SabresVet

Adams' lack of response as the season goes down like the Hindenburg is indicative that missing the playoffs remained more optional from a management perspective than what was advertised to fans. And if that's the case, the GM has almost no fear of losing his job regardless of performance. If there's a benefit to more losing it's how this illuminates that Adams has no real authority, there is a low internal spending cap, and the playoffs wasn't as big a priority as promised. And like last year when people debated whether Granato would be fired, I will not assume they'll fire Adams. They could easily sell Lindy Ruff, but a GM promoted from within like Forton is not going to move the needle after 14 straight missed playoff seasons.

I don't expect owners to be personnel executives, but I do expect them to find people who will advise, line up interviews, and help make a decision. He's not had that with either franchise when he went in. For example, Ryan's firing was extremely awkward: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/bills-owner-explains-why-rex-ryan-was-fired-and-why-gm-had-clue/ Whaley's firing was pushed by McDermott, who at his introductory PC talked of being the one voice for the Bills. And Whaley was known throughout league circles as not the hardest working guy which conflicted with a workaholic like McDermott. All of this is to say, Terry's always been a bumbling mess with front office decisions. I'd be OK with that if he had someone to reliably advise him, but with neither the Sabres nor Bills has he had that. He just trusts the people he inherits, sees them predictably fail, and then finds himself needing to identify replacements...and this is why we're here.

I think people forget how bad TPegs was from the point of buying the Bills in late 2014 to hiring McDermott in early 2017. Retaining Doug Whaley, trusting Russ Brandon, hiring Rex Ryan, and then firing Ryan with the HC and GM sniping at each other in the media near the end. Sure, it led to McDermott, who received authority as a condition of employment and who fired Whaley to bring on Beane, but that was 2+ wasted seasons before they even started a real rebuild. This organization hasn't done an honest HC or GM search in 5+ years which is why I think Terry is scared of them. He's made the wrong call so many times and wants to retain his meddling abilities while presenting that they're a serious organization. But you can't have both and it's why we end up with limited "searches" where he makes the call in the end. No decent GM candidate signs up to work under those conditions.

I can't see Adams moving a player that he re-signed like Thompson, Cozens, or Power. Doing so is an admission his plan didn't work. And Pegula has the perfect front man in the GM role who won't make a sound when TPegs wants to meddle. But anyone with a pulse know that the plan failed last year and a shake-up is warranted now more than ever. I don't put much blame on Lindy - yet. He can't make up in half a season for an owner and GM who have steered this organization toward a cliff the past 4.5 years.

Yeah. NYI and CHI aren't an indicator they've suddenly upped their game. Because I still saw a team which struggles to maintain puck possession and has too many defensive lapses. Still miles to go.

I'm sure that laugh from real executives is about the same as Russ Brandon showing up to the NFL Combine in 2008-09 for the Bills. And to think, Terry remains completely oblivious that his security hiring a known entity GM has completely hamstrung the entire organization.

Terry believes he knows hockey still after almost 14 failed years as an owner. That's the root cause of the problems. He meddles in decisions and it's reached a point where no career-minded front office executive would work there. And yet, that's made worse because Terry doesn't know people across the league nor seems to have made much of an attempt. It's why they relied on the league to give them names which led to hiring Botterill. It's the perfect storm of stupid: owner thinks he knows stuff and is on an island with the league. At this point, I don't seem them ever getting a respected GM for those 2 reasons. That's how you wind up with someone as miscast as Adams. Only way it could happen is, someone interviews and tells Terry to his face that unless he essentially delegates full control over hockey ops, then no one will work for him.

Saint Joseph can do some amazing things.

The Sabres playoff drought will reach 14 seasons in 2025, or about 6 years longer than it took the Americans (with French help) to whip the British in the Revolutionary War.

Maybe mocking Adams into resignation is the answer. Then again, he'd get defensive and avoid media appearances like his boss does in response. Good old palm tree Kevyn. But Terry already knows hockey. Nothing left for him to learn in the game. Doesn't need to establish relationships with other NHL people. After all...he hired Adams to be the GM. LOL.

Mario Williams signed the largest UFA contract in NFL history when that deal went down which enticed him to go there. Sabres aren't going to offer a UFA a record contract. Hyde and Poyer signed a moderate and low end initial contract with the Bills...to play safety in a defense that featured them. And yet, Taylor Hall came to Buffalo just 4 years ago...when they paid him. But that was before GM Kevyn all but destroyed the team's reputation by negotiating in public about Eichel and the surgery. Adams I think believed that pre-emptively signing younger players like Thompson, Cozens, Samuelsson, and Power to contracts before they'd been earned them would demonstrate the Sabres were a good destination. Right now, only 1 of those guys is remotely earning it, and they're saddled with those contracts.

A like for like trade. As in, moving Huberdeau fresh off a 115 point season for Tkachuck.

It took a few years before the Bills became a destination for UFAs, but that began with being bold. Taking Josh Allen represented a huge risk for McBeane and Buffalo, but they knew you gotta have a franchise QB. That said, player talent pipelines are different in the NHL. I don't see much audacity from the Sabres. They'd never think of trading an elite player to shake up the organization like Florida did with Huberdeau a few years ago. There's no incentive because management, as evidenced today, has no concerns with their job security. And by that, I mean the front office people. One thing the NHL has over the NFL is they fire people much faster when things aren't working. Seems like every year a relatively recent coach of the year is getting let go. They don't wait for the season to end here...Chicago and Boston have already fired theirs and we're one-third of the way through the season. Adams and Botterill before him were always taking the safe route and it's representative of their personalities. And that means mediocrity for the franchise.

Message I take from this laughable PC is that self-preservation seems the top priority. For certain members of the media to retain team access to not ask hard-hitting questions. And worse, for a GM not in fear of losing his job despite failing spectacularly. Weak men go defensive when results aren't produced. Weak men do not therefore lead NHL organizations, neither at the ownership, GM, or HC levels. Right now, only the latter is not a weak man.

McDermott insisted on and received football control when he was hired almost 8 years ago. Beane came on-board later that first off-season and operated within that framework as well. Terry doesn't make decisions with the Bills, although getting a few hundred millions in tv money shared from the league makes that easier to stomach for him I'm sure. Yet, he meddles in the Sabres and has interfered in personnel decisions for years. He considers himself knowledgeable enough about the game to do this. When the Sabres aren't making money, he cuts back. He has ruined the franchise's reputation to the degree that, were he to fire Adams I'm not sure who'd want to go there. It's similar to where the Bills were around 2010 when they needed to hire a GM. No one worth a darn wanted it because the franchise was toxic. Terry is the poison pill that pollutes the Sabres. Thank goodness (and I'm not a huge McDermott fan) the current Bills HC and GM have full authority. That franchise would be a mess without it.