Adams And Granato Media Availability Wednesday: What Do You Want To hear?

[GASabresIUFAN]

10 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

Sorry, but I see a bit of a contradiction here.  We increased our offensive output by 64 goals.  Much of that was from young players increasing production (Cozens, Thompson) or being added (Quinn, Peterka).  No question that a full season of Tuch made a difference.  Considering how young we are, why can't our defence, goaltending and overall team defensive play improve?

That said, I'm not convinced we won't make any changes on defence.  

The difference is that we could see the forwards improving.  Dahlin has improved, but the overall defense hasn't improved with him.  As I mentioned above, I've never seen any real improvement in UPL's game for years.  I also don't think Joki is much improved over the last few seasons, and Bryson has played himself off the roster.  The additions of Lyubushkin and Stillman also failed to improve the group.  

In truth, KA has a great base to work on with Levi, Dahlin, Mule, and Power.  Power will continue to improve, but if truth be told I don't think any of your guys 4-8 would be anything but depth players on a good team.  If it up to me Joki would be my 6, Bush the 7 and I'd bring in two quality vets to give us good minutes and mentor the top 3.  Moves like this would go a long way toward easing the pressure on Levi to be the Savior, helping limit the HDC against, and giving us the depth necessary to survive injuries to the top 3 which we couldn't do this season.

 

Edited April 20, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[LabattBlue]

2 hours ago, SDS said:

I’m going to go ahead and say the VAST majority. The week after any cup victory will be filled with people complaining about the inaction regarding the steps to win another one. The minute we get down in the next playoff series people will be throwing a fit at our terrible players, our crap coaching, and our incompetent GM. Book it. 
 

I’m gonna point you to a guy on this  forum who said that this was a bottom 4 team and complained how bad we were going into the season who then complained that we fell 2 short two points short of the playoffs. These types of people are everywhere. Complaints are constant, goalposts are always moving, satisfaction is never achieved.

Well…since I have never experienced it in my 55 years of following the Bills and Sabres, I guess I will have to reserve judgment on my post championship reactions. 

[Believer]

Think DG gave a great season-ending statement and thoughtful, straightforward answers to the media… KA much less so, imo

[GASabresIUFAN]

KA/DG singled out Joki and UPL in the press conferences.  Is there someone here with access to the advanced stats who can illustrate using analytics that these two players have improved over the last few years?  The eye test and the basic stats say otherwise.  For Joki, his Corsi, Fenwick, and PDO also say otherwise.  I really want to know what management sees in these two players.

[PromoTheRobot]

2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Here is what I came away with from those two press conferences.  
 

1. Our media have no idea how to ask a question.

Pro tip: Write your questions down. Don't wing it.

As for the rest of your take, there's a difference between "not knowing" and having options and waiting to see what shakes out. Are we not past the "Adams is lost" takes?

Edited April 20, 2023 by PromoTheRobot

[Marvin]

2 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

KA/DG singled out Joki and UPL in the press conferences.  Is there someone here with access to the advanced stats who can illustrate using analytics that these two players have improved over the last few years?  The eye test and the basic stats say otherwise.  For Joki, his Corsi, Fenwick, and PDO also say otherwise.  I really want to know what management sees in these two players.

You and me both.

[Brawndo]

On 4/19/2023 at 12:09 AM, Thorny said:

We’re really still doing the Comrie thing? 

The goaltending might be looking better going forward but the only way we can say goaltending has been addressed adequately is if it being adequately assessed in either of the last 2 seasons didn’t matter. 

The results between the pipes have been bad so far. Is it okay to say that? Actually asking

Its absolutely fair to criticize how the goaltending has evolved over the past years. 

Just spit balling here, after listening to Adams and Levi after Devon signed it sounded as Levi wanted to to be able to see a clear pathway to the Sabres Crease, would acquiring a bonafide starting goalie hurt the chances of him signing?  Only Adams, Levi and His Agent would be accurately able to answer that. 

 

[Brawndo]

13 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

KA/DG singled out Joki and UPL in the press conferences.  Is there someone here with access to the advanced stats who can illustrate using analytics that these two players have improved over the last few years?  The eye test and the basic stats say otherwise.  For Joki, his Corsi, Fenwick, and PDO also say otherwise.  I really want to know what management sees in these two players.

Joki went from super crappy to just plain crappy

UPL took a step back 

Both on Evolving Hockey Model 

[Pimlach]

I finally got to listen to Adams Presser.   My thoughts are below:

• Lots of discussions here at SabresSpace about Adams (and Donny) not talking about playoffs next year.  The clumsy way that Warrow asked that question, using the word "guarantee",  sent Adams into a defensive posture.   He is not going to guarantee that and he should not.  Warrow once again shows his mediocrity as a journalist with the way he posed that question, even though he later tried to soften it with other words like assurance and confidence, Adams was already into spinning the question to avoid making life hard on everyone (including the players) with such a guarantee.  
• The next biggest discussion was the multiple conversations on bringing in outside help via trade.  Adams did not rule it out but he did stress growth from within, player development, trust and confidence in his core, yada yada.  
• Will he bring in at least one defensive player for the top 4?  I think he may, but no commitment to that.  He took time to single out Joki in a positive manner, so he may be reading too much SabreSpace.  (humor intended) 
• Ryan Johnson - Adams is not stressing on him.  Whatever his position is, he is not wavering and he seems ok with getting a 2024 late 2nd  pick in place of Johnson as a prospect.  He really wants players that want to be here, and that show it.  
• Goaltending -  He made a big vote of confidence for Bales and positive comments for UPL.  There was a good question on committing to Levi and then maybe finding out during the season that they need another veteran goalie after the fact.  Adams said  that every player is different, implying that Levi may not need AHL games, it makes me think he is going with Levi and UPL (or Comrie) next season. 
• Kyle and Zemgus - if they want to stay here they can.   I do not know where the room for Savioe, Kulich and Rousek is coming from unless other forwards are moved in trades.  Kulich's age may keep him in AHL unless his play makes it impossible to do so.  
• Glad he mentioned the Russian prospects and getting them into the program.  
• Dahlin is obsessed (at times) with being the best.  I like that.  

Adams is going to be the same Adams next year as this year.   I see very few moves in the off-season, hopefully the few moves he does make are truly impactful and the right ones.  I see a guy with a long term plan that will not react to short term issues.  I think he really wants the playoffs next season, he just won't guarantee it.  

Edited April 20, 2023 by Pimlach

[French Collection]

6 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Glad he mentioned the Russian prospects and getting them into the program.  

A few of these guys are FA.

Nikita Novikov could surprise and help the D pipeline. He has played 94 KHL games before turning 20 (July ‘23). That league doesn’t give much ice time to young players but he has experienced a lot of games and practices at a high level over two years. 6’3” 200+ lbs. It would be interesting to see what he could do in the AHL next season.

Viktor Neuchev got 57 games in the KHL this year. He’s the guy that got 40 goals in 61 games the previous year in the MHL (junior). He doesn’t turn 20 until October. 6’2” 165lbs so he may need a lot of gym work and nutrition.

Kisakov didn’t do much this year but he can take a step next season and help in the transition to N.Am. for these two.

[GASabresIUFAN]

49 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Joki went from super crappy to just plain crappy

UPL took a step back 

Both on Evolving Hockey Model 

That confirms the eye test and the lack of progress in the basic stats. I just don't see what management sees in these two.  I don't know why anyone if they had a choice would want either guy back except as deep depth.  Playing Joki 21 minutes a night was just like Risto 24 minutes a night.  You did it because you had no choice because all the other options were worse.  I'm sorry, but KA has enough cap space to drop Joki down the depth chart and build real D depth this off-season.

[Archie Lee]

5 hours ago, Pimlach said:

I finally got to listen to Adams Presser.   My thoughts are below:

• Lots of discussions here at SabresSpace about Adams (and Donny) not talking about playoffs next year.  The clumsy way that Warrow asked that question, using the word "guarantee",  sent Adams into a defensive posture.   He is not going to guarantee that and he should not.  Warrow once again shows his mediocrity as a journalist with the way he posed that question, even though he later tried to soften it with other words like assurance and confidence, Adams was already into spinning the question to avoid making life hard on everyone (including the players) with such a guarantee.  
• The next biggest discussion was the multiple conversations on bringing in outside help via trade.  Adams did not rule it out but he did stress growth from within, player development, trust and confidence in his core, yada yada.  
• Will he bring in at least one defensive player for the top 4?  I think he may, but no commitment to that.  He took time to single out Joki in a positive manner, so he may be reading too much SabreSpace.  (humor intended) 
• Ryan Johnson - Adams is not stressing on him.  Whatever his position is, he is not wavering and he seems ok with getting a 2024 pick pick in place of Johnson as a prospect.  He really wants players that want to be here, and that show it.  
• Goaltending -  He made a big vote of confidence for Bales and positive comments for UPL.  There was a good question on committing to Levi and then maybe finding out during the season that they need another veteran goalie after the fact.  Adams said  that every player is different, implying that Levi may not need AHL games, it makes me think he is going with Levi and UPL (or Comrie) next season. 
• Kyle and Zemgus - if they want to stay here they can.   I do not know where the room for Savioe, Kulich and Rousek is coming from unless other forwards are moved in trades.  Kulich's age may keep him in AHL unless his play makes it impossible to do so.  
• Glad he mentioned the Russian prospects and getting them into the program.  
• Dahlin is obsessed (at times) with being the best.  I like that.  

Adams is going to be the same Adams next year as this year.   I see very few moves in the off-season, hopefully the few moves he does make are truly impactful and the right ones.  I see a guy with a long term plan that will not react to short term issues.  I think he really wants the playoffs next season, he just won't guarantee it.  

I finally listened as well and my take is pretty much the same as yours. 

Adams is not going to throw a player under the bus. He is positive by nature. I understand why some want definitive statements such as: "We need to upgrade our defence" or "There is no excuse for us to not be in the playoffs next season".  That is just not his personality.  For every Mark Messier who guarantees a win in game 6 there is also a Matt Hasselback who says "We want the ball and we're going to score".  I think Adams is comfortable in his own skin and with his personal leadership style and he has no interest in pretending to be brash or provocative. 

Here are some things I did hear Adams say:

- we have talked about things to improve like defensive play and special teams

- it is good that the players are holding themselves to a higher standard and that they expect to make the playoffs

- when it comes to goaltending, [our analytics area] looks deeper [than public data] and we needed to be better than we were in front of UPL at times

- we are going to look to get better and are open to anything that moves the needle

- the goal is to make the playoffs year after year and to win the Stanley Cup

 

Edited April 20, 2023 by Archie Lee

[Mb278]

15 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Too many.

1879-1636-409-185 (https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/BUF/history.html) is the sabres all time record....so add at least 98 (82 + 4 series sweeps to the cup) 

[LTS]

5 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

KA/DG singled out Joki and UPL in the press conferences.  Is there someone here with access to the advanced stats who can illustrate using analytics that these two players have improved over the last few years?  The eye test and the basic stats say otherwise.  For Joki, his Corsi, Fenwick, and PDO also say otherwise.  I really want to know what management sees in these two players.

Stats are available for all to see.  The stats will determine some other team's X of the player's trade value.

Now, which action adds to X and which subtracts from X?

The coach and GM speaking positively about a player
The coach and GM speaking negatively about a player

Do you really want them maligning those two in the end of season press conference that anyone can watch?

 

[ska-T Chitown]

There is a ton of discussion on how the players who specifically play defense need to improve. Hard to argue with that. I have seen it in a few other threads and did not notice anyone bring it up yet here ... our forward group is very young and often young forwards are not particularly great at ensuring they are sticking to their defensive zone assignments.

I would not be surprised if some of the much needed defensive improvement next year comes from the forward group improving in that regard. I think we saw glimpses of it down the stretch and I thought it looked magnificent at times; sticks in passing lanes, opposing players tied up in front of the net, denying easy zone entries with entirely too much speed. And, not surprisingly, we won most of those games. Did they have a hiccup here and there? Sure. Did they maybe sacrifice a few goals at the other end? Probably. But I think the signs point to an improvement in that area next year.

[GASabresIUFAN]

3 hours ago, LTS said:

Stats are available for all to see.  The stats will determine some other team's X of the player's trade value.

Now, which action adds to X and which subtracts from X?

The coach and GM speaking positively about a player
The coach and GM speaking negatively about a player

Do you really want them maligning those two in the end of season press conference that anyone can watch?

 

How about don’t mention them at all?

Edited April 21, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Weave]

7 hours ago, SDS said:

Wait. What? 
 

Other than that not being the same because we didn’t win, those years were filled with extreme bitterness until eventually, years later, those teams were finally viewed with the fondness that retrospection often gives.

Interesting.  From where I sat, those teams were beloved during the run and after.  The only bitterness I recall was bittersweet when we knew it was over.  Once the immediate raw emotions of the loss ended, I don’t recall anger among the great majority.

I think when the Sabres win one, the fanbase will canonize the entire team and staff.

[kas23]

44 minutes ago, Weave said:

Interesting.  From where I sat, those teams were beloved during the run and after.  The only bitterness I recall was bittersweet when we knew it was over.  Once the immediate raw emotions of the loss ended, I don’t recall anger among the great majority.

I think when the Sabres win one, the fanbase will canonize the entire team and staff.

I agree. It was more despair and disappointment. I don’t recall people calling for heads (except for Norwood’s) or saying “the FO should’ve done [insert opinion]”. There was the “bickering Bills” label and in hindsight, that was probably deserved. It was a different era back then though. There was no social media. If someone wanted to complain, then could call WGR or write an opinion piece in the News. 

[Flashsabre]

Sabres should get chatbot to create an automated Adams that fans can program to say the exact words they want to hear from him in the precise verbiage they want it to be said.😆

[Flashsabre]

Meme Away!😂

[SDS]

2 hours ago, Weave said:

Interesting.  From where I sat, those teams were beloved during the run and after.  The only bitterness I recall was bittersweet when we knew it was over.  Once the immediate raw emotions of the loss ended, I don’t recall anger among the great majority.

I think when the Sabres win one, the fanbase will canonize the entire team and staff.

I’m not sure if the implication here is that the Fanbase hated the team, but eventually people wanted Marv fired or Frank Reich to start. Kelly was skewered for his selfish play in SB25. Walt Corey’s defense was hammered year after year for his bend but don’t break philosophy. WGR turned toxic from what I remembered.

But as I mentioned earlier, this isn’t really the same scenario as what was being discussed. They hadn’t won, so a certain amount of complaining would have certainly been expected.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, kas23 said:

I agree. It was more despair and disappointment. I don’t recall people calling for heads (except for Norwood’s) or saying “the FO should’ve done [insert opinion]”. There was the “bickering Bills” label and in hindsight, that was probably deserved. It was a different era back then though. There was no social media. If someone wanted to complain, then could call WGR or write an opinion piece in the News. 

Bickering Bills was '89.  Only Jerry Whatshisname at the Snooze was trying to keep that going during the Superbowl run.

[Doohicksie]

I just watched Kevyn's talk and started in on Donny's.

Wawrow was trolling as only Wawrow can.

The rest:  totally typical of their typical pressers.  Kevyn pumping up the tires on his assets, talking about possibilities in vague terms, not saying anything too definite.

Donny talking about belief, conviction, process, work ethic.  This is his usual lexicon.

Both of them want the players on the team to own whether they make the playoffs next year, and not promise for them.

[SDS]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

Bickering Bills was '89.  Only Jerry Whatshisname at the Snooze was trying to keep that going during the Superbowl run.

When did Dickerson get his show?

[Eleven]

11 minutes ago, SDS said:

When did Dickerson get his show?

I think after SB 26.