Kevyn Adams Q&A with STH Holders

[BUFtoNCfan]

7 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

The Russian news is the best news of this all

Unfortunately that could change tomorrow. It’s Russia after all. Might bar them from coming over.

[GASabresIUFAN]

25 minutes ago, BUFtoNCfan said:

Unfortunately that could change tomorrow. It’s Russia after all. Might bar them from coming over.

Or Putin could send them to the front.

To bad no one had the guts to ask Adams why he has mismanaged the goaltending so badly and what affirmative steps he planned to take to fix it.

Someone should have also asked when does winning the priority?

Edited March 29, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[GASabresIUFAN]

5 hours ago, pi2000 said:

Do you mortgage the future just to make the playoffs next year, or continue the draft, develop and retain approach building a sustainable pipeline of prospects?

I'm not sure making the neccessary moves to make the playoffe next year and building a sustainable pipeline are mutually exclusive.

And that’s the problem with KA.  He seems to think you can’t do both. 

[Spoonman]

8 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Sediment?

I did some "digging" .......Consider the author.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Spoonman

[Marvin]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

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.

32 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Or Putin could send them to the front.

To bad no one had the guts to ask Adams why he has mismanaged the goaltending so badly and what affirmative steps he planned to take to fix it.

Someone should have also asked when does winning the priority?

@GASabresIUFAN see Taro's first paragraph: Next year, playoffs are the goal.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Marvin

[GASabresIUFAN]

48 minutes ago, Marvin said:

@GASabresIUFAN see Taro's first paragraph: Next year, playoffs are the goal.

Winning still isn’t the priority.  The playoffs are “a goal” not the goal.  I interpret that to mean the winning is still not the priority but an aside that would be nice if it happened.  That means he won’t do what is necessary to fix the roster holes, but hopes to fill them again with more band-aids like Comrie and Lyubuskin and hope for the best.  Frankly it’s discouraging, because last year’s band-aids did nothing to elevate the defense or goaltending.  Both areas are weaker this season than last year and that is truly saying something.

Edited March 29, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Derrico]

All this talk of season ticket holders and it finally happened.  My wife gave the ok and we put down a deposit on 4 tix in the 300s.  Will likely end up giving away and selling some but very excited for seasons.  Hope it’s not a huge waste of money and they really are turning the corner lol. 

[Randall Flagg]

32 minutes ago, Derrico said:

All this talk of season ticket holders and it finally happened.  My wife gave the ok and we put down a deposit on 4 tix in the 300s.  Will likely end up giving away and selling some but very excited for seasons.  Hope it’s not a huge waste of money and they really are turning the corner lol. 

6 hours ago, Brawndo said:

I split tickets in Section 320, they have to be pretty close 

I feel like the Sabres are conducting an elaborate marketing ploy to push me over the edge and buy. We could make a Sabrespace section.

Then again, imagine sitting there, watching an intense overtime against the Leafs. Tuch loops back into his own zone to keep possession while his teammate changes, and the loudest "JFC" you've ever heard batters your eardrum - you turn and see Brawndo storming towards the tunnel. You look back to the ice, confused, and see Tuch accelerating up the boards. But then he flubs a dropback pass that is picked off by Matthews and, after a few cycles in the zone, buried behind UPL. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Randall Flagg

[Ogre]

9 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Sediment?

It’s a sentiment if you share it and a sediment if you bury it. 
Or…

I knew a fairly smart guy that, when something wasn’t completely out of reach, would say, “it’s possivle”. 

[Taro T]

35 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Winning still isn’t the priority.  The playoffs are “a goal” not the goal.  I interpret that to mean the winning is still not the priority but an aside that would be nice if it happened.  That means he won’t do what is necessary to fix the roster holes, but hopes to fill them again with more band-aids like Comrie and Lyubuskin and hope for the best.  Frankly it’s discouraging, because last year’s band-aids did nothing to elevate the defense or goaltending.  Both areas are weaker this season than last year and that is truly saying something.

The goal is playoffs, but they won't sell the future to make it happen if they're in a similar situation to where they were this year at the deadline.  Because THE goal is still being legit Stanley Cup contenders consistently.

And his answer to my qustion was the 1st time he has publicly stated that the playoffs are a goal.  He has been VERY careful to not publicly state playoffs.  He prefaced it with the 3-5 year goal and came back to not sacrificing the future for short term gain, but playoffs are the minimal goal for next year with primarily THIS crew.  

(I actually was going to post my notes from last night on the board, but the weird formatting that happens when trying to post anything longer than this kept me from doing so.)

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

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.

I agree with everything you said but would like to comment further. There is a good reason why he didn't talk about the playoffs when he first took over. In a rebuild for any organization going through such a multi-faceted and complicated task, you simply can't know for sure in advance how the process will work out, especially when you start the process. As you well know, it isn't just wheeling and dealing for players. You have to consider ability to shed contracts, cap considerations, other teams' willingness to trade with you, free agency etc. As an example, the Jack trade was not a simple matter. He was injured and there were issues regarding what surgery he would allow. This trade was an important deal for us because it brought back Tuch, Krebs and a first-round pick. That deal worked out well but prior to the deal none of us, including the organization, could project what the outcome would be. 

I agree with you that if a Saros deal was offered that required either Savoie or Kulich, our GM would out of hand reject it. However, if Rosen or Ryan Johnson (assuming he signs) were part of a deal, our GM would be more inclined to make such a deal. Would I be willing to offer one of our prized prospects for Saros? I'm not sure. What I can say is that adding a goalie such as Saros would have a major impact on this team. It would immediately change the dynamic of this team for the good. A good "what if" question is: where would the Sabres be in the standings if we had Saros this year? I suspect that we would be talking about match ups instead of talking about the long shot odds of the Sabres making the playoffs this year. 

I just want to make it clear that our views are consonant on this topic with some small differences. 

[dudacek]

Do some people think Adams plan is to wait until the kids get older and better and then announce one summer “they’re finally old enough, we’re going to try to win now!” then promptly make a whole bunch of splashy acquisitions?

That’s how it sometimes feels around here.

It’s process-driven: playoffs aren’t “the goal” they are a byproduct of the goal.

The goal is steady, internally driven improvement leading to sustainable long-term contention.

There’s never going to be moment when Adams says “game on” and flips a switch. This is the game.

7 minutes ago, Taro T said:

.  

(I actually was going to post my notes from last night on the board, but the weird formatting that happens when trying to post anything longer than this kept me from doing so.)

Please do if you can. 
Glad to hear you had the opportunity to ask him directly.

[JohnC]

28 minutes ago, Taro T said:

The goal is playoffs, but they won't sell the future to make it happen if they're in a similar situation to where they were this year at the deadline.  Because THE goal is still being legit Stanley Cup contenders consistently.

And his answer to my qustion was the 1st time he has publicly stated that the playoffs are a goal.  He has been VERY careful to not publicly state playoffs.  He prefaced it with the 3-5 year goal and came back to not sacrificing the future for short term gain, but playoffs are the minimal goal for next year with primarily THIS crew.  

(I actually was going to post my notes from last night on the board, but the weird formatting that happens when trying to post anything longer than this kept me from doing so.)

Split up the posts. Did he give you any responses that surprised you?

[Taro T]

12 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Split up the posts. Did he give you any responses that surprised you?

Am not splitting up the post.  Believe might have it to a point where it'll post right, if it does will start a separate thread.

The only thing that was surprising was the degree to which he pushed back against questions that said the Sabres were too small or get pushed around.  He was ready for them.

[LETSTUCHINGO]

KA also addressed the management of emotion in regards to our young, passionate players. Specifically in regards to a question about the home ice record. Said they want it so bad for the fan base that they are putting undo pressure on themselves and it been a process learning how to handle that added pressure to perform and produce wins. He also mentioned how having fans from other teams fill the stadium was disheartening for them. I can understand and appreciate that! They’re young and as I’m sure they know our history, they didn’t live it. Understanding how people are hesitant still to buy in again I’m sure is difficult for them at times. 

[JohnC]

15 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Am not splitting up the post.  Believe might have it to a point where it'll post right, if it does will start a separate thread.

The only thing that was surprising was the degree to which he pushed back against questions that said the Sabres were too small or get pushed around.  He was ready for them.

Was @PASabreFan in the audience hectoring the GM to add more hooligans to the roster? 🤡

[Randall Flagg]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Do some people think Adams plan is to wait until the kids get older and better and then announce one summer “they’re finally old enough, we’re going to try to win now!” then promptly make a whole bunch of splashy acquisitions?

That’s how it sometimes feels around here.

It’s process-driven: playoffs aren’t “the goal” they are a byproduct of the goal.

The goal is steady, internally driven improvement leading to sustainable long-term contention.

There’s never going to be moment when Adams says “game on” and flips a switch. This is the game.

I put a lot of weight on a GM's words and the current season, whichever it may be, has always had more importance to me than many fans.

I was on this board in 2018 and 2019 trying to convince doubters that McBeane was building a super bowl contender, because I spent three years listening them tell me exactly what was going to happen each season, exactly why, and then watching it play out as described. 2018-20 in particular was unbelievable.

2017 - "we are building this team with the culture necessary to turn the franchise around, we will get rid of guys that don't fit the picture or don't want to be a part of this, and we will be competitive the whole time. players here will be a family with one common goal, and will play for each other and understand what it means to play for this city."
Result: a bad team that worked like crazy and somehow broke the drought. Visual evidence if this culture, week in and week out - I still remember a third down conversion by number 15, who I have no chance of being able to name, against the Raiders in week 7. The team erupted around him on the sidelines, celebrating the amazing play their fringe-roster teammate made like he was their little brother. The baffled announcers thought a fight was breaking out between the Raider defender and our sideline. But it was really a group of guys turning into a family. Cringeeeeeeeeeeeee I know, but I saw in vivid detail what they told me they'd make. 

2018: "We are eating a lot of dead money this year for a cap reset, and it's going to show on the roster, but we are never going to stop competing, and we can immediately commence building when it has finished. Oh, and it is very important to us that we acquire a franchise quarterback, and now is the best time to do so, so that something productive happens in the meantime."  They draft Josh Allen, eat 90+ million dollars in dead cap, battened down the hatches after the first two weeks threatened to sink everything, and wound up with more wins than a roster of that caliber had any business collecting, finishing that year with promising signs of what was to come ( a five tuddy performance by Josh Allen against Miami)

2019: "well, we got that over with, and we are instilling a "playoff caliber" mindset. we also need to stabilize things around Josh, and get him some real players to throw to, and fix up the offensive line. Also, pretty much everyone on the defense at this point is now a bona-fide McDermott guy." 
The team signs Beasley, Brown and Morse, adds a bunch of guard depth, turning the worst weapons in the league to merely "bottom-third", and the worst line in the league (by far) to something approximating league average. Allen takes a step, and we see our first instance of a true McDermott defense, I mean that charitably. A team coming together, learning to win big games and primetime games for the first time I had ever seen in my 15 years as a fan. The Cowboys and Steelers games were things I had never seen from my Bills before, they are burned into my memory forever. The team was right where the guys in charge said they'd be, down to miniscule details. 

2020: "We didn't score enough points." Brandon said that about ten times in his end-of-season PC after the Houston game. He also stressed that it was an important summer for Josh to either take a next step or fade - and emphasized how confident he was in the former. He said out loud what we all knew - year 3 is the big one, and that it was his job to make sure Josh had the tools. Enter Diggs. "We know that we are right there. So close. We will make the step." The bills are now an elite NFL franchise looked up to and envied by the fans of 28-30 others. This was a 3 year span starting with the worst cap situation in the league and a franchise that probably couldn't have been lower. I told my skeptical family at the dinner table each night, over and over. I explained to them why they added Ty Nsekhe, his backstory, why they did this, why they did that, because they told me exactly what was going on, how long it would take, and gave me no reason to doubt them.

 

I have standards because of this, and I'm holding Kevyn to them ESPECIALLY because I think he is capable of doing this with the Sabres, he has the raw materials he needs.

What Beane in particular told me every single summer was important to me as a fan, and he always went out of his way to say and imply that they were doing everything within their power to maximize "now" while they were at it. Kevyn says some obvious things, some good things, and a lot of the same things he said when Ruotsalainen was streaking in late April of 2021. I get that we can infer that he is aiming to improve the Sabres of TODAY based on what tom knows about Chychrun etc. but teams can rebuild fast, the Sabres are on track to be a fast rebuild, and they have a lot of runway to use - so much that it would be incredibly hard to screw "the future" up. Think of how much runway the Bills had for years, to only just now lose their first important piece 6 years into their tenure. They aggressively added to their team that whole entire time, whenever they could. Kevyn, if you add a player that could cause a sort of cap issue in the future, but you added a good player, it's either a good problem to have or you can move that player at a later date. Trust your staff, trust your skills! And there is value to what that player does while you still have space! There is value in ending this drought, filling the barn back up with excited fans, there was value in the possibility of sharing rather than owning outright the playoff drought record.

Talk to me, Kevyn. Tell me about the fall of 2023, tell me how similar we are to last spring's New Jersey Devils. Tell me what I know - that we are better now than they were then. That team is set to finish with a record only 1 or 2 Sabres teams have ever topped, 11 months later. That team mortgaged nothing. They have as good a future as you can construct. They are a 50 win team. Tell me you want to be a 50 win team next year and get me there. I know what we need, you know I know, but tell me because then I will trust you like I trust McBeane when you get it done. That trust doesn't go away easy, considering I'm fully in their corner despite what appear to be more dire times, and a 2023 press conference which has left me perturbed. 

Edited March 30, 2023 by Randall Flagg

[Getpucksdeep]

8 hours ago, OverPowerYou said:

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

Also a first year STH/"Member", half season, driving in from ROC.  It has been great!  Definitely a luxury item and first thing to go if things get tight, but it has turned into quality time on the regular with family and friends.  The team is entertaining and likeable.  There's small perks like this Adams thing (not making the drive for that), discounts on merch, and general feeling of being invested with the entire organization.  Maybe that's a little cheesy but so be it.  Also, playoff tickets when the time comes are guaranteed. And after following this team for about 30 years (broke for the first ~10, too busy raising kids for ~10, and ***** team for ~10) I'm not missing it when they return to cup contender. 

The downsides - yeah it's expensive.  And is the invasions from visiting teams fans is extremely annoying. It's one thing to have a handful of out-of-town jerseys.  It's another to have to compete against the opposing team's cheer.  For that reason I strongly encourage everyone to buy-in and take our arena back.  The game is awesome in person. The sounds, the better view of the ice, the comradery and energy celebrating goals and wins with 1000s of like minded fans.  Find a friend or family member you want to hang with and make memories together and invest in this team and community we love!  Do not regret it.  Already looking forward to 23-24 season.

[Randall Flagg]

13 minutes ago, LETSTUCHINGO said:

KA also addressed the management of emotion in regards to our young, passionate players. Specifically in regards to a question about the home ice record. Said they want it so bad for the fan base that they are putting undo pressure on themselves and it been a process learning how to handle that added pressure to perform and produce wins. He also mentioned how having fans from other teams fill the stadium was disheartening for them. I can understand and appreciate that! They’re young and as I’m sure they know our history, they didn’t live it. Understanding how people are hesitant still to buy in again I’m sure is difficult for them at times. 

I have been mad at Sabres fans for this. You might have pushed me over the edge, and I might be sending a text to my buddy tonight. 

[Crusader1969]

6 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.

Hope to see you post more often! 

[Crusader1969]

5 hours ago, French Collection said:

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.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/juniors/chl-bans-russian-belarusian-players-from-its-import-draft/sn-amp/

[LETSTUCHINGO]

3 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

Hope to see you post more often! 

Thank you. I’ve been reading you guys all year. Really enjoy this forum. 

[Crusader1969]

1 hour ago, Derrico said:

All this talk of season ticket holders and it finally happened.  My wife gave the ok and we put down a deposit on 4 tix in the 300s.  Will likely end up giving away and selling some but very excited for seasons.  Hope it’s not a huge waste of money and they really are turning the corner lol. 

Don’t you live east of Toronto ?  

[Crusader1969]

7 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/juniors/chl-bans-russian-belarusian-players-from-its-import-draft/sn-amp/

Just to follow up - Miroshnichenko was drafted in 2021 into the Q 

[rickshaw]

8 hours ago, Contempt said:

Sediment?

Spelling police at it again