Blue & Gold Insights - Adams, Ruff, Duff

[Taro T]

So, they had the biggest B&G I yet.  Had about 2/3s of the rink set up with chairs and about 3/4's of those were full.  A few people were also scattered throughout the lower bowl but there weren't too many of them.

Some topics covered (with my commnets in parenthesis):

What's been the main thing this off-season so far.  For Adams it was the exit meetings with the players; finding out what they thought of their individual seasons and letting them know what he thought of them.  Missed Ruff's answer.

Kevyn & Lindy talk every day so he's getting an understanding of what players Lindy wants to target.  Mentioned part of that is getting the pairings right.  (So though personally didn't expect to see any changes to the D perhaps there might be some changes there.  Guess we'll see in 3 or so weeks.)

Kevyn - Jerry Forton's done a "phenomenal job" and he will now oversee the pro scouting in addition to just the amateur scouting.  He said that Jerry is the one that oversees the draft.  (So, love or hate the past couple of drafts, it seems that Forton is the one getting all the input and making the choice.)

Lindy - No settling in period for him getting back to Buffalo.  Spoke a few times about how glad he is to be back and how he considers himself to be a Buffaloanian.  Says the biggest area of improvement will come from how the Sabres defend.  Said a big part of the offense last year tailing off some is teams were gameplanning to take the rush away from the Sabres and they weren't ready/able to get the tip in / net front goals they needed to make up for that.  Sounds like getting guys to the front of the net will also be a priority (along with the improved play in their own end).  They will find different ways to win hockey games this year; they won't only beat teams via goals off the rush.

Both have been watching the playoffs and spoke of how the D play picks up in the playoffs.

Lindy - wants to get to know the players this off-season.  Spoke about how Appert knows many of the young players and gives Lindy input on them.  (But there are a lot of guys on the team Appert has never worked with.  He's worked with a lot of the young guys but there are more than a few that haven't spent any appreciable time in Ra-cha-cha.)

Kevyn - loves the draft.  So much going on this time of year - draft coming up, contract negotiations w/ RFAs, UFAs become available shortly; and all at essentially the same time.

Duff - Development camp will be held July 1 - 4.

Lindy says he's evolved from earlier in his career by focusing more on building relationships with the players.  He wants to get to know their families and their games so that trust is built because guys are going to get asked to change their games.  He then rementioned how he's just getting to know the guys.

Kevyn says he's learned and lot and continues to do so.  He's found there are better ways to do things (presumably than from when he was starting out).  And he tries to prioritize "what matters most" each day and that might be something w/ a ST focus or a LT focus depending upon the day.  Lou Lamiorello told him to remember that the GM is putting out fires every single day.

Q to Lindy - do you know what's on a GM's plate?  Lindy - Kevyn is constantly trying to make the team better; it differs from what a coach does because he evaluates the play after every game but moves on by the next day's practice.  They both need to set what the standard is of what is acceptable.  Kevyn added - do the right things at the right time.  Not sure if this next statement was from Lindy or both of them - there needs to be a higher level of play.   (Applause for that answer.)

How to choose a captain.  Lindy - it has changed through the years.  The captain sets the example for everyone and is the captain for the whole team.  He leads by example; he doesn't chirp his teammates; EVERYBODY has to meet his standard.  The captain sets the examples by how he practices, does stuff like gets to the rink on time, helps the coaches by asking guys why they did what they did in a particular situation (and helps to critique it).

Kevyn - "we'll have a real good captain."  (So, it sure does seem like they already know who they intend to be wearing letters this year.)

How do you keep guys in the moment?  (paraphrasing that Q)  Lindy - it seems counter intuitive, but let them have fun.  There will be tough games but put it behind them and get ready the next day in practice.

Kevyn - we both want to raise the standard.  What will you do today to make yourself the best you can be.  (The way they've been bringing this theme up, it seems this is a new thing.  Personally, like it in theory; let's see how it get implemented.)

How do you drop a guy down a line? (another paraphrased Q) - Lindy - You talk with them.  You never really arrive; you always have to get better; there is always somebody trying to take your job.

Missed a bit of the answer to a Q about the vision for the bottom 6.  Only caught the part about how in the playoffs the top lines tend to cancel each other out and the bottom 6 become more important (mentioned E-Rod).  Missed the rest of the answer.

Question asked about whether there will be additional changes to the coaching staff and to the hockey department with a follow up about who will be coaching the PP because it was disappointing last year.  (Question got an ovation.  Well, it was either the question or the questioner's flow that got the ovation.  Maybe it was both.  😉  (Actually, the ovation for the Q was pretty sweet.  It was the only one that was asked by an adult that got that reaction.)  Lindy - Seth Appert and Lindy will run it with Seth leading it.  There will be significantly more motion.  They want to get shooters into different positions.  (Draisatl and McDavid in the playoffs as the example of what they're going to strive for.)  Motion is a key to keep your best shooters open.  The Amerks PP has been good.  They want to keep possession on entries and want to keep the same 5 guys together on the PP.  (So don't expect a lot of experimentation wtih personnel in season once they get something they expect will work.)

Kevyn - would like to possibly add another pro scout for out west to the staff.  The analytics staff is an extension of the 2 scouting staffs (pro and amateur).

Lindy was asked about similarities between Hamilton and Power.  Said he sees similarities with Hughes, Bratt, and Hischier on the Sabres.  Presumably Dahlin was the 1st comparable (but maybe he was talking about the other Hughes, would Thompson be the comparable(?)).  Peterka was the Bratt comparable and Cozens the Hischier comparable.  He talked about how it took that Devils team 2 years to come together and this team has been together for 2 years as well.

KA - seems to be rooting for Florida as the Okposo draft pick improves by 2 rounds if they do.

From a Q by a kid about the dream of playing hockey, Adams mentioned how you don't retire, you just get told you're not good enough anymore.  And he's always dreamed of winning a Stanley Cup with the Buffalo Sabres.  (So, still chasing the dream.)  Lindy says chase your dream.  And Duffer mentioned there are areas you can work in the game even if you aren't good enough to play at that level.

They answered a few other Q's about Capfriendly going away and the Salary Cap going up; about FA and how Adams approaches it; who Dahlin's partner will be this coming season; and about the goalies heading into last year and heading into this year.  I might try to post those answers tomorrow, but right now should've been in bed 45 minutes ago.

Lindy ended the night telling the crowd at Kevyn's insistance about what he told the security guard at the Bills practice this morning.  He 1st told him that he was Adams' Uber driver.  (Apparently Adams was in the back seat for some reason.)  He then told him that he's the Bills new Tight End.  His 40 is slow but the hands are still good.

G'night all.

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

So, they had the biggest B&G I yet.  Had about 2/3s of the rink set up with chairs and about 3/4's of those were full.  A few people were also scattered throughout the lower bowl but there weren't too many of them.

Some topics covered (with my commnets in parenthesis):

What's been the main thing this off-season so far.  For Adams it was the exit meetings with the players; finding out what they thought of their individual seasons and letting them know what he thought of them.  Missed Ruff's answer.

Kevyn & Lindy talk every day so he's getting an understanding of what players Lindy wants to target.  Mentioned part of that is getting the pairings right.  (So though personally didn't expect to see any changes to the D perhaps there might be some changes there.  Guess we'll see in 3 or so weeks.)

Kevyn - Jerry Forton's done a "phenomenal job" and he will now oversee the pro scouting in addition to just the amateur scouting.  He said that Jerry is the one that oversees the draft.  (So, love or hate the past couple of drafts, it seems that Forton is the one getting all the input and making the choice.)

Lindy - No settling in period for him getting back to Buffalo.  Spoke a few times about how glad he is to be back and how he considers himself to be a Buffaloanian.  Says the biggest area of improvement will come from how the Sabres defend.  Said a big part of the offense last year tailing off some is teams were gameplanning to take the rush away from the Sabres and they weren't ready/able to get the tip in / net front goals they needed to make up for that.  Sounds like getting guys to the front of the net will also be a priority (along with the improved play in their own end).  They will find different ways to win hockey games this year; they won't only beat teams via goals off the rush.

Both have been watching the playoffs and spoke of how the D play picks up in the playoffs.

Lindy - wants to get to know the players this off-season.  Spoke about how Appert knows many of the young players and gives Lindy input on them.  (But there are a lot of guys on the team Appert has never worked with.  He's worked with a lot of the young guys but there are more than a few that haven't spent any appreciable time in Ra-cha-cha.)

Kevyn - loves the draft.  So much going on this time of year - draft coming up, contract negotiations w/ RFAs, UFAs become available shortly; and all at essentially the same time.

Duff - Development camp will be held July 1 - 4.

Lindy says he's evolved from earlier in his career by focusing more on building relationships with the players.  He wants to get to know their families and their games so that trust is built because guys are going to get asked to change their games.  He then rementioned how he's just getting to know the guys.

Kevyn says he's learned and lot and continues to do so.  He's found there are better ways to do things (presumably than from when he was starting out).  And he tries to prioritize "what matters most" each day and that might be something w/ a ST focus or a LT focus depending upon the day.  Lou Lamiorello told him to remember that the GM is putting out fires every single day.

Q to Lindy - do you know what's on a GM's plate?  Lindy - Kevyn is constantly trying to make the team better; it differs from what a coach does because he evaluates the play after every game but moves on by the next day's practice.  They both need to set what the standard is of what is acceptable.  Kevyn added - do the right things at the right time.  Not sure if this next statement was from Lindy or both of them - there needs to be a higher level of play.   (Applause for that answer.)

How to choose a captain.  Lindy - it has changed through the years.  The captain sets the example for everyone and is the captain for the whole team.  He leads by example; he doesn't chirp his teammates; EVERYBODY has to meet his standard.  The captain sets the examples by how he practices, does stuff like gets to the rink on time, helps the coaches by asking guys why they did what they did in a particular situation (and helps to critique it).

Kevyn - "we'll have a real good captain."  (So, it sure does seem like they already know who they intend to be wearing letters this year.)

How do you keep guys in the moment?  (paraphrasing that Q)  Lindy - it seems counter intuitive, but let them have fun.  There will be tough games but put it behind them and get ready the next day in practice.

Kevyn - we both want to raise the standard.  What will you do today to make yourself the best you can be.  (The way they've been bringing this theme up, it seems this is a new thing.  Personally, like it in theory; let's see how it get implemented.)

How do you drop a guy down a line? (another paraphrased Q) - Lindy - You talk with them.  You never really arrive; you always have to get better; there is always somebody trying to take your job.

Missed a bit of the answer to a Q about the vision for the bottom 6.  Only caught the part about how in the playoffs the top lines tend to cancel each other out and the bottom 6 become more important (mentioned E-Rod).  Missed the rest of the answer.

Question asked about whether there will be additional changes to the coaching staff and to the hockey department with a follow up about who will be coaching the PP because it was disappointing last year.  (Question got an ovation.  Well, it was either the question or the questioner's flow that got the ovation.  Maybe it was both.  😉  (Actually, the ovation for the Q was pretty sweet.  It was the only one that was asked by an adult that got that reaction.)  Lindy - Seth Appert and Lindy will run it with Seth leading it.  There will be significantly more motion.  They want to get shooters into different positions.  (Draisatl and McDavid in the playoffs as the example of what they're going to strive for.)  Motion is a key to keep your best shooters open.  The Amerks PP has been good.  They want to keep possession on entries and want to keep the same 5 guys together on the PP.  (So don't expect a lot of experimentation wtih personnel in season once they get something they expect will work.)

Kevyn - would like to possibly add another pro scout for out west to the staff.  The analytics staff is an extension of the 2 scouting staffs (pro and amateur).

Lindy was asked about similarities between Hamilton and Power.  Said he sees similarities with Hughes, Bratt, and Hischier on the Sabres.  Presumably Dahlin was the 1st comparable (but maybe he was talking about the other Hughes, would Thompson be the comparable(?)).  Peterka was the Bratt comparable and Cozens the Hischier comparable.  He talked about how it took that Devils team 2 years to come together and this team has been together for 2 years as well.

KA - seems to be rooting for Florida as the Okposo draft pick improves by 2 rounds if they do.

From a Q by a kid about the dream of playing hockey, Adams mentioned how you don't retire, you just get told you're not good enough anymore.  And he's always dreamed of winning a Stanley Cup with the Buffalo Sabres.  (So, still chasing the dream.)  Lindy says chase your dream.  And Duffer mentioned there are areas you can work in the game even if you aren't good enough to play at that level.

They answered a few other Q's about Capfriendly going away and the Salary Cap going up; about FA and how Adams approaches it; who Dahlin's partner will be this coming season; and about the goalies heading into last year and heading into this year.  I might try to post those answers tomorrow, but right now should've been in bed 45 minutes ago.

Lindy ended the night telling the crowd at Kevyn's insistance about what he told the security guard at the Bills practice this morning.  He 1st told him that he was Adams' Uber driver.  (Apparently Adams was in the back seat for some reason.)  He then told him that he's the Bills new Tight End.  His 40 is slow but the hands are still good.

G'night all.

Got to say I've missed Lindy's candor that is a nice mix of honesty with bits of humor.

[Doohicksie]

9 hours ago, Taro T said:

How to choose a captain.  Lindy - it has changed through the years.  The captain sets the example for everyone and is the captain for the whole team.  He leads by example; he doesn't chirp his teammates; EVERYBODY has to meet his standard.  The captain sets the examples by how he practices, does stuff like gets to the rink on time, helps the coaches by asking guys why they did what they did in a particular situation (and helps to critique it).

Dahlin gets the C.

[LGR4GM]

40 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Dahlin gets the C.

Hope Power learns a thing or two about Dahlin's growth and development and takes that next step. Dahlin, IMPO deserves the C. 

[Doohicksie]

18 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Hope Power learns a thing or two about Dahlin's growth and development and takes that next step. Dahlin, IMPO deserves the C. 

I think Dahlin gets it based on Lindy's description.  I tend to put more emphasis on communication, and there I think Tuch would be the guy.  If Lindy is stressing setting an example, then I think it tilts toward Dahlin.  Of course this is just a guess based on what I can see as a fan; the locker room dynamic is probably significantly from my perception.

[LGR4GM]

11 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

I think Dahlin gets it based on Lindy's description.  I tend to put more emphasis on communication, and there I think Tuch would be the guy.  If Lindy is stressing setting an example, then I think it tilts toward Dahlin.  Of course this is just a guess based on what I can see as a fan; the locker room dynamic is probably significantly from my perception.

I've seen nothing from Tuch that indicates he communicates in that locker room more than Dahlin. 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

I've seen nothing from Tuch that indicates he communicates in that locker room more than Dahlin. 

Considering none of us are in the locker room, that isn't surprising.  Personally, haven't seen anything from Dahlin that indicates he communicates in the locker room more than Tuch.  And considering none of us are in the locker room, THAT isn't surprising.  😉 

Still am expecting the captain to be one of Tuch or Dahlin with Cozens likely getting the other A.  But, honestly, when Ruff was done describing what he wants / expects in a captain, turned to the guy sitting next to me and said "that sounds like Girgensons."  Because it literally did describe him to a T.  Should he be back, am really hoping he doesn't get the C because it is time to turn the leadership over to the younger guys IMHO and also IMHO wanted to see THAT transition this past season.

And, am biased towards Tuch getting the C (but have no issues whatsoever if it ends up Dahlin), but the comment about being the captain for the entire team seemed to point more towards Tuch than Dahlin (who has been described in the past as the captain of the D).  The guy that took the entire team out to dinner when he 1st got to Buffalo was Tuch.  The guy who put his love of all things Sabre out there on his sleeve was Tuch.  The guy that noticed RJ at the bench after the RJ game and then brought him out onto the ice was Tuch.  Apparently, Tuch also walks the walk about all the employees at the MMArena being a part of the effort (similarly to the way Adams talks about everyone being a part of it himself pretty much whenever he has the opportunity to do so).  Pretty sure that you've taken my paraphrasing of what Ruff and Adams said and used it to confirm your opinion that Dahlin will be the next captain.  Which is fine.  2 people can hear/read (essentially) the same thing and come to different conclusions from it.  One of us will likely be right (would be rather surprised if anyone other than Tuch or Dahlin gets the C) and we'll know soon enough.

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

Considering none of us are in the locker room, that isn't surprising.  Personally, haven't seen anything from Dahlin that indicates he communicates in the locker room more than Tuch.  And considering none of us are in the locker room, THAT isn't surprising.  😉 

Still am expecting the captain to be one of Tuch or Dahlin with Cozens likely getting the other A.  But, honestly, when Ruff was done describing what he wants / expects in a captain, turned to the guy sitting next to me and said "that sounds like Girgensons."  Because it literally did describe him to a T.  Should he be back, am really hoping he doesn't get the C because it is time to turn the leadership over to the younger guys IMHO and also IMHO wanted to see THAT transition this past season.

And, am biased towards Tuch getting the C (but have no issues whatsoever if it ends up Dahlin), but the comment about being the captain for the entire team seemed to point more towards Tuch than Dahlin (who has been described in the past as the captain of the D).  The guy that took the entire team out to dinner when he 1st got to Buffalo was Tuch.  The guy who put his love of all things Sabre out there on his sleeve was Tuch.  The guy that noticed RJ at the bench after the RJ game and then brought him out onto the ice was Tuch.  Apparently, Tuch also walks the walk about all the employees at the MMArena being a part of the effort (similarly to the way Adams talks about everyone being a part of it himself pretty much whenever he has the opportunity to do so).  Pretty sure that you've taken my paraphrasing of what Ruff and Adams said and used it to confirm your opinion that Dahlin will be the next captain.  Which is fine.  2 people can hear/read (essentially) the same thing and come to different conclusions from it.  One of us will likely be right (would be rather surprised if anyone other than Tuch or Dahlin gets the C) and we'll know soon enough.

Accept this has been RAMMMED down everyone's throat about Alex Tuch since just about the time he got here. Could very well be Tuch, but I am here to tell y'all it should be Dahlin. He's the guy and Tuch can be an A with Cozens the other A. 

To expand on it you say in your closing paragraph the same things everyone keeps repeating ad nauseum here. In fact, I bet if we look at the poll something like 70% of this board (Edit: I looked, it is 40% and more wanted Dahlin so I am wrong here) wants Tuch as captain. Meanwhile all the stories about Dahlin working extra before in after practice or taking in Benson or genuinely being the best player on the team last year bar none are pretty much ignored.

Tuch came in and went "RAH RAH! BUFFALO! 06! Party IN THE PlaZA!!!!" and everyone was like "HE'S CAPTAIN!" and it hasn't stopped and it won't until the next captain is named. Hell last offseason there were loud and repeated calls for Okposo to pass the captaincy to Tuch and the RJ thing was cited about 200 times in it. That is a great moment and it shows how much Tuch cares, but that isn't IMPO some sign from the Hockey Gods that this guy has to be the Captain. The Captain isn't defined by a moment but by 1000 little moments we will never see and probably never know. They might make Tuch captain but this boards literally freak outs every time someone mentions another candidate at this point make me cheer for Dhalin harder. In the end, I don't actually care who the Captain is because I am not on the team, it is just a letter on a sweater. I only care if this team finally stops being the laughing stock of the NHL. I will however point out what I have about Tuch, he isn't the best on the team and others do just as much. 

 

Edited June 13 by LGR4GM

[LGR4GM]

BTW, I hope ppl realize I have nothing against Alex Tuch who I like a whole hell of a lot. I just think he should get an A not a C. 

[Taro T]

16 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Accept this has been RAMMMED down everyone's throat about Alex Tuch since just about the time he got here. Could very well be Tuch, but I am here to tell y'all it should be Dahlin. He's the guy and Tuch can be an A with Cozens the other A. 

To expand on it you say in your closing paragraph the same things everyone keeps repeating ad nauseum here. In fact, I bet if we look at the poll something like 70% of this board (Edit: I looked, it is 40% and more wanted Dahlin so I am wrong here) wants Tuch as captain. Meanwhile all the stories about Dahlin working extra before in after practice or taking in Benson or genuinely being the best player on the team last year bar none are pretty much ignored.

Tuch came in and went "RAH RAH! BUFFALO! 06! Party IN THE PlaZA!!!!" and everyone was like "HE'S CAPTAIN!" and it hasn't stopped and it won't until the next captain is named. Hell last offseason there were loud and repeated calls for Okposo to pass the captaincy to Tuch and the RJ thing was cited about 200 times in it. That is a great moment and it shows how much Tuch cares, but that isn't IMPO some sign from the Hockey Gods that this guy has to be the Captain. The Captain isn't defined by a moment but by 1000 little moments we will never see and probably never know. They might make Tuch captain but this boards literally freak outs every time someone mentions another candidate at this point make me cheer for Dhalin harder. In the end, I don't actually care who the Captain is because I am not on the team, it is just a letter on a sweater. I only care if this team finally stops being the laughing stock of the NHL. I will however point out what I have about Tuch, he isn't the best on the team and others do just as much. 

 

Umm, really, people "freak out" when somebody states somebody other than Tuch be named captain?  You mean, kind of like this post above except predicated by somebody saying somebody other than Dahlin be named captain?  😉  

Will likely let you get the last word in on this for now (won't promise that, but it's likely and will try to do so).

[JohnC]

Is it known when a Captain is going to be announced? 

My expectation is that Dahlin is going to be selected as the captain. How many A selections are made? Two or three? If it is three, I expect Tuch, Tage and Cozens will be given the A designation. If it two, I expect Tuch and Tage will be the A letter sown on their jerseys. 

[JohnC]

14 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

BTW, I hope ppl realize I have nothing against Alex Tuch who I like a whole hell of a lot. I just think he should get an A not a C. 

Nothing you have said about Tuch can be construed as a criticism of his leadership qualities. At least that is my takeaway from your responses on this topic. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

@Taro T

From your comments I get the feeling that Adams is relying on Ruff to clue him in on how to fix the roster.  Was that your impression as well? 

[LGR4GM]

25 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Umm, really, people "freak out" when somebody states somebody other than Tuch be named captain?  You mean, kind of like this post above except predicated by somebody saying somebody other than Dahlin be named captain?  😉  

Will likely let you get the last word in on this for now (won't promise that, but it's likely and will try to do so).

Explaining ones position is not freaking out. Although on this board, it is almost always perceived that way. I also didn't intend to imply your response was a "freak out" 

Edited June 13 by LGR4GM

[JustOneParade]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw this about the '24 trade deadline.

At the 6:20 mark (approx) KA is on the phone telling Dahlin about the Okposo trade. Perhaps Ras wasn't the only player KA called. But watch and listen to the ensuing 40 seconds. It sure seems to me Dahlin will be the next captain of the Sabres. Any one else catch the same vibe or am I seeing something that isn't there? 

[dudacek]

7 minutes ago, JustOneParade said:

I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw this about the '24 trade deadline.

At the 6:20 mark (approx) KA is on the phone telling Dahlin about the Okposo trade. Perhaps Ras wasn't the only player KA called. But watch and listen to the ensuing 40 seconds. It sure seems to me Dahlin will be the next captain of the Sabres. Any one else catch the same vibe or am I seeing something that isn't there? 

I have seen many moments like this that support my view that Dahlin as the next C was decided last summer and the organization has been preparing for it since then.

It’s been suggested that I’m reading things through my own biases, and that is entirely possible.

I also see many things that Dahlin does, or qualities that he has, that also lead me to be believe he is the obvious choice, regardless of what the organization thinks. LGR listed a bunch of them.

I’m not sure why others don’t see his work ethic, his commitment to the city and the franchise, and the respect from his teammates the same way I do, but these areas, coupled with ability, are the qualities that I see typically see adding up to a C. He’s grown into the position very well.

I don’t really care if they give it someone else, but I will be shocked.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Honestly who cares you the Captain is?  What difference has it made who the captain has been this century?

The bigger issues from the "presser" are how the team is going to make over the roster.  Are they going to redo the D to get better pairings?  How are they going to remake the bottom 6 so that we have scoring depth throughout the lineup to help in the playoffs?  How are Ruff and Appert going to implement their new "motion" PP? Does that mean faster puck movement, more passes down low and behind the net?

[mjd1001]

As far as the captain goes, I think Dahlin.

The A's?  Tuch, Cozens, and I think you need to add Thompson to that list.  I could see it being any 2 of those 3. Reading a few quotes over the last year or so by the players and Adams, I think Thompson might have more respect in the room than many think, and I could see it being him over Cozens (or based on his long term signing, a slight chance Thompson could be the ACTUAL captain, but based on other things posted above, I still think Dahlin)

Edited June 13 by mjd1001

[Derrico]

Thanks Taro.  Stood out to me the huge number of people who showed up on a Wed night in June.  Sure seems like season ticket base has increased from last year which I found surprising.  Awesome.  Way more fun when the barn is full and vast majority there to cheer on Sabres.  Now, if this team can play winning hockey next season is next question.  Vibes of 05-06 if it happens.  Look at the crazy support the bandits got.  This city is ready to get behind a winning club. 

[dudacek]

51 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

As far as the captain goes, I think Dahlin.

The A's?  Tuch, Cozens, and I think you need to add Thompson to that list.  I could see it being any 2 of those 3. Reading a few quotes over the last year or so by the players and Adams, I think Thompson might have more respect in the room than many think, and I could see it being him over Cozens (or based on his long term signing, a slight chance Thompson could be the ACTUAL captain, but based on other things posted above, I still think Dahlin)

Thompson’s leadership qualities are consistently overlooked around here.

He seems to have a stone-cold, no-excuses personality and the respect of room.

[Taro T]

40 minutes ago, Derrico said:

Thanks Taro.  Stood out to me the huge number of people who showed up on a Wed night in June.  Sure seems like season ticket base has increased from last year which I found surprising.  Awesome.  Way more fun when the barn is full and vast majority there to cheer on Sabres.  Now, if this team can play winning hockey next season is next question.  Vibes of 05-06 if it happens.  Look at the crazy support the bandits got.  This city is ready to get behind a winning club. 

Should've taken a photo of the bowl while there, as the seats that remain available for full seasons and 1/2 seasons had the gold and white placards on them respectively.  Way fewer than expected.  So, maybe that estimate of the STH base getting to 11-11.5k is realistic (or possibly even a bit low).

[...]

27 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Thompson’s leadership qualities are consistently overlooked around here.

He seems to have a stone-cold, no-excuses personality and the respect of room.

Trade him.

[Taro T]

28 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Thompson’s leadership qualities are consistently overlooked around here.

He seems to have a stone-cold, no-excuses personality and the respect of room.

Yeah, he could very well get the other A.  Maybe even sneak the C away from one of the other "big 2."

[...]

Just now, Taro T said:

Yeah, he could very well get the other A.  Maybe even sneak the C away from one of the other "big 2."

Please, no.

[Taro T]

So, what were the answers to the other few remaining Q's?  (As before, my comments are in parentheses.)  

Q about Capfriendly going away? KA - feels bad for the fans but the Sabres don't use it.  (So, he doesn't really care.)

Q about the Salary Cap going up?  KA - Agents love it.  😉   On a more serious note, he said he liked it because it's a reflection of how healthy the league is because the cap is directly tied to revenues.

Q about FA and how Adams approaches it.  He answered it in a bit of a roundabout way.  Discussed how there's a core of players that want ot be Sabres who were here from the start of the last rebuild: Tuch, Dahlin, Thompson, Cozens, (and a couple more that he said too fast to get written down, pretty sure Samuelsson was included in that) and also a 2nd wave of those guys (Lukkonnen, Levi, Byram, Quinn, Peterka (don't believe he said any others, but he might have mentioned Power and Benson (honestly don't believe he added them, but he might've).   He said he would trade anything that makes sense and it makes sense if it makes the team better.  He specifically mentioned that prospects and #11 is on the table and implied that for the right deal anyone (even a guy that wants to be in Buffalo (like Mittelstadt at this past deadline) could get traded; again provided Adams thinks it makes the team better).

Who will Dahlin's partner be this coming season?  LR - A lot of things will work and because of his ice time and how often he's used in pretty much all situations, he'll play with a couple of different guys.  Power and Samuelsson were specifically mentioned as guys he'll be partnered with.  And it was left open that he could end up paired with some of the others if they're particularly needing O or D.  (It was pretty clear from the response that Dahlin will be carrying a heavy load this year, which is completely in line with expectations.)

Long (and good) Q about the goalies heading into last year and heading into this year.  KA - He thought both Levi and UPL were on their way heading into last season.  UPL took a HUGE step.  He's been having contract negotiations with him and the 1st Q to UPL and his agent was "do you want to be here and be a Buffalo Sabre."  The answer was an overwhelming YES and he said he loves this place.  The AGM that works the Cap for Adams is helping him find a contract that'll work for both sides.  They're looking at all options at present (LT, ST, 1 year); they can do any length deal with him.  They are also very happy with Levi.

LR's take on the Q was that you look at RS and playoffs as different animals.  In the RS it's important to have a good goalie able to go on the 2nd night of btb's (and that was (clearly) an issue for the Sabres this past season), so we'll be seeing a pretty decent split between the 2.  (Got the impression that UPL would probably get about 2 out of 3 starts in the RS and whichever guy is considered the hot 1, and again expecting that UPL has the edge as of now, will get all the starts as long as he's playing well.)  He is very happy with the 2 goalies they have and he believes they are both going to be good.  Somebody in the audience mentioned that Lindy had said UPL was his #1 and he did not dispute it.  (So, again, it looks like it's UPL's job to lose and it also looks like the Amerks are looking for a goalie again as Levi will be a Sabre.)

That's about it for what they discussed.  They actually went a few minutes past 8 o'clock which was unusual for these.  They typically end promptly when scheduled to end.

Apologies for anything that got mistranscribed / reported.  Tried to stay true to the actual answers given.