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

[Radar]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

I always enjoy your perspectuve @PASabreFan  so I decided to replay the interview.   

I am not sure that Warrow tried to troll anyone or anything.   Adams might think otherwise. 

Warrow is just a clumsy guy that asked a legitimate question in a clumsy way.  Asking this particular GM to "guarantee" the payoffs next year was not a smart question.   He should know by now who he is interviewing.   The very first question (maybe by Benini) stated that upon talking to the players the universal theme is playoffs next year, and the bar should now be higher in the future  - and Adams agreed with it and enthusiastically provided commentary on it.  Done.   

Along comes Warrow.   He means to ask a legitimate question, something like  "what is the next step for this team and how do you take it" would have been good.  Instead he throws in words like guarantee and assurance.   Adams got a bit defensive and he lost some composure, so he asked for a re-do on the question.  Warrow comes back even worse, asking if the season was a "lost opportunity", and Adams comes back with "I cannot disagree with you more".

Adams then completely turns it around, and his response is basically more time to foot stomp his opening message - which ends with long term sustained success as the goal.    Classic maneuver by Adams, in public speaking whenever a question gets uncomfortable you take things back to the key messages that you want out there, and you reinforce those key messages and end the question positively.  

What I saw and heard is a really smart guy (Adams) that knows how to speak publicly and is confident in what he says.  In contrast, Warrow is mediocre in his role.  I don't think Warrow was trolling.  His coverage of the Buffalo Sports teams and his writing is for The AP and mostly ok.  He certainly lacks polish and after that presser we can question his preparation too.  

Agree. Trolling no but his comment on a wasted season (opportunity) was as I said his statement and opinion framed as a question that almost was so convoluted KA didn't know how to respond. Warrow you would think in his profession (?) could at least be able to articulate better. Well he's talking to the base so to speak but doing it rather poorly at that.

[Sabres Super Fan]

On 4/18/2023 at 4:00 PM, spndnchz said:

Fire the goaltending coach. Levi brought with him his own coach. Time for a change. 

I agree I said that for two years to fire Buffalo Sabres goalie coach Mike Bales. 

[K-9]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

I always enjoy your perspectuve @PASabreFan  so I decided to replay the interview.   

I am not sure that Warrow tried to troll anyone or anything.   Adams might think otherwise. 

Warrow is just a clumsy guy that asked a legitimate question in a clumsy way.  Asking this particular GM to "guarantee" the payoffs next year was not a smart question.   He should know by now who he is interviewing.   The very first question (maybe by Benini) stated that upon talking to the players the universal theme is playoffs next year, and the bar should now be higher in the future  - and Adams agreed with it and enthusiastically provided commentary on it.  Done.   

Along comes Warrow.   He means to ask a legitimate question, something like  "what is the next step for this team and how do you take it" would have been good.  Instead he throws in words like guarantee and assurance.   Adams got a bit defensive and he lost some composure, so he asked for a re-do on the question.  Warrow comes back even worse, asking if the season was a "lost opportunity", and Adams comes back with "I cannot disagree with you more".

Adams then completely turns it around, and his response is basically more time to foot stomp his opening message - which ends with long term sustained success as the goal.    Classic maneuver by Adams, in public speaking whenever a question gets uncomfortable you take things back to the key messages that you want out there, and you reinforce those key messages and end the question positively.  

What I saw and heard is a really smart guy (Adams) that knows how to speak publicly and is confident in what he says.  In contrast, Warrow is mediocre in his role.  I don't think Warrow was trolling.  His coverage of the Buffalo Sports teams and his writing is for The AP and mostly ok.  He certainly lacks polish and after that presser we can question his preparation too.  

You’d think someone with as much experience in sports reporting would know better than to expect any GM, coach, or player to guarantee or assure anything. The very nature of sports is that nothing is or can be guaranteed. I’m surprised Wawrow went down that road. It was amateurish at best. 

[Zamboni]

9 minutes ago, K-9 said:

You’d think someone with as much experience in sports reporting would know better than to expect any GM, coach, or player to guarantee or assure anything. The very nature of sports is that nothing is or can be guaranteed. I’m surprised Wawrow went down that road. It was amateurish at best. 

Some people like / enjoy the “I’m gonna be kind of prick to the interviewee” style of “journalism”. The Jerry Sullivan, Mike Harrington abrasive jerk store stuff. I personally don’t. It comes off immature, amateurish, and a dick. It’s not nice. It’s not professional. It’s certainly not respectful.

[Sabres Super Fan]

5 hours ago, kas23 said:

Given he’s never played hockey at the professional level, I didn’t like how KA said Levi “earned” the right to those starts at the end of the season. Maybe I’m just taking issue with the word “earned”, but I could see UPL or Comrie having an issue with this. He should’ve just said “given his skill, we thought he gave our best chance for winning.” 

UPL and Comrie can have whatever issues they want on the unemployment line if they aren’t happy as Buffalo Sabres backup goalies. The NHL isn’t about making everyone happy in their career it is a opportunity to have a happy career not a guarantee. As a Buffalo Sabres fan I have seen enough of those two backups at best for the Sabres. Devon Levi is the starting goalie opening night for the Buffalo Sabres in 2023-24. 

[K-9]

40 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

Some people like / enjoy the “I’m gonna be kind of prick to the interviewee” style of “journalism”. The Jerry Sullivan, Mike Harrington abrasive jerk store stuff. I personally don’t. It comes off immature, amateurish, and a dick. It’s not nice. It’s not professional. It’s certainly not respectful.

Sully is in a class by himself when it comes to douchey press questions and Harrington isn’t far behind. But I never found Wawrow to be that way which is why I was a bit surprised at the question about guarantees. It seemed out of character for him. 

[LTS]

4 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

He was asked about the goaltending, but he did not have to praise UPL because he comes off as disingenuous.  All he had to say was he saw progress in a young goalie and we’ll evaluate our goaltending this off-season.  That way he is free to proceed with any solution.  

Now, if he trades UPL after praising him he going to look worse.  What’s he going to say then? We traded UPL because we didn’t want that much youth in goal? Or We wanted a more veteran presence with Levi?  Or we just thought he wasn’t good enough and we traded him because we didn’t want to lose him for nothing when we send him down.

He's only going to look worse to people who put believe press conferences are 100% truthful and not meant to manipulate public opinion at worst or at best convey absolutely no meaning.

Events happen all the time that run contrary to what was said before.

You're digging for something that isn't there and putting way too much stock into a press conference. 

[Contempt]

On 4/19/2023 at 5:52 PM, matter2003 said:

Did it matter to New Jersey who improved 47 points?

I expect the Sabres will have a 2 year point improvement of the same ilk(probably closer to 35 points)...probably will end next year around where Jersey ended this year.

Devils have now gotten smoked twice on home ice. Maybe the playoffs experience would have helped. Maybe not. All I know is the Rags are kicking them around right now.

[TRIP65]

On 4/19/2023 at 12:47 PM, Randall Flagg said:

Both guys behave bizarrely when the playoff question gets brought up. Granato's answer was better than Kevyn's, but they're both strange all around. 

Something would have to go wrong for this team to miss again. We understand that this is where the team is. Donnie alludes to this, and says anything is possible, which covers injury bases, but won't complete the sentence. Just kind of weird. 

Adams won't commit to a direction other than "Learning". He is afraid to fail. You can hear it. John sent Adams in that direction and he got belligerent.

Next year is Playoff's or fail, Don't need Adams or Granto to confirm this. Their own players will demand them to get the TEAM better. You can see they want to WIN!

This board is "sensitive" to which players are needed to go forward so I will refrain from that. TEAMS only get better by changing the weakest players and adding to the bottom of their team. Cream rises to the TOP naturally.

In other Words

Your only as good as your weakest player. They will get on the ice at some point and hurt your chances.

[Doohicksie]

23 hours ago, K-9 said:

But I never found Wawrow to be that way

Have you ever seen his posts here on the forum?

[K-9]

3 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Have you ever seen his posts here on the forum?

Of course. As has anyone who’s been here long enough. He can be contentious here, but his role as a reporter at a presser vs. his role as a hockey forum member with opinions are quite different. I don’t recall him editorializing his questions at pressers in the past. 

[TRIP65]

On 4/19/2023 at 12:53 PM, Randall Flagg said:

Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott literally coined "process-driven" as it pertains to Buffalo sports. Kevyn would readily admit that they are a huge influence, rightfully so, on his team-building. The NFL playoffs are much harder to get into, and it is far easier for luck to knock your team astray in the NFL than the NHL, because in the former sample sizes hurt you and in the latter they help you.

Those guys, from day 1, put "playoff caliber" on every wall in the building during the regular season. They state that people need to understand at every moment what the franchise is driving for, what the goal is, both at the high level where Kevyn lives and the "we need to make the playoffs right now" level where the players are

The 2019 Bills were setting up to make the playoffs year in and year out, and weren't quite championship caliber yet. They still put the signs up, and explicitly told us at every opportunity that those were the expectations. 

I think kevyn and Don will materially operate in a way that will get us to the playoffs. But they are being weird about this question, and could absolutely say "that year over year thing I keep saying starts now," and can absolutely make moves without the whole thing tumbling down. It's just goofy

Exactly

Makes me wonder where Pegula is on this.

Makes me wonder if Kevin Adams is the right guy, sounds like he is afraid to fail.

His demeanor in the Press Conference was defensive from the start. The fact he sounds like he wants every player back is a man who is afraid to make a change to get better.

Hard to get TOP LINE better statistically but everywhere else you can. Those players then move down and make team better. That means some players leave.

I don't necessarily follow "Players"

I follow the Buffalo Sabres, I want the TEAM to succeed and sometimes to do that you need "some" change.

[Flashsabre]

10 minutes ago, TRIP65 said:

Exactly

Makes me wonder where Pegula is on this.

Makes me wonder if Kevin Adams is the right guy, sounds like he is afraid to fail.

His demeanor in the Press Conference was defensive from the start. The fact he sounds like he wants every player back is a man who is afraid to make a change to get better.

Hard to get TOP LINE better statistically but everywhere else you can. Those players then move down and make team better. That means some players leave.

I don't necessarily follow "Players"

I follow the Buffalo Sabres, I want the TEAM to succeed and sometimes to do that you need "some" change.

Your whole narrative is ridiculous “He is afraid” Afraid of what? He has told us the plan for 3 years. If you can’t understand it or don’t want to listen that is on you. He hasn’t said once that there won’t be changes. I guess going after Chychrun was not about change or improving. I guess signing Jost was no changes. I guess Greenway and Stillman were no changes. I guess signing Levi was no changes.

If you honestly think at an end of season presser that the GM is going to lay out an elaborate plan for next season then that is on you. It has never been that way.

[triumph_communes]

On 4/21/2023 at 12:22 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

He was asked about the goaltending, but he did not have to praise UPL because he comes off as disingenuous.  All he had to say was he saw progress in a young goalie and we’ll evaluate our goaltending this off-season.  That way he is free to proceed with any solution.  

Now, if he trades UPL after praising him he going to look worse.  What’s he going to say then? We traded UPL because we didn’t want that much youth in goal? Or We wanted a more veteran presence with Levi?  Or we just thought he wasn’t good enough and we traded him because we didn’t want to lose him for nothing when we send him down.

I think the guy who traded Eichel and turned the franchise around is going to be okay. 

[Pimlach]

On 4/21/2023 at 1:24 PM, Buffalo Sabres Fan said:

I agree I said that for two years to fire Buffalo Sabres goalie coach Mike Bales. 

Adams gave a very positive shout out to Bales in his Presser. 

[Pimlach]

On 4/19/2023 at 11:53 AM, Randall Flagg said:

Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott literally coined "process-driven" as it pertains to Buffalo sports. Kevyn would readily admit that they are a huge influence, rightfully so, on his team-building. The NFL playoffs are much harder to get into, and it is far easier for luck to knock your team astray in the NFL than the NHL, because in the former sample sizes hurt you and in the latter they help you.

Those guys, from day 1, put "playoff caliber" on every wall in the building during the regular season. They state that people need to understand at every moment what the franchise is driving for, what the goal is, both at the high level where Kevyn lives and the "we need to make the playoffs right now" level where the players are

The 2019 Bills were setting up to make the playoffs year in and year out, and weren't quite championship caliber yet. They still put the signs up, and explicitly told us at every opportunity that those were the expectations. 

I think kevyn and Don will materially operate in a way that will get us to the playoffs. But they are being weird about this question, and could absolutely say "that year over year thing I keep saying starts now," and can absolutely make moves without the whole thing tumbling down. It's just goofy

There is a big difference announcing you are striving to be "playoff caliber",  putting up signs and showing commitment versus your GM verbally guaranteeing the playoffs next season at his end of the season Presser.   These two things are not the same.  

Ask Adams if his expectations for next year are playoffs and he will say yes.

Ask him how he can guarantee they make the playoffs, or what will he do to guarantee it,  and he will react as he did to Warrow. 

This issue is on the journalist, who was given a reset on the question, only to ask a worse question by editorializing that it was a wasted season.   

I saw the difference between polished, prepared, and professional (Adams) and ill-prepared and awkward (Warrow) on display.  

[Doohicksie]

On 4/21/2023 at 11:22 AM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Now, if he trades UPL after praising him he going to look worse.  What’s he going to say then?

All he's gotta do is state that the crease was crowded and he used those assets to improve the team in other areas.

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 minute ago, Doohickie said:

All he's gotta do is state that the crease was crowded and he used those assets to improve the team in other areas.

That's fair, but it still seems a bit disingenuous after heaping praise on the kid.  

Edited April 22, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Doohicksie]

Just now, GASabresIUFAN said:

That's fair, but it still seems a bit disingenuous after heaping praise on the kid.  

He also said he was excited about Eichel's return and what he would bring to the team while he was negotiating a trade to move him to another team.  That's typical Adams.

[DarthEbriate]

I wanted to hear noncommittal GM-speak so I'm quite happy.

What I didn't want was some silly Dorian-like claim like the rebuild is over or some such. The rebuild is never over. Even the Lightning of 3x EC championships or the '50s-'70s Habs would tell you that you are always rebuilding because competition and players are ever-changing.

[FrenchConnection44]

On 4/20/2023 at 11:03 AM, 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.  

Gotta improve the defense. IMHO, we have 3 solid defenders. I'm okay with Joker as a #5-6. But at the least we need a strong veteran defensive player in free agency to pair with Power. Maybe another to play with Joker. I don't have confidence in Johnson at this point as a # 5-6 - and it may be best he moves on and we pick up a 2nd round comp pick - but who knows. 

[PerreaultForever]

On 4/21/2023 at 11:41 AM, Zamboni said:

Some people like / enjoy the “I’m gonna be kind of prick to the interviewee” style of “journalism”. The Jerry Sullivan, Mike Harrington abrasive jerk store stuff. I personally don’t. It comes off immature, amateurish, and a dick. It’s not nice. It’s not professional. It’s certainly not respectful.

It can be, but I think you also have to look at it from the reporter's side. Way back in the 70s and 80s players used to get to be individuals and they used to speak off the cuff, unfiltered and sometimes say dumb things. Easy questions could get good answers that made for good stories in the morning paper. Nowadays it's all stock answers and rehearsed comments and reporters are left with nothing to write about so some of them goad and jab and try to illicit something/anything out of the ordinary. I get how hard that job has now become.

Let's face it, these days ChatGPT could just do both sides. 

[TRIP65]

11 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Your whole narrative is ridiculous “He is afraid” Afraid of what? He has told us the plan for 3 years. If you can’t understand it or don’t want to listen that is on you. He hasn’t said once that there won’t be changes. I guess going after Chychrun was not about change or improving. I guess signing Jost was no changes. I guess Greenway and Stillman were no changes. I guess signing Levi was no changes.

If you honestly think at an end of season presser that the GM is going to lay out an elaborate plan for next season then that is on you. It has never been that way.

How old are you 18? It has been that way when the Sabres where good from the 70's to 2007. That is when they didn't say TANK but did it and fell on their faces for years.

12 years running no playoffs and Adams has been over the TOP of these past two full years. This year had he actually made stronger moves we might have got 2 more points and been in Playoffs. That is on him.

Adams said he wants Okoposo and Girg back, so where is the change, Krebs, Middlestat? Maybe you didn't listen to the Press Conference closely. Even the Media was all over Adams. He wouldn't say Playoffs was the main goal.

Not the motto of the Bills. They expect the playoffs and pissed if they miss the SB. Diggs is Livid right now. Said he is wasting his time.

Yes Adams is AFRAID to say PLAYOFFS, teaching winning is over, team is ready. He has his Allen in Dahlin, Power, Levi and Tage. This is TOP LEVEL TALENT

The Bills weren't afraid to throw Allen to the wolves, did that to him year he went to Houston.

Yeah the plan is to learn for 3 years now, we are sustaining AHL learning to make it to Pros and be a Playoff TEAM on Two Clubs. The PIPE LINE is FULL.

Only it is Rochester who is making the PLAYOFFS!

Edited April 23, 2023 by TRIP65

[TRIP65]

10 hours ago, triumph_communes said:

I think the guy who traded Eichel and turned the franchise around is going to be okay. 

The guy who trades the 2nd overall pick off a Tank better make Playoffs with all these assets or he will be FIRED TOO!

8 hours ago, Doohickie said:

He also said he was excited about Eichel's return and what he would bring to the team while he was negotiating a trade to move him to another team.  That's typical Adams.

Eichel asked out, you conveniently left that out.

[TRIP65]

8 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

I wanted to hear noncommittal GM-speak so I'm quite happy.

What I didn't want was some silly Dorian-like claim like the rebuild is over or some such. The rebuild is never over. Even the Lightning of 3x EC championships or the '50s-'70s Habs would tell you that you are always rebuilding because competition and players are ever-changing.

That is not a rebuild. The Bills are not rebuilding, they are adding replacements for players lost and Depth. The core of players are still there and Allen is their Leader.

The Sabres Core is here and will all be signed long term soon except Levi for 1 or 2 years. What they do from here and 6-7 years is NOT a rebuild anymore. They should be adding to the core to sustain PLAYOFFS and Lord Stanley Cup!

We are NOT in learning mode anymore when your signing long term contracts. Adams should know his team now, the weaknesses, and finding the best solution to get to Playoffs and try to win series. If the team needs new Vets, go get one or two. If it needs more shooting talent, go get another Winger for Cozens, If it needs a Vet Goaltender for Levi to grow, go get him, if we need a 4th defensive man for Power and Joki is the 5th man in then DO IT.

No more Excuses.