Kevyn Adams addresses Season Ticket Holders 2/27/23

[Zamboni]

To our most loyal fans,

 

As I sit down to write this letter, I am reflecting on the past year for Sabres hockey and the excitement and drive that I have to help push this team forward. We are continuing to see crucial signs of development and the foundation of a strong culture that will permeate through the locker room for years to come.

 

We knew going into this season that we would be one of the youngest teams in the league. Despite the youth, our players are a mature group and demonstrate the work ethic and qualities that it takes to be great in this league. On the ice, they are being tested every night and are both learning and developing from each test they endure. You’ve heard me say this before, but the development of these players is crucial as we look towards long-term, sustainable success. I know as fans, you have endured a lot over the past decade. We feel strongly that you deserve players and a team that feel immense pride in being Buffalo Sabres and as an organization, we are building this to win sustainably.

 

If you read Rasmus Dahlin’s heartfelt letter earlier this season, you know that our players feel your passion and use it as a rallying point. Last year, they got a great history lesson about our franchise as they played through RJ’s last season. This year, nights like the game after the snowstorm and Ryan Miller night have allowed them the opportunity to forge their own path while remembering our rich history.

 

I am proud of the work our group has put in, but the majority of the work still lies ahead. We’ve started to see some results but are not comfortable with where we are at and the coaches, players, and myself all know that there is room to grow. But that’s the exciting part. We have players like Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, and Mattias Samuelsson signed to long-term extensions, and we know they have not hit their ceilings as players. They are going to continue to get better, just like the rest of our players. Knowing that pushes me to keep my focus on building this the right way for you, our most loyal fans, and the city of Buffalo.

 

It is impossible to overstate how grateful I am for your continued support of our team. Both the players and coaches know that Sabres fans are second-to-none and do not take that for granted. They continue to express desire to connect to the fans and the community and understand the role they play in our town. As we move into the last stretch of our season, know that I hear you and appreciate your constant support. The sign in our locker room that reads ‘earn it’ continues to ring true every day and we hope we’ve earned your commitment as a season ticket member for the ’23-’24 season. Thank you for being our most loyal fans – we are in this together.

 

Best,

Kevyn Adams

 

https://app.e.psentertainment.com/e/es?s=2118877368&e=154783&elqTrackId=78D8A052C380BCBFF284D754BEBE9730&elq=145ca358061543aabbd9d1075733a518&elqaid=6578&elqat=1

[Buffalonill]

So most likely will see a 3rd round trade on Friday. 

Fine with me.

 They will just have to outscore everyone which they can easily do .

 

 

[Cheektorado]

Trust the "amelioration".

Still think he brings in a D-man.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Translation:

 

[spndnchz]

And an average 9% increase in prices. But sign up soon for a discount. 

[Taro T]

Just now, spndnchz said:

And an average 9% increase in prices. But sign up soon for a discount. 

One of the items that came out of the Fan Council last year.  The Sabres wanted to get people renewing early but weren't planning on offering anything much more than interest free payment plans.  

People suggested that if they could get current prices for signing up early that that might fly.

There were a few other things that came of it; looking forward to them resurrecting the Fan Council.  Should happen by next season at the latest.

[Thorner]

“Development“: 3 x mentioned 

“Win”: 1 x mentioned 

fwiw

- - - 

Probably just a product of the target demographic but it’s VERY muted re: expectations in the close to near future 

[FrenchConnection44]

6 hours ago, Cheektorado said:

Trust the "amelioration".

Still think he brings in a D-man.

They did. Just not one who will add much. If he breaks into the lineup. 
 

 

[gregmo]

On 2/27/2023 at 6:33 PM, spndnchz said:

And an average 9% increase in prices. But sign up soon for a discount. 

The team is entertaining to watch.  While no longer in Buffalo, I have ESPN+ just to watch the Sabres.  Actually getting into the playoffs might justify the price increase. 

[PerreaultForever]

translation - I won't be doing much of anything at the deadline or in free agency but please renew your tickets for next year anyway. 

[Goldseatsaud]

Be patience and trust the process. Wait another year for the playoffs.

[bunomatic]

As I’ve said before the development gained from making the playoffs and getting a taste of ‘ the show ‘ would move these young guys forward exponentially. 

[rickshaw]

If we miss this year but make it the next 10, isn’t it all worth it? 

[Weave]

Just now, rickshaw said:

If we miss this year but make it the next 10, isn’t it all worth it? 

Why does it have to be either or?  What is so unrealistic about starting a 10 yr playoff run with this season?

[Pimlach]

26 minutes ago, rickshaw said:

If we miss this year but make it the next 10, isn’t it all worth it? 

If, if ,if.   

What will happen by missing this year that enables making it the next ten years?  Why would making a few low cost moves now hurt the development of the core?  

We should be replacing our worst couple of players with better players right now.  

[rickshaw]

I don’t disagree but I think the issue here is chemistry. I really think KA doesn’t want to mess up the room. But surely Dahlin knows Bryson has to go for him to advance. 
 

We will find out soon.

[Thorner]

1 hour ago, rickshaw said:

If we miss this year but make it the next 10, isn’t it all worth it? 

Totally.

Was just a little surprised by the wording b/c it’s more in reference to NEXT season 

[Thorner]

This was the eye-catching paragraph:

I am proud of the work our group has put in, but the majority of the work still lies ahead. We’ve started to see some results but are not comfortable with where we are at and the coaches, players, and myself all know that there is room to grow. But that’s the exciting part. We have players like Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, and Mattias Samuelsson signed to long-term extensions, and we know they have not hit their ceilings as players. They are going to continue to get better, just like the rest of our players. Knowing that pushes me to keep my focus on building this the right way for you, our most loyal fans, and the city of Buffalo.

”The majority of the work still lies ahead”.

This seems to suggest caution, that we are early in the process. At first I thought it could be a suggestion they intend to raise expectations next season, but consider the context of the entire paragraph: it’s entirely about progress via development -

“They are going to continue to get better, just like THE REST OF OUR PLAYERS”. Pretty confident on not only the idea Thompson hasn’t reached his ceiling, but that ALL of our players are going to. Our current players, being the rub.

”Knowing that pushes me to *KEEP MY FOCUS ON* building this the right way for you...”

KEEP my focus on...lot of way to go still.....plenty of internal improvement to come... 

Like I said it’s clearly demographic dependent but the message here is clearly much more interested in “stay the course, long road ahead” than any inclination about when to EXPECT and of the sustained winning it mentions.

I find stuff like this interesting, the messaging they send out. In the end all that matters is the results, if our improvement trajectory continues it doesn’t really matter WHAT he says. As mentioned before, i do hope the messaging for next season becomes more about playoffs 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Thorny

[bunomatic]

36 minutes ago, Thorny said:

This was the eye-catching paragraph:

I am proud of the work our group has put in, but the majority of the work still lies ahead. We’ve started to see some results but are not comfortable with where we are at and the coaches, players, and myself all know that there is room to grow. But that’s the exciting part. We have players like Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, and Mattias Samuelsson signed to long-term extensions, and we know they have not hit their ceilings as players. They are going to continue to get better, just like the rest of our players. Knowing that pushes me to keep my focus on building this the right way for you, our most loyal fans, and the city of Buffalo.

”The majority of the work still lies ahead”.

This seems to suggest caution, that we are early in the process. At first I thought it could be a suggestion they intend to raise expectations next season, but consider the context of the entire paragraph: it’s entirely about progress via development -

“They are going to continue to get better, just like THE REST OF OUR PLAYERS”. Pretty confident on not only the idea Thompson hasn’t reached his ceiling, but that ALL of our players are going to. Our current players, being the rub.

”Knowing that pushes me to *KEEP MY FOCUS ON* building this the right way for you...”

KEEP my focus on...lot of way to go still.....plenty of internal improvement to come... 

Like I said it’s clearly demographic dependent but the message here is clearly much more interested in “stay the course, long road ahead” than any inclination about when to EXPECT and of the sustained winning it mentions.

I find stuff like this interesting, the messaging they send out. In the end all that matters is the results, if our improvement trajectory continues it doesn’t really matter WHAT he says. As mentioned before, i do hope the messaging for next season becomes more about playoffs 

Hopefully whether KA is ready for it or not these guys can push past his expectations. He sounds  like the experienced bull saying to the young bull if we walk down the hill as opposed to run down we can nail all those cows instead of one. 

[Thorner]

12 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

Hopefully whether KA is ready for it or not these guys can push past his expectations. He sounds  like the experienced bull saying to the young bull if we walk down the hill as opposed to run down we can nail all those cows instead of one. 

I tend to believe he’s more interested in pushing things forward / resetting expectations (playoffs) for next season than this letter would imply: my hope is we see some of that messaging come forth a little later on when talking to the larger, broader fan base. As I mentioned in my first post on the matter, season ticket holders that are still season ticket holders right now, after all this, probably are pretty swayed by / on board with the “process” lingo

[PerreaultForever]

4 hours ago, Weave said:

Why does it have to be either or?  What is so unrealistic about starting a 10 yr playoff run with this season?

It's not impossible, but the feeling I have, and I think many people have, is that these holes will sink us and we will miss by just a few points. 

Thus, when you look back on the year you have to think, if we'd had more D depth when Samuelson etc went down maybe we'd have saved a few points there. If we'd had a better goalie maybe we'd have stolen or saved a few points here or there, and maybe if we had a little more grit maybe we'd win one or two more down the stretch. Just a few points here or there with just a few small changes/additions. Missing by a slim margin is gonna hurt cause it could have been saved.

Ultimately I think the team has done better than KA expected. Cozens leapt forward faster than he expected. Some things have gone right and so we are closer/better than he expected and so not making the moves is a mistake. 

[Weave]

16 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

It's not impossible, but the feeling I have, and I think many people have, is that these holes will sink us and we will miss by just a few points. 

Context.  The discussion was in regards to making a couple of trades now to fill the holes and improve the likelihood of making the playoffs.  The post you quoted was my response to someone suggesting that there was an either/or here, get in the playoffs this season OR have a decade of success.  My point was, both are reasonably possible.

But if we lose the next 2 games I think our goose is cooked whether we make a move or not.  At this point the value in a deadline deal is dropping fast.

[Thorner]

2 minutes ago, Weave said:

Context.  The discussion was in regards to making a couple of trades now to fill the holes and improve the likelihood of making the playoffs.  The post you quoted was my response to someone suggesting that there was an either/or here, get in the playoffs this season OR have a decade of success.  My point was, both are reasonably possible.

But if we lose the next 2 games I think our goose is cooked whether we make a move or not.  At this point the value in a deadline deal is dropping fast.

If we lose 10-0 the next 2 and Dahlin is back, 90-100% good to go for the remaining 20+ games, we’ll much more likely get in than if we win 1 or 2 of those games and Dahlin misses an extended further period. Imo. Of course the games are v. Important, to your point, just think the “are we cooked”? equation, if solved at all in the next few days, will be by way of the answer to the RD question  

My verve for the deadline itself is gone. More interested in if there’ll be a move to IR, or not 

[PerreaultForever]

9 hours ago, Weave said:

Context.  The discussion was in regards to making a couple of trades now to fill the holes and improve the likelihood of making the playoffs.  The post you quoted was my response to someone suggesting that there was an either/or here, get in the playoffs this season OR have a decade of success.  My point was, both are reasonably possible.

But if we lose the next 2 games I think our goose is cooked whether we make a move or not.  At this point the value in a deadline deal is dropping fast.

Fair enough, but I don't think it was just a simple one thing or another "OR" . The original implication is that you keep all your picks and prospects for the future so you have that 10 years because of that. If you make some deals, like say give up a 1st and 2  2nds (you know what I'm referring to) you might make it this year but miss later. 

You're right, both are possible, but the likelihood of making it this year is going down by the second imo so I hope the 10 years comes to pass.