wants to give the core one last shot. Verdict: Pass. He convinces Eichel to hold off on the trade request, and acquires Hall, Eakin and Reider at Krueger's request on short-term deals that don't burden the team long-term. Situation: He inherits a roster with questions in goal, an obvious hole at 2C and playoff aspirations. Verdict: Fail. In his first significant move as GM he brings in Eric Staal to play centre. The price - Johansson plus some cap savings - is fine, but Staal is huge bust. His decision to stick with the oft-injured Ullmark and the terrible Hutton also blows up in his face. His depth signings are a mixed bag. Sheahan is fine, Irwin is not. Situation: short months after stripping his scouting staff, and hampered by a short season where he didn't get a chance to view prospects, he conducts his first draft. Verdict: Pass (but it's early). He challenges his staff to reset their list through the lens of "upside," as defined by skill and the desire to improve, veers from the public consensus to take Quinn, and trades up for Peterka. A year later, both of his top picks are looking very promising. Situation: The Sabres suck, coming back from a COVID outbreak to establish themselves as the worst team in the league and looking terrible while doing it. Verdict: Pass. He fires Krueger, albeit too slowly, and heads to Florida to present the Pegulas with his plan to rebuild the Sabres, and, by most accounts gets their blessing. At this point, to my mind, he stops being the franchise front man, and starts becoming its architect. Situation: The Sabres are a last-place team in need of a new plan. Verdict: TBD. Adams decides to rebuild the hockey department with a focus on drafting and development, and the roster based on "players who want to be here" which I translate to mean "fix the culture". He decides to move on from the failed previous core, accumulate picks, prospects and cap space, and use the existing, unproven "Blinding Light Brigade" as his starting point. I like his organizational focus on talented self-starters. Given the fact that his good players no longer wanted to be here, and the malaise surrounding the organization in general, I think it was probably the choice I would have made. Situation: The Sabres were operating with an inexperienced, skeleton hockey operations department. Verdict: TBD, but promising. Acquiring a connected, veteran assistant GM with 3 cup rings and 20 years experience in Karmanos filled the most obvious hole. Adding a handful of scouts was good and necessary, but choosing to keep that department lean while significantly beefing up the analytics and player development staffing instead was an interesting, progressive tack. Integrating the analytics team into the overall department was an important move. The hirings there have been acclaimed, for what that's worth. Meanwhile, I can't recall a group of Sabres prospects that have shown more progress. The analytics staff helped select them, and the hockey development staff is overseeing their progress. Situation: Taylor Hall is a pending UFA. Verdict: Pass. Hall had a complete NTC, was coming off a horrible performance, and wanted to go to Boston. He had to trade him and he got what he could. Situation: Brandon Montour is a pending UFA. Verdict: Fail. I'm sure he took the best offer he had, but a right-handed D with Montour's track record should have garnered more than a 3rd. There was an option to retain salary. I wonder why that wasn't exercised. Situation: Eric Staal is a pending UFA. Verdict: Pass. Getting a 3rd and a 4th for a player who had deteriorated as much as Staal had and is now out of the league was a job well-done Situation: Linus Ullmark is a pending UFA Verdict: Fail. Ullmark should have been signed before the deadline or traded. Adams was either played, or he gambled and lost. Situation: The Sabres need a head coach Verdict: Pass. Don Granato was hired primarily to develop the young talent already on the roster and keep the room together through what was bound to be a tough season as far as results go. So far, so good; the kids have stepped up and the team seems more focused and together than it it has in years. It has also generally been better to watch. Honestly, I don't think Donnie is getting enough credit for keeping this team out of the basement. Adams dumped 7 of a bad roster's 8 best players for no immediate return, and didn't give him an NHL goalie. Situation: Sam Reinhart made it clear he was not going to sign a long-term contract. Verdict: Fail. Sam would have been a perfect bridge player for the core between the bad years and the good, not only in the leadership way of Okposo, but also on the ice, like Tuch. Sure he wasn't signing long-term this past summer, but the opportunity was there the previous summer and Adams chose not to pursue it. Given that the package we got in July would probably still be available at this deadline, why not keep him around in the hopes of helping the kids while trying to change his mind? Devon Levi still has the power to change my mind. Situation: Rasmus Ristolainen was a year away from UFA status and it wasn't clear if he was going to re-sign. Verdict: Pass. I wasn't a Rasmus hater, but it was time. Getting the 13th pick in the draft for him was stunning on its own. Adding the adequate Hagg to fill part of the roster hole and a 2nd was a coup. Situation: He comes into his 2nd draft with a multitude of picks including the 1st overall, and a much deeper, more developed hockey department, including Karmanos and Ventura. Verdict: Pass. A year ago there was doubt about Power's upside. This year has obliterated that doubt; he looks every inch a top-pairing defenceman in the making. Beyond that, Rosen has disappointed. The Russian 2nd-rounders look OK and later picks Novikov, Bloom and Nadeau are intriguing. We're a few years from knowing anything, but their approach was refreshing and thoughtful. Situation: Jack Eichel demanded a trade Verdict: TBD. Adams was put in the worst of situations here. He had to make the trade he knew he was going to lose. And he had to do it with Jack's health and treatment controversy shrinking the market and complicating the return. The ask — the equivalent of 4 1st-rounders — was an entirely fair starting point. The fact that he almost got that given the circumstances is to his credit. I would have happily flipped pick 13 in last year's draft for either Tuch, or Krebs, and we also got the Vegas 1st. I think Adams tried to hold out for more after finally getting Tuch and Krebs on the table but caved last-minute on the 4th piece after Vegas leaked the fake Calgary rumour to undermine those talks and Jack threatened to ***** all over the Sabres to Friedman. The fact that he did not have to take on a bad contract is a point in his favour. Basically, for me, Adams gets and A for effort, but his overall grade will be based more on how the team progresses without Jack than on how good the pieces turn out. Situation: With so many key departures, he needed to completely reshape his roster for this season. Verdict: TBD. Adams decided every move this year would be made through the lens of putting the future ahead of the present, and he adapted three guiding principles to make that happen: He was going to develop his best young roster players by using them in key roles He was not going to commit significant assets or cap space into new players who he did not see as being part of this team when it got good. Prospects would be kept away from the big club and in situations that allowed them to dominate. IMO, the first is mostly working, with the Dahiln and Thompson growing a ton, and Jokiharju and Cozens improving more slowly. Bryson and Asplund looked good initially but have stalled. Mittelstadt unfortunately has been wracked by injuries. R2 is the only disappointment and the only one who didn't get time in a key role. And the 3rd looks real good so far, with Quinn, Krebs, Peterka, Power, Samuelsson, and Levi dominating at their current levels, and Luukkonen seizing his NHL opportunity. As for the 2nd, it's hard to judge without knowing what else might have been on the table. In terms of bang for the buck, Hinostroza was a good pickup, while the others — save Butcher and Dell — have all been fine in their roles. It's not hard to wonder why a veteran RHD or middle-six forward could not have been added without blocking a prospect or paying a price we were going to regret. Trusting a developing club to a 40-year-old pulled out of retirement, two minor leaguers and an unproven prospect in goal is the definition of pennywise and pound-foolish. But basically 2 only matters if it breaks 1 and 3. This season is only about setting the table for next. Will the kids be better? Will the cap space be used? Guess we'll find out. I need this year to mean something by next year actually starting to show a payoff.

From the article: Projected bubble NHL All-Star and top of the lineup player 1. Shane Wright, C, Kingston (OHL) Jan. 5, 2004 | 6′ 0.5″ | 185 pounds Oct. 2021 Ranking: 1 Tier: Projected bubble NHL All-Star and top of the lineup player Skating: NHL average Puck skills: NHL average Hockey sense: NHL average Compete: Above NHL average Shot: High-end Background: Wright is the captain and a top player for a top OHL team in Kingston. He was a top two line center for Canada’s U20 team at the world juniors. He scored 9 goals and 14 points in 5 games at the U18 worlds as a U17 player leading Canada to gold. He was granted exceptional status to play in the OHL as a 15-year-old where he scored 39 goals and 66 points in 58 games. Analysis: Wright is the top prospect in the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s a very well-rounded center who has no noticeable flaw in his skill set but also does not have a ton about his game that gets you overly excited. He can skate and handle the puck like an NHLer. Wright’s game translates because of his compete and direct style of play. He takes pucks to the net and plays with pace. He can pull up to make a tough pass but he prefers to take pucks to the interior or shoot. His shot is his main weapon and the main reason I think he can become an NHL star, showing the ability to pick corners from long range consistently. Off the puck he’s competitive and responsible, showing maturity beyond his years. He projects as a No. 1 center in the NHL due to his all-around play but probably won’t be an elite scorer in the league.

So according to Pronman, Wright is the best guy and Wright is also a Cozens-level prospect.

Good to see the Mule slide right in like he belongs. He showed Hagg's toughness and Pysyk's poise in the same package, which is a pretty nice combination to have. A defender who eliminates his man? It's been a long time.

Then why do you constantly want him fired over his record? Seems to me the season is unfolding pretty much like he planned: costs are controlled, the room seems OK, the kids are developing, we are still in line for a lottery pick.

Insert Jennifer Lawrence GIF here. Not sure why you continue to pursue the narrative the Adams is trying to win this year when all evidence is to the contrary.

Zero results yet from the hockey department he assembled less than a year ago? Zero results yet from the 6 1sts and 6 2nds he acquired for the 21-23 drafts? Zero results yet from his slow cook player development focus and strategy a half-season in? Zero results yet from his sign cheap pending UFAs/maximize cap space strategy prior to its first trade deadline and off-season? Zero results yet from a season that was clearly always planned to be about development? Shocking.

Neither has Tim Murray, nor Teddy Nolan. Phil Housley and Jason Botterill have shuffled back to the assistant level they came from. Dan Bylsma is an assistant in the minor leagues. Ralph Krueger is out of hockey. I’m seeing a pattern here.

Well, apparently Adams does have problem with asking too much. Or because the two previous highly-recommended hires kinda sucked and let them down, leading them to be skeptical of the NHL heirarchy? And because they had lengthy first-hand experience with Adams succeeding in every task they had previously handed him? Also, what CEO/owner doesn't want staff to do what they want? I've worked for bosses who gave me a lot of latitude in achieving their goals my way, but I've never worked for one who let me do what I want.

In Dahlin’s first year he was 4th in ice time at 21.09, 1st in points, with mostly offensive starts. In his 2nd he was 3rd in ice time with 19:18, 1st in points, with mostly offensive starts. Seems to me he was being put in positions to succeed. He was a top-20 point-getter among defencemen and his analytics were respectable. How was this asking too much of him? What would you have done differently in terms of usage and how would that have helped?

Don’t know if the Sabres ask too much of their young D, so much as the fans. IMO, Dahlin was mostly well-handled in year 1 and 2, horribly miscoached in year 3, and is properly being asked to be a #1 this year and is growing into the role. Jokiharju has similarly been slowly elevated up the roster. They want(ed?) Samuelsson to be a top pairing guy in the AHL before elevating him to the NHL. Risto, sure. Who else am I missing?

Judged against Jim Schoenfeld, sure. Judged against most NHL defencemen, I disagree. Nashville game would be my exhibit A

Here's something unexpected: Thompson, Okposo, Girgensons, Tuch, Murray, Jankowski, Hayden, Dahlin, Samuelsson, Hagg. That's more than half a lineup at 210ish or more. Quietly the Sabres have become kinda big.

Would a boatload of money and a chance to play with Dahlin or Power help?

Don't let Cale Makar fool you. Defencemen take longer. Jokiharju 22, Dahlin 21, Samuelsson 21, Johnson 20, Power 19 might evolve into an excellent corps. Talk to me in 3 years. I can't wait another 3 years. Sabres need to target a top-4 defensively strong veteran RD this off-season. One of their LDs needs to add RD to their repertoire.

Yes. The last is fair comment. Personally, I don’t find it hard to believe. What do you think Peters might be referring to?

I'm not talking about a person to run the hockey operations at all. And the Pegulas' motivation would not be to get a new person in charge. It would be about getting a cash injection to help with their ambitious capital projects. Giving some control to this new person/firm would be the price they would have to pay to get that cash. It could be an equity firm purely looking for a return on investment, or it could be a well-heeled individual wanting into the NHL circle. In either case, the investor would be looking at this as an opportunity to make money by investing in a depreciated asset with growth potential. In either case, they would want a certain level of control over business decisions in order to realize their return — what is done to sell tickets and sponsorships and jerseys, produce content and marketing campaigns, manage administration etc., in order to maximize team revenue and value. It would happen if, and only if, each side is comfortable with the amounts of control and cash being shifted.

The idea that developing players have not been rewarded with callups is ridiculous. Team started off by giving R2 a 17-game shot Then Murray got called up after 9 games in Rochester Luukkonen after 12 Krebs after 16 Fitzgerald after 22 Peterka after 25 Quinn after 20 and overcoming mono Samuelsson after 20 and overcoming COVID It hasn't taken 1/3 of a season down there before every single productive prospect has been rewarded.

Riffing off this: what do people think of the idea of a 'managing partner'? I don't mean exactly like Larry Quinn, who was essentially a team president rewarded with an ownership stake, I mean someone who brings in a real pile of new cash in exchange for some control over how the business is run? It would mostly be about business: the new guy gets the automatic return on investment that seems to come from pro sports ownership and an opportunity to run an NHL team. I could see people recognizing the Sabres as a mismanaged business, with an untapped market of alienated fans ready to relive 2006 and spend "if only...". Terry still gets final say on most major decisions and the hoped-for benefits of increased revenue streams and franchise valuation, along with the ability to fade into the background and no longer put up with the bashing he's received for running the Sabres into the ground.

Possible. But it always seemed to me like Terry spends as much of his time “managing” the Sabres as anyone on here does. You don’t do that unless you’ve got more than money invested. Maybe more like one of those posters who comes in with the answers for everything for a few months, then gets bored and disappears, off to the next distraction?

Aren’t we all? 🙄 He lists a dozen UFA defencemen who might be moved and most are better than Miller. To our benefit, Miller is cheaper than most and right-handed. I still say 3rd.

I’ve come to hold this opinion because of the way the business of the team has been managed for the past 2 years, with a clear austerity program in place, gutting of staff and little to no investment into facilities or marketing or long-term player contracts. They’ve taken the steps that a business would take when trying to make itself attractive to investors. I’m no expert on the world of high finance, but I don’t think it is at all difficult to speculate that even someone as rich as Terry could use some cash to help fund an upgrade of the arena, or the new stadium project for the Bills. Hell, I’m sure he could use some to cover the losses of the past 2 seasons, which have to be considerable. I suppose it is also possible that he has tired of the Sabres, or of the flak he has taken as owner of the Sabres, and wants to step away from being the face of ownership. Personally, I agree with you that he loves the Sabres and would be surprised if no longer wants to be owner.

Which is why it won’t be announced before a stadium deal

What pick does Savoie start to make sense for Buffalo?

Noticed his stats line has been starting to bump up.