Is Kevyn Adams doing anything?

[GASabresIUFAN]

14 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Why does this take guts?

Doesnt it take more guts to stick to your plan/principles in the face of pressure to do otherwise?

What plan?  I have yet to see a proper plan to address the defense or goaltending.  Waiting for Levi isn't a plan.  It's hope and prayer.  Continually trotting out Bryson, Bush and Clague is a failure not a plan.  It's takes guts to be objective and say what your doing isn't working and then take steps to address the issue.  KA has known these issues exist for years and has yet to properly address them.  It's past time for changes to be made.

Edited February 22, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Brawndo]

4 hours ago, Taro T said:

The question to ask that won't be asked is which goalie was the odd man out?  Considering how little action he gets, expect it was Comrie, but not positive.

It was actually UPL, Friedman mentioned it on the Marek Show today. They were going to send him to Rochester and the vets said we need Him. 

[dudacek]

48 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

What plan?  I have yet to see a proper plan to address the defense or goaltending.  Waiting for Levi isn't a plan.  It's hope and prayer.  Continually trotting out Bryson, Bush and Clague is a failure not a plan.  It's takes guts to be objective and say what your doing isn't working and then take steps to address the issue.  KA has known these issues exist for years and has yet to properly address them.  It's past time for changes to be made.

Objectively, their plan to develop talent in-house has resulted in huge performance jumps from a bunch of key players.

Objectively, they have a boatload of younger players capable of making similar jumps coming up behind them to further advance the team.

Objectively, moving a thoroughly gutted, last-place team into a playoff bubble team in a season and a half represents significant progress.

Objectively, Adams has to look at where the team is and conclude their plan — setting the team up for long-term success through a stable, consistent positive culture and responsible incremental improvement — appears to actually be unfolding on, or possibly ahead of schedule.

[Weave]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

What plan?  I have yet to see a proper plan to address the defense or goaltending.  Waiting for Levi isn't a plan.  It's hope and prayer.  Continually trotting out Bryson, Bush and Clague is a failure not a plan.  It's takes guts to be objective and say what your doing isn't working and then take steps to address the issue.  KA has known these issues exist for years and has yet to properly address them.  It's past time for changes to be made.

Why in the hell wpuld you expect the team to share their plan with you?  Those are usually well kept secrets.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

It was actually UPL, Friedman mentioned it on the Marek Show today. They were going to send him to Rochester and the vets said we need Him. 

Not to sound any alarms but some of this conversation concerns me just a little bit.  Vets talking to Adams is one thing, players relationships with management today is different than in the past.  When relationships effect personnel decisions it can be a potential can of worms. 

Being a popular player and good in the locker room is fine and desired, but it should not cover up for other factors such as play on the ice.  Everyone talks about how close the team is, which is great, but that should not give the players much, if any say in how the roster is formed. 

Imagine if Adams didn't trade Mitts or Bryson because they are close friends with Dahlin?   

 

 

[PromoTheRobot]

13 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Not to sound any alarms but some of this conversation concerns me just a little bit.  Vets talking to Adams is one thing, players relationships with management today is different than in the past.  When relationships effect personnel decisions it can be a potential can of worms. 

Being a popular player and good in the locker room is fine and desired, but it should not cover up for other factors such as play on the ice.  Everyone talks about how close the team is, which is great, but that should not give the players much, if any say in how the roster is formed. 

Imagine if Adams didn't trade Mitts or Bryson because they are close friends with Dahlin?   

 

 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maintenance-day/id1601283889

Listen to the latest Maintenance Day podcast, about halfway in the discuss UPL, and some Levi.

[Zamboni]

Objectively looking at what has been done.

vs.

Always an ax to grind/or rose colored glasses way of looking at what has been done.

 

 

[LTS]

5 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

This thread asks if KA is doing anything.  The answer right now is no.  The real question, as his team gets pummeled by good teams, is whether KA has the guts to support this team by acquiring the D to help them reach the playoffs.  I think the answer is no.  He is going to watch how the next 4 games unfold and say (if the team plays well) “I didn’t do anything at the deadline because I didn’t want to disrupt the chemistry of the developing young team” and if they don’t play well, he’ll say “This is a development year and the cost in the trade market was to high to make any substantive moves.”  

I'd much prefer a GM with the brains to build a solid team.  Guts are what get you in a fights you have no hope of winning.

2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

What plan?  I have yet to see a proper plan to address the defense or goaltending.  Waiting for Levi isn't a plan.  It's hope and prayer.  Continually trotting out Bryson, Bush and Clague is a failure not a plan.  It's takes guts to be objective and say what your doing isn't working and then take steps to address the issue.  KA has known these issues exist for years and has yet to properly address them.  It's past time for changes to be made.

Waiting for Levi is a plan.  It may not be your plan, but it is indeed a plan. All plans are hopes and prayers unless you can see the future. Plans succeed and fail but only do so after they are completed and you can judge them in their entirety.

Interestingly enough Adams has done pretty well so far, signing players to solid contracts, drafting well, and the team is much improved.  You need to accept that your reality isn't necessarily THE reality.  You are more impatient and would have done more things. Like I said above, guts is what gets you in trouble. Brains are what you need to make intelligent moves.

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 hours ago, LTS said:

Waiting for Levi is a plan.  It may not be your plan, but it is indeed a plan.

So KA won't make an affirmative move to fix the goaltending until Levi is ready and that could be when exactly?  Maybe in 2024?  Maybe never.  That's not a plan.  

in 2021-22 our save% was .894, our GA was 3.5 goals allowed per game.  Our PK was awful at 76.42%.  All of these stats we significantly below the league average.  

To fix these areas, KA brought back Anderson but added Comrie, Lyubuskin and Clague with the results of ..........

In 2022-23 our save% is .892, our GA is 3.49.  Our PK is worse at 72.67%.    Thus zero improvement.

So you all can say what a good job KA has done building the offense and this is true, but there is more to winning in hockey besides offense and KA's acquisitions on defense and in goal have been mediocre at best (Clague, Anderson), but mostly lousy (Comrie, Dell, Lyubushkin). 

Whether the offense is ahead of schedule or not, a good leader takes advantage of the good fortune and supports the troops.  Regardless of what KO is whispering in his ear, KA needs to fix the D and goaltending now.  It's really that simple.  No one is going to block Levi.  No one is going to block Johnson.  No one is asking KA to destroy the pipeline to fix these areas. 

What I am saying is take a chance KA.  Get the help the team needs to break the playoff curse.  The players, the owners and the fans will thank for it.  Think of making the playoffs as part of the development curve of the organization.  First you make the playoffs, then you win a few rounds and then you compete for a Cup.  However none of that will happen with keeping the status quo on defense or in goal.

Edited February 23, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Scottysabres]

18 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

So KA won't make an affirmative move to fix the goaltending until Levi is ready and that could be when exactly?  Maybe in 2024?  Maybe never.  That's not a plan.  

in 2021-22 our save% was .894, our GA was 3.5 goals allowed per game.  Our PK was awful at 76.42%.  All of these stats we significantly below the league average.  

To fix these areas, KA brought back Anderson but added Comrie, Lyubuskin and Clague with the results of ..........

In 2022-23 our save% is .892, our GA is 3.49.  Our PK is worse at 72.67%.    Thus zero improvement.

So you all can say what a good job KA has done building the offense and this is true, but there is more to winning in hockey besides offense and KA's acquisitions on defense and in goal have been mediocre at best (Clague, Anderson), but mostly lousy (Comrie, Dell, Lyubushkin). 

Whether the offense is ahead of schedule or not, a good leader takes advantage of the good fortune and supports the troops.  Regardless of what KO is whispering in his ear, KA needs to fix the D and goaltending now.  It's really that simple.  No one is going to block Levi.  No one is going to block Johnson.  No one is asking KA to destroy the pipeline to fix these areas. 

What I am saying is take a chance KA.  Get the help the team needs to break the playoff curse.  The players, the owners and the fans will thank for it.  Think of making the playoffs as part of the development curve of the organization.  First you make the playoffs, then you win a few rounds and then you compete for a Cup.  However none of that will happen with keeping the status quo on defense or in goal.

Well, your not wrong. Then again, so many of us have been exposed to the catastrophe of the last 10 years that we've come to the stage of acceptance. We now accept a sub par, but progressing, product. It is what it is.

But hey, how bout them Leafs, eh? Looking really good and stacking their team with exceptional talent to make a run for the cup. They got it going on up there in Toronto, so there's that 👍 

[Goldseatsaud]

My feeling he won’t. Trust the Pegula process. I guess the feel their heading in the right direction with the youth. 
 

I probably won’t see a real winner in my life

[Taro T]

26 minutes ago, Scottysabres said:

Well, your not wrong. Then again, so many of us have been exposed to the catastrophe of the last 10 years that we've come to the stage of acceptance. We now accept a sub par, but progressing, product. It is what it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But hey, how bout them Leafs, eh? Looking really good and stacking their team with exceptional talent to make a run for the cup 2nd round. They got it going on up there in Toronto, so tere's that 👍 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FTFY.

18 years and counting.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Taro T
Trying (unsuccessfully) to get rid of blank lines.

[GASabresIUFAN]

39 minutes ago, Scottysabres said:

Well, your not wrong. Then again, so many of us have been exposed to the catastrophe of the last 10 years that we've come to the stage of acceptance. We now accept a sub par, but progressing, product. It is what it is.

Kind of sad that people are willing to accept a mediocre product when we could be some much more with a couple of reasonable changes.  

[Scottysabres]

Just now, GASabresIUFAN said:

Kind of sad that people are willing to accept a mediocre product when we could be some much more with a couple of reasonable changes.  

Well, many of us already stopped buying tickets to the home games for the most part. I guess we could start lighting bags of dog ***** on fire on KA's porch, ring the door bell and run. But with our luck KO would answer the door, not KA.....

I'm out of ideas.......

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

So KA won't make an affirmative move to fix the goaltending until Levi is ready and that could be when exactly?  Maybe in 2024?  Maybe never.  That's not a plan.  

in 2021-22 our save% was .894, our GA was 3.5 goals allowed per game.  Our PK was awful at 76.42%.  All of these stats we significantly below the league average.  

To fix these areas, KA brought back Anderson but added Comrie, Lyubuskin and Clague with the results of ..........

In 2022-23 our save% is .892, our GA is 3.49.  Our PK is worse at 72.67%.    Thus zero improvement.

So you all can say what a good job KA has done building the offense and this is true, but there is more to winning in hockey besides offense and KA's acquisitions on defense and in goal have been mediocre at best (Clague, Anderson), but mostly lousy (Comrie, Dell, Lyubushkin). 

Whether the offense is ahead of schedule or not, a good leader takes advantage of the good fortune and supports the troops.  Regardless of what KO is whispering in his ear, KA needs to fix the D and goaltending now.  It's really that simple.  No one is going to block Levi.  No one is going to block Johnson.  No one is asking KA to destroy the pipeline to fix these areas. 

What I am saying is take a chance KA.  Get the help the team needs to break the playoff curse.  The players, the owners and the fans will thank for it.  Think of making the playoffs as part of the development curve of the organization.  First you make the playoffs, then you win a few rounds and then you compete for a Cup.  However none of that will happen with keeping the status quo on defense or in goal.

Goalies via trade are almost 100% overpriced in assets required and signings are a complete crapshoot. Look at Campbell’s struggles in Edmonton for instance.

Defensively, KA expected Fitz, Pilut or Bryson to step up as the 6th D but none have. Bush has been injured half the year and has been better as of late but is far too easy to goad into stupidity. With how Bryson and Fitz looked last year, one could of believed they were on the verge of making the step and since neither were waivers exempt; it made more sense to let those two duke it out for 6D. Otherwise we more or less tossed an asset out the window out of the gate based on preseason appearances.

[sabremike]

2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

So KA won't make an affirmative move to fix the goaltending until Levi is ready and that could be when exactly?  Maybe in 2024?  Maybe never.  That's not a plan.  

in 2021-22 our save% was .894, our GA was 3.5 goals allowed per game.  Our PK was awful at 76.42%.  All of these stats we significantly below the league average.  

To fix these areas, KA brought back Anderson but added Comrie, Lyubuskin and Clague with the results of ..........

In 2022-23 our save% is .892, our GA is 3.49.  Our PK is worse at 72.67%.    Thus zero improvement.

So you all can say what a good job KA has done building the offense and this is true, but there is more to winning in hockey besides offense and KA's acquisitions on defense and in goal have been mediocre at best (Clague, Anderson), but mostly lousy (Comrie, Dell, Lyubushkin). 

Whether the offense is ahead of schedule or not, a good leader takes advantage of the good fortune and supports the troops.  Regardless of what KO is whispering in his ear, KA needs to fix the D and goaltending now.  It's really that simple.  No one is going to block Levi.  No one is going to block Johnson.  No one is asking KA to destroy the pipeline to fix these areas. 

What I am saying is take a chance KA.  Get the help the team needs to break the playoff curse.  The players, the owners and the fans will thank for it.  Think of making the playoffs as part of the development curve of the organization.  First you make the playoffs, then you win a few rounds and then you compete for a Cup.  However none of that will happen with keeping the status quo on defense or in goal.

Try October 2025 for Levi and that's an absolute borderline miraculous best case scenario.

[Refuting]

A trade needs to be made 

[GASabresIUFAN]

57 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Goalies via trade are almost 100% overpriced in assets required and signings are a complete crapshoot. Look at Campbell’s struggles in Edmonton for instance.

Defensively, KA expected Fitz, Pilut or Bryson to step up as the 6th D but none have. Bush has been injured half the year and has been better as of late but is far too easy to goad into stupidity. With how Bryson and Fitz looked last year, one could of believed they were on the verge of making the step and since neither were waivers exempt; it made more sense to let those two duke it out for 6D. Otherwise we more or less tossed an asset out the window out of the gate based on preseason appearances.

That wasn't a reasonable expectation.  Bryson's advanced stats weren't adequate last year.  Fitz's were worse. Toronto, a team desperate for D help, made no attempt to retain him after trading for him last season.  Pilut was a crapshoot but wasn't very good his first go around which is why he left for Russia.  These were band-aids and KA knew or should have known they weren't good enough.  

Why should they have known?  Just look at DG's usage of Bryson down the stretch last season.  DG had reduced his PT to 10-12 minutes a game down from 18 to 19 early in the year.  Casey's minutes also dropped down the stretch last year.  They weren't playing well enough to justify the PT and DG knew it.  Not exactly a ringing endorsement for this season.  

Last season in the playoffs, Tor only played Bush about 12 minutes a night.  Again not a ringing endorsement for us to reasonably expect him to handle 18-20 here.

 

 

[Marvin]

I think the only moves Adams makes, if any, will be long-term set-up for the team.  No short-term stuff.  No big ticket items unless the price is right both before and after.  No moving top recent prospects.  If he does it cleverly, it could help this year in a playoff push.

[thewookie1]

45 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

That wasn't a reasonable expectation.  Bryson's advanced stats weren't adequate last year.  Fitz's were worse. Toronto, a team desperate for D help, made no attempt to retain him after trading for him last season.  Pilut was a crapshoot but wasn't very good his first go around which is why he left for Russia.  These were band-aids and KA knew or should have known they weren't good enough.  

Why should they have known?  Just look at DG's usage of Bryson down the stretch last season.  DG had reduced his PT to 10-12 minutes a game down from 18 to 19 early in the year.  Casey's minutes also dropped down the stretch last year.  They weren't playing well enough to justify the PT and DG knew it.  Not exactly a ringing endorsement for this season.  

Last season in the playoffs, Tor only played Bush about 12 minutes a night.  Again not a ringing endorsement for us to reasonably expect him to handle 18-20 here.

 

 

 

So effectively you are fine with just chucking young players out the door if they look mediocre at best after a year or two; patience is a virtue you certainly have little of. 

Bush is fine as a 6D and was used accordingly in Toronto. We intended him to be a 5/6D so I'm unmoved by that claim.

[PerreaultForever]

7 hours ago, dudacek said:

Objectively, their plan to develop talent in-house has resulted in huge performance jumps from a bunch of key players.

Objectively, they have a boatload of younger players capable of making similar jumps coming up behind them to further advance the team.

Objectively, moving a thoroughly gutted, last-place team into a playoff bubble team in a season and a half represents significant progress.

Objectively, Adams has to look at where the team is and conclude their plan — setting the team up for long-term success through a stable, consistent positive culture and responsible incremental improvement — appears to actually be unfolding on, or possibly ahead of schedule.

This is basically true, and I think this is definitely their plan. I think however, as I've said on numerous occasions, that it is flawed and slower than it needs to be. 

I'm really really hoping they fill holes next year immediately and not just wait for Levi and Kulich and..... etc. cause if they keep JUST staying in house this plan will take so damn long it may start to fall apart before it's ever reaching it's ultimate goal. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

20 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

 

So effectively you are fine with just chucking young players out the door if they look mediocre at best after a year or two; patience is a virtue you certainly have little of. 

Bush is fine as a 6D and was used accordingly in Toronto. We intended him to be a 5/6D so I'm unmoved by that claim.

What youngster am I throwing out the window?  Bryson is 25 and is D+6.  Fitzgerald is 25 and is D+7.  Clague is 24 and is D+7.  Lyubushkin is 28.  These aren't kids.  These guys should now be in their prime and simply aren't good enough. 

I'm sorry but you can't keep every prospect.  At some point, the organization has to move on.  KA let Fitz go.  Bryson has been demoted to the 7th slot as he has already been supplanted by Clague.  Now KA needs to get a better to move Clague out of the top 6 as well.    

[GASabresIUFAN]

8 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

This is basically true, and I think this is definitely their plan. I think however, as I've said on numerous occasions, that it is flawed and slower than it needs to be. 

I'm really really hoping they fill holes next year immediately and not just wait for Levi and Kulich and..... etc. cause if they keep JUST staying in house this plan will take so damn long it may start to fall apart before it's ever reaching it's ultimate goal. 

The other issues with the inhouse only plan are that there are certain positions we don't have ready and good enough prospects in (such as goalie and defense) and by the time some of these prospects reach the NHL, we'll have wasted the primes of guys like Skinner, VO, TNT and Tuch.  I am not a fan of accelerating a rebuild before the core is established, but we have a core - Skinner, TNT, Tuch, Cozens, Dahlin, Mule, and Power, and the offense is flourishing.  It's time to give the core the support it needs.

Remember even if a GM is great at drafting, he is going to average a max of 3 players a year.  That means it will take about 9 (with development time) years to build a team solely through the draft.    

[Sabres73]

Clague being 24 IS young. I could see him developing into a solid 6 because he has the tools, he's still putting it all together, and that's where the coach/development comes in. I remember when Clague played for the Wheat Kings and at one point the year before his draft year he was ranked as high as #2 overall. Some players take a little time to grow. I trust the experts in the organization, not the ones on this board.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Sabres73

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

What youngster am I throwing out the window?  Bryson is 25 and is D+6.  Fitzgerald is 25 and is D+7.  Clague is 24 and is D+7.  Lyubushkin is 28.  These aren't kids.  These guys should now be in their prime and simply aren't good enough. 

I'm sorry but you can't keep every prospect.  At some point, the organization has to move on.  KA let Fitz go.  Bryson has been demoted to the 7th slot as he has already been supplanted by Clague.  Now KA needs to get a better to move Clague out of the top 6 as well.    

Feel free to toss them now at this point seeing as we saw the team around them raise their level but not them; but I wouldn't of been willing to prior to the season. Lyubushkin isn't a prospect but is an average bottom pair dman with physicality. Additionally none of them required long term commitments.

To a degree I think you are using information we know now and using it against things in the past.  

 

I'd love for them to get a better Dman to push down and out Bryson and Clague at this point but doing so requires 2 parties, and a logical and sane deal. You don't go trading Savoie or Kulich for Chychrun for the sake of a player who'd be our 4D. 

Goalies are a crapshoot and we targeted a well thought of back up with upside whom we could escape from if he fell flat on his face. I'm not interested in trading a 1st or multiple B+ level assets for a goalie when any goalie you acquire is likely to have warts not much better than a random goalie off the street in the offseason.