Inside Look into the Past Year of the Sabres Front Office

[JohnC]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

Except the bold isn’t happening. The Sabres aren’t replacing the bird dogs they fired with other bird dogs. For the most part the aren’t replacing them with anything, but the new hockey hires have been in player development and (apparently soon) analytics.

I think there was pretty clearly concern over the way the department was composed and its effectiveness. “What does this guy actually do and is he really helping?”  was a question the Pegulas obviously asked Adams to investigate even prior to the pandemic.

This is about more than temporary layoffs to weather the storm. More fundamental and structural questions are being addressed.

The primary reason why the scouting department wasn't quickly re-staffed is because the scouts are contractually obligated to the teams they are working for. You can't right now hire a scout away from another team because they have proprietary knowledge. It's my understanding that scouts are hired on a year to year basis. 

Edited June 20, 2021 by JohnC

[LGR4GM]

6 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

What if drafting isn't the problem? What if it's development, or, more likely IMHO, where a player's head goes when he ends up in Buffalo (The Hall Effect, or so many before him). It's a simple thought experiment to place recent Sabres' draftees in Pittsburgh or Tampa and see where they would be today.

 

If the goal was to save money, it worked. The only failing would be if they calculated that the team wouldn't decline further as a result of the layoffs. And it shouldn't have because the layoffs wouldn't affect this year's team. But maybe it deepened the players' impression that the organization was totally, off the rails dysfunctional.

I stopped reading at the bold. It's the problem. If I demonstrate why one more time I might explode. 

[Marvin]

12 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I stopped reading at the bold. It's the problem. If I demonstrate why one more time I might explode. 

Please put on flame retardant.  We would hate for you to go, especially that way.

[LGR4GM]

2 minutes ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

Please put on flame retardant.  We would hate for you to go, especially that way.

Interesting thing is the 3 of the last 4 Sabres drafts look far better. 

[Brawndo]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Interesting thing is the 3 of the last 4 Sabres drafts look far better. 

Which is the questionable one? 

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

Which is the questionable one? 

2018

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

2018

2 top picks in that are okay so still better than 2016. Or 2015 for that matter (after the obvious Eichel pick). So many bad drafts to choose from...........

[Brawndo]

https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/sabres-gm-kevyn-adams-applying-lessons-learned-from-difficult-first-year-on-the-job/article_767268c2-cf93-11eb-ba5a-27f4c83b452e.html

 

Part 2 of Article

 

This mentions that Krueger had a great amount of input over the construction of the Sabres Roster in UFA last year 

[nfreeman]

Here’s an Adams quote from that article that might reflect his view of Eichel:

“…an identity of team first, really believing in each other. Getting away from anyone in this organization or on this team that's more concerned about themselves.”

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

2 top picks in that are okay so still better than 2016. Or 2015 for that matter (after the obvious Eichel pick). So many bad drafts to choose from...........

Except I am limiting it to the last 4 to see if this team is finally fixing their decades long drafting issue. It appears they are headed in the right direction but this draft we should know. Adams only has had 2 picks that matter and 1 of them he may have screwed up on. 

[Carmel Corn]

1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

Except I am limiting it to the last 4 to see if this team is finally fixing their decades long drafting issue. It appears they are headed in the right direction but this draft we should know. Adams only has had 2 picks that matter and 1 of them he may have screwed up on. 

With all the balls GMKA is juggling right now, maybe one deal he could swing would be with the Wild to get that missed opportunity back...but not sure Minny has the overall asset package to make it worth our while.  

[Stoner]

56 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Here’s an Adams quote from that article that might reflect his view of Eichel:

“…an identity of team first, really believing in each other. Getting away from anyone in this organization or on this team that's more concerned about themselves.”

He could be talking about the owners.

[JohnC]

Anyone who doesn't believe that Jack, Reinhart and Risto will be dealt is not listening to what is explicitly being stated by the GM, the person responsible for making personnel decisions. This isn't a situation where rumors are emanating from anonymous sources from the bowels of the organization. It's coming from the top of the organizational pyramid. What is bluntly stated is: If you don't want to be here we don't want you. 

What made the biggest impression on me is that although Adams as a GM is inexperienced he is receptive to going outside his realm and learning from others. And that includes not only those involved in hockey but also outside the sport. What Krueger could have learned from Adams is that it is better to listen than to talk. You expand your knowledge base and are more willing to change and adapt. 

 

[LGR4GM]

I think Reinhart is the 1 player of the 3 that could be coming back. 

[nfreeman]

3 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

He could be talking about the owners.

When a notification pops up that PASabreFan has replied to one of my posts, I hurriedly click, with bated breath, hoping for one of your solid gold witticisms.

I suppose they can't all be gems.

[Thorner]

6 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

He could be talking about the owners.

“We haven’t even mentioned Terry and Kim right now, on this call yet. And they’ve done so much for this city and put so much into this organization. I think about it daily. We need to make them proud and to put the product on the ice that they feel good about as well.”

5 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Anyone who doesn't believe that Jack, Reinhart and Risto will be dealt is not listening to what is explicitly being stated by the GM, the person responsible for making personnel decisions. This isn't a situation where rumors are emanating from anonymous sources from the bowels of the organization. It's coming from the top of the organizational pyramid. What is bluntly stated is: If you don't want to be here we don't want you. 

What made the biggest impression on me is that although Adams as a GM is inexperienced he is receptive to going outside his realm and learning from others. And that includes not only those involved in hockey but also outside the sport. What Krueger could have learned from Adams is that it is better to listen than to talk. You expand your knowledge base and are more willing to change and adapt. 

 

Fair warning I will definitely lose my sh*t if KA touts "wanting to be here" all offseason and moves Eichel and Reinhart and KEEPS Ristolainen. 

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

I think Reinhart is the 1 player of the 3 that could be coming back. 

I would love to keep him. I admire his game and consistency. But unless he signs a multi-year contract soon I think he will be dealt especially when his value is at the max.  

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

“We haven’t even mentioned Terry and Kim right now, on this call yet. And they’ve done so much for this city and put so much into this organization. I think about it daily. We need to make them proud and to put the product on the ice that they feel good about as well.”

Every time I read this quote, I want to vomit. Now maybe Adams has to pander to get things done but good lord read the room. The fans aren't buying this BS anymore after a decade of the worst run team in the NHL. 

[Thorner]

Just now, LGR4GM said:

Every time I read this quote, I want to vomit. Now maybe Adams has to pander to get things done but good lord read the room. The fans aren't buying this BS anymore after a decade of the worst run team in the NHL. 

"I think about it daily" 

lol

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

"I think about it daily" 

lol

Yea just complete bs and honestly it's been about 2 years since I have had the appetite to eat from the Sabres All You Can Eat Crap Buffet. 

[Stoner]

7 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

When a notification pops up that PASabreFan has replied to one of my posts, I hurriedly click, with bated breath, hoping for one of your solid gold witticisms.

I suppose they can't all be gems.

What can I say? The coffee and sugar haven't kicked in yet.

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, Thorny said:

“We haven’t even mentioned Terry and Kim right now, on this call yet. And they’ve done so much for this city and put so much into this organization. I think about it daily. We need to make them proud and to put the product on the ice that they feel good about as well.”

Fair warning I will definitely lose my sh*t if KA touts "wanting to be here" all offseason and moves Eichel and Reinhart and KEEPS Ristolainen. 

I have a different take on the Risto compared to the Jack and Samson situation. With Jack and Samson this offseason is the time to get the biggest return for them. Samson because of his contract leverage and Jack for a variety of reasons that have been well chronicled. With Risto I think he can hold his value if he remained on the roster and then dealt at the trade deadline if that was the direction the organization wanted to go. 

I have a minority view on Risto. My belief is that If used differently as a 2b defenseman where his game is simplified then his talents can be maximized. I believe that airing him with McCabe would be a good complementing pairing. 

[Thorner]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I have a different take on the Risto compared to the Jack and Samson situation. With Jack and Samson this offseason is the time to get the biggest return for them. Samson because of his contract leverage and Jack for a variety of reasons that have been well chronicled. With Risto I think he can hold his value if he remained on the roster and then dealt at the trade deadline if that was the direction the organization wanted to go. 

I have a minority view on Risto. My belief is that If used differently as a 2b defenseman where his game is simplified then his talents can be maximized. I believe that airing him with McCabe would be a good complementing pairing. 

It would reveal KA to be a hypocrite 

[JohnC]

11 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Every time I read this quote, I want to vomit. Now maybe Adams has to pander to get things done but good lord read the room. The fans aren't buying this BS anymore after a decade of the worst run team in the NHL. 

At first under the Pegulas the Bills weren't very well run. They are now. If the owners learn the right lessons from their turbulent Bills' experience just maybe they can change their course of action with the Sabres. 

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

It would reveal KA to be a hypocrite 

Hypocrite to what? 

[LGR4GM]

12 minutes ago, JohnC said:

At first under the Pegulas the Bills weren't very well run. They are now. If the owners learn the right lessons from their turbulent Bills' experience just maybe they can change their course of action with the Sabres. 

Hypocrite to what? 

They have owned the Sabres for a decade and still haven't figured it out.