Kevyn Adams Q&A with STH Holders

[Crusader1969]

1 hour ago, Buffalonill said:

Also with this Russian development  If Michkov drops  That means Kevin Adams has no problem letting him wait  3 to 4 years If he has to.

 I think some teams at the top are gonna be scared to draft him because they need help now.

 

He’s a top 3 / 4 talent .  I’m guessing he isn’t dropping to where the Sabres will be drafting 

[dudacek]

14 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

Maybe he was saying 3 to 5 to be contender for the ultimate goal. ? 

I think he’s pretty clearly talking about his salary cap situation in 3-5 years and how he is (in @Randall Flagg’s world much too) cautious about signing or acquiring contracts now that will handcuff him in keeping current players later.

Edited March 29, 2023 by dudacek

[spndnchz]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

My best buddy is and I go to a bunch of games with him. We've talked about in the future splitting the tickets and where he sits it is def worth it. I think it comes down to if you want to go to 20-41 games a year and where you want to sit. I personally think there are spots in that arena that I wouldn't pay to be in. 

It was a nice hour. Free parking too. I’ve had seasons for 25 years (skipped the Covid year)

[Randall Flagg]

50 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Can we be in agreement that, for Adams, this season was largely about building culture and giving the kids responsibility to see how they respond?

Maybe he agrees next year is critical, but what he is saying is that this year told him that his “core” is already here and he doesn’t need to sacrifice major assets to add a core piece.

I guess what I’m saying is I haven’t seen you (or too many others) screaming for big changes. Everyone wants to add a good goalie, a top 4 defenceman and some physical strength and defensive acumen.

What makes you think Adams doesn’t see the same things and is unwilling to address them?

At the start of this year, he had no idea Dahlin Cozens Tuch and Thompson were the studs they have become. He had no idea how Comrie, Luukkonen, Samuelson, Power, Bryson, Mittelstadt, Quinn, Krebs and Peterka would respond to being leaned on over a full season.

TLDR: last summer he didn’t really know what he had, this summer he has a much better idea.

Seems to me he has already started the process of addressing its holes with the concepts of Stillman and Greenway. Personally, I’ve seen reason to hope that can and will continue into the summer without chasing Bo Horvats.

Seems to me your issues amount to: “he hasn’t done those things yet, and he hasn’t promised me he will.”

Guess we’ll see.

 

 

What makes me think he won't address them - i don't believe it yet but I worry about it, and Stillman and Greenway are more Botterill-lane moves than what the team actually needed to be shoring up their wild card spot right now. The sample size of moves geared toward finishing a real roster are still small and a little weird with Kevyn 3 years in

My issues amount to- Yeah that's basically it. They're advertising tickets now, I want to buy now, I need to hear a commitment before I drive out to Buffalo from 1.5 hours away 20 times next year 

I think he has done a good enough job that things won't completely fall apart even if he sits out the entire summer waiting for "the right kind of player"

But punch touches on some things that could be in the beginning stages of festering, and at this point I like to think I have a pretty good nose for that sort of thing. Kevyn has a flamethrower loaded up and ready to blast away the rot from the past for good, I don't want him to set it back down and look the other way for 12 more months

Edited March 29, 2023 by Randall Flagg

[Randall Flagg]

48 minutes ago, Derrico said:

I’ll keep this in mind.  Thanks.

I see the Sabres offer half seasons now.  Didn’t know that.

Where have you been Randall??  Man I’ve missed ur posting.  

Thanks friend hope things are well with you. I had to go to the store to pick up some milk

[PromoTheRobot]

2 hours ago, OverPowerYou said:

Are there any season ticket holders here? I’m interested in becoming one. Is it worth it? 

I've been one since 2007. Came close to dropping them 2 years ago but stuck with them. Living 500 miles away I can only get to 3-4 games a year. The rest I share with family or sell. Is it worth it? The value I put on them is knowing I always have a game ticket (I'm also a Bills STH'er) for every weekend I visit Buffalo. You have to decide what it's worth to you.

[LETSTUCHINGO]

I was in attendance last night and I am a first time STH, who believes the writing is on the wall that the Sabres are making the same type of turnaround that the Bills have done recently. In listening to KA, I found him to be genuine, vested, and especially knowledgeable as to the strengths and weaknesses of his team. He answered every question as honest as a GM could publicly. When the topic of Bryson came up, he supported his current player, while also subtly acknowledging the deficiencies of our current defensive roster. I left there confident that he will be looking to add a top 4 defensemen. What didn't get talked about was goaltending, except for the promising future that Devin Levi has.

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

His first two seasons were full of the same language, and he was happy to let holes be filled by unproven young guys learning on the job. We head into next year and he's never said anything different, and in this blurb of summary points (which i acknowledge would not represent EVERYTHING kevyn said) he is continuing to talk about the next wave of those players, emphasizing them as the focus or next order of business. He has had the same response about adding vets for 3 years and has Tuch (unique situation) and Lybushkin to show for it. The rate at which Kevyn has added *meaning* to our roster through three offseasons and TDLs is incredibly slow and he has given no inclination it will speed up, but we need it to speed up to the tune of 4, maybe 5 roster spots including goal

ie his "very caluclated" is actually a mile from where I would like him to be based on his history. And his immediate, emphatic pushback at the slightest suggestion of acceleration, coupled with his and Donny's comments at the TDL about our competition, have me annoyed and impatient

I need him to tell me that a switch has been flipped, not hear the same thing I heard when Ruotsalainen was hot after the losing streak in 2021

The franchise is knocking at a brand new door. Talk like it 

Yes, the Sabres are knocking on a new door. He isn't saying anything differently now than when he took over the hockey operation. And what he said he was going to do is showing results at a faster pace than I thought it would take. The Sabres are still in a playoff race. Odds are that they won't make it this year. And the odds are that the Sabres will earn 10-15 pts more this year than it did last year. You don't consider that progress in a relatively short period of time? If you factor in the fact that the Sabres are one of the youngest teams in the league, I would definitely consider this season as an example of demonstrable progress. 

In less than 3 years,  this GM has dealt the old core and significantly reshuffled the roster. Tage, Cozens, Quinn, JJ, Dahlin, Power, Samuelsson, Joki etc. are young players with even more upside. Next year, my expectations are that this team will be a playoff team. If they don't make it, I will be very disappointed. As far as I'm concerned, the pace of this rebuild has been steady and rather fast. In my view, the results, after KA's installation, have been better than I anticipated after. He is one year ahead of the timetable that I had in mind. 

There certainly are needs that need to be addressed this offseason. There is no need to restate what they are. My point is that this franchise is on track to become a serious team, and it is being done at a rather quick rate. 

[Archie Lee]

There is more than one way to get there.  It doesn't really matter to me if we get there through development or through trades/free agency. You do probably need to start with a core though.  The Bruins don't have much of a prospect base and have recently gone all in by trading their top picks, but they have an obvious core that they developed first.

My concern is for the psyche of certain players who have seen little but losing over multiple seasons.  I think that the organization does owe something to players like Dahlin, Thompson, Skinner, Mittelstadt, Jokiharju, Tuch, Cozens and Tuch (who has fully bought in), who have spent 2-5 years with the team and have yet to play in a playoff game.  During the most recent tailspin, we started to see some frustration from Dahlin that was not present late last year and through the first months of this season. Fair or not, my sense is that this group of players is more personally invested in the organization than Eichel and Reinhart were, but there are likely limits to this.  At some point I think you probably need to commit to winning being a clear expectation and priority.  We clearly have many players who are ready to win now.  I don't want Adams to do anything rash, but the acquisition of the right veteran player or two can certainly make a significant difference to a team as it ascends from rebuilding to contending.   

Of course, there are still meaningful games to play this season... 

[Brawndo]

1 hour ago, Crusader1969 said:

Weren’t / aren’t Russians banned from the import draft ?  Thinking they were last year but I’m old and could be confused 🫤 

I’m thinking you can scratch demko off your list 

Canucks are building around him, Hughes and EP 

 

I’ll go with Your Thoughts on Russians with the CHL Import Draft 

[Buffalonill]

1 hour ago, Crusader1969 said:

He’s a top 3 / 4 talent .  I’m guessing he isn’t dropping to where the Sabres will be drafting 

He is but things happen during draft week .

And with him Committed to Russia 2 to 3 years that could cause some caution for some 

 

[kas23]

5 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

The Russian news is the best news of this all

He shouldn’t have said this. As we know, Putin’s paying attention. He may be analyzing Kevyn’s comments right now. The good news is he’s probably a bit distracted on how to respond to the NHL’s Pride practice jersey usage. 

[French Collection]

50 minutes ago, LETSTUCHINGO said:

I was in attendance last night and I am a first time STH, who believes the writing is on the wall that the Sabres are making the same type of turnaround that the Bills have done recently. In listening to KA, I found him to be genuine, vested, and especially knowledgeable as to the strengths and weaknesses of his team. He answered every question as honest as a GM could publicly. When the topic of Bryson came up, he supported his current player, while also subtly acknowledging the deficiencies of our current defensive roster. I left there confident that he will be looking to add a top 4 defensemen. What didn't get talked about was goaltending, except for the promising future that Devin Levi has.

People were asking him about Bryson, we’re not alone.

[French Collection]

12 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

I’ll go with Your Thoughts on Russians with the CHL Import Draft 

The CHL didn’t ban Russians from the import draft. There were 2 selected last year, Ivan Miroshnichenko being a ‘big name’ player picked. Teams were leery about choosing them because there are usually more.

[Randall Flagg]

1 hour ago, LETSTUCHINGO said:

I was in attendance last night and I am a first time STH, who believes the writing is on the wall that the Sabres are making the same type of turnaround that the Bills have done recently. In listening to KA, I found him to be genuine, vested, and especially knowledgeable as to the strengths and weaknesses of his team. He answered every question as honest as a GM could publicly. When the topic of Bryson came up, he supported his current player, while also subtly acknowledging the deficiencies of our current defensive roster. I left there confident that he will be looking to add a top 4 defensemen. What didn't get talked about was goaltending, except for the promising future that Devin Levi has.

He was talking to fans who asked about Bryson in particular? That's pretty cool. I might buy in just to go to this thing. Thanks for sharing!

[PerreaultForever]

If the Russians are eventually NHL players that will be huge as landing later round picks is one of the ways teams become contenders, if not dominant franchises. Have to wait see if it's hype or reality. 

The looking 3 to 5 years down the road bothers me though. While all GMs do have to have long term plans and look down the road, they also have to try to win now. Any time this is discussed here people always jump to "mortgage the future" and it's an extremist and polarizing argument as a result. There is a middle ground where you make SOME moves and keep SOME future and thus start to win now AND still build for the future. Once you are a real playoff team and you have a prospect pool you don't need to keep adding to it. You do have the draft capital to make moves and you don't have to win every trade, you just have to make your team better. It's time. Get these kids a winning tradition, not an it'll be better next year one. 

[Flashsabre]

I have high hopes for Neuchev and Novikov looks promising. We will see what comes if Poltapov.

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:

What makes me think he won't address them - i don't believe it yet but I worry about it, and Stillman and Greenway are more Botterill-lane moves than what the team actually needed to be shoring up their wild card spot right now. The sample size of moves geared toward finishing a real roster are still small and a little weird with Kevyn 3 years in

My issues amount to- Yeah that's basically it. They're advertising tickets now, I want to buy now, I need to hear a commitment before I drive out to Buffalo from 1.5 hours away 20 times next year 

I think he has done a good enough job that things won't completely fall apart even if he sits out the entire summer waiting for "the right kind of player"

But punch touches on some things that could be in the beginning stages of festering, and at this point I like to think I have a pretty good nose for that sort of thing. Kevyn has a flamethrower loaded up and ready to blast away the rot from the past for good, I don't want him to set it back down and look the other way for 12 more months

Most of the remnants (core) of the prior era are gone. Jack, Reinhrt, Risto, Montour, Hall etc. are gone for a variety of reasons. (No need for the rehash.) I believe you are making a mistake if you believe that what's needed now is a flamethrower (your word) approach to gain credibility from the skeptical crowd. There are obviously identifiable needs entering the offseason, regardless how this end of season turns out. Anyone who stands back and puts things in perspective and compares where this team is compared where it was two to three years ago should be happy because the trajectory is without a doubt pointing upwards. I'm not saying you should be satisfied because I'm not fully in that receptive camp just yet. (Waiting for the offseason transactions.) However, if one has been following this team over the past decade or so, one would have to acknowledge that this franchise is moving in the right direction and is ready to move into the fast lane. 

[tom webster]

I haven’t read the whole thread but anyone still concerned that KA is playing the long game just isn’t paying attention. Known facts, they thought they made a legitimate offer for Chykurn, had a deal for Murray and explored Timo Meier. Other rumors abound with no available verification. The team is still in a playoff race. The GM is not going to make public statements about future moves.

[Randall Flagg]

37 minutes ago, tom webster said:

I haven’t read the whole thread but anyone still concerned that KA is playing the long game just isn’t paying attention. Known facts, they thought they made a legitimate offer for Chykurn, had a deal for Murray and explored Timo Meier. Other rumors abound with no available verification. The team is still in a playoff race. The GM is not going to make public statements about future moves.

I'm glad he is capable of calling other GMs about theoretically addressing his team's needs 

[LabattBlue]

Adams got choked up?  Flashback from more than a decade ago…

 

“The Buffalo Sabres’ new owner made two things clear today during his introductory news conference. One is that he has loved the team since 1975. He used to have friends in Olean put their telephone to the television when he lived out of town just so he could hear the game broadcasts. When he looked to his right today in HSBC Arena and saw Hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault, he broke down in tears and told the legendary center he was his hero.

Pegula followed up by telling the fans who don’t own the team exactly what they wanted to hear.

“The Buffalo Sabres’ reason for existence is to win the Stanley Cup,” the 59-year-old said. “We will aspire to be the best in the league at finding, developing and keeping players in the Buffalo Sabres family.”

 

Oops…😂😂😂

 

[tom webster]

11 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

I'm glad he is capable of calling other GMs about theoretically addressing his team's needs 

I was responding to his desire to accelerate the rebuild. We weren’t discussing actually accomplishing that. I’ve made my feelings regarding that clear. Just trying to stay on point.

[Marvin]

2 hours ago, LETSTUCHINGO said:

I was in attendance last night and I am a first time STH, who believes the writing is on the wall that the Sabres are making the same type of turnaround that the Bills have done recently. In listening to KA, I found him to be genuine, vested, and especially knowledgeable as to the strengths and weaknesses of his team. He answered every question as honest as a GM could publicly. When the topic of Bryson came up, he supported his current player, while also subtly acknowledging the deficiencies of our current defensive roster. I left there confident that he will be looking to add a top 4 defensemen. What didn't get talked about was goaltending, except for the promising future that Devin Levi has.

Welcome to the board!

A great perspective.  Thank you.

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, JohnC said:

Yes, the Sabres are knocking on a new door. He isn't saying anything differently now than when he took over the hockey operation. And what he said he was going to do is showing results at a faster pace than I thought it would take. The Sabres are still in a playoff race. Odds are that they won't make it this year. And the odds are that the Sabres will earn 10-15 pts more this year than it did last year. You don't consider that progress in a relatively short period of time? If you factor in the fact that the Sabres are one of the youngest teams in the league, I would definitely consider this season as an example of demonstrable progress. 

In less than 3 years,  this GM has dealt the old core and significantly reshuffled the roster. Tage, Cozens, Quinn, JJ, Dahlin, Power, Samuelsson, Joki etc. are young players with even more upside. Next year, my expectations are that this team will be a playoff team. If they don't make it, I will be very disappointed. As far as I'm concerned, the pace of this rebuild has been steady and rather fast. In my view, the results, after KA's installation, have been better than I anticipated after. He is one year ahead of the timetable that I had in mind. 

There certainly are needs that need to be addressed this offseason. There is no need to restate what they are. My point is that this franchise is on track to become a serious team, and it is being done at a rather quick rate. 

Well, while he is still saying he has long term 3-5 year goals, he did actually say the playoffs next year are a goal.  He won't torpedo the future to goose it, but he did actually say playoffs are a goal.  That is something that he has not said once prior in the 2 years of this latest retool.

So don't expect to see Saros if he costs one of Savoie or Kulich, but would be very surprised if he stands pat in net.  Would also be surprised if he stays pat on the blueline.

[Randall Flagg]

17 minutes ago, tom webster said:

I was responding to his desire to accelerate the rebuild. We weren’t discussing actually accomplishing that. I’ve made my feelings regarding that clear. Just trying to stay on point.

Sorry. I'm heartened by this and want his public words to address how crucial next year is for players like Tage Rasmus Dylan. I am sure he believes that, but saying it is important. I believe little things your organization does matter