Rumor: There has been word that teams don’t want to deal with Buffalo

[Second Line Center]

It’s not that teams won’t deal with them.  That’s ridiculous.  
 

Colorado just made a player for player hockey trade with us.  
 

But this is the problem - the guys we need have NMCs and that is killing us forcing us to rely on internal upgrades and development and overpaying for 3rd pairing D men and 4th line defensive/physical guy.  

[PerreaultForever]

3 minutes ago, Second Line Center said:

It’s not that teams won’t deal with them.  That’s ridiculous.  
 

Colorado just made a player for player hockey trade with us.  
 

But this is the problem - the guys we need have NMCs and that is killing us forcing us to rely on internal upgrades and development and overpaying for 3rd pairing D men and 4th line defensive/physical guy.  

I imagine NMC's are at the heart of it and thus Adams is mostly looking at RFAs and younger guys without those clauses. Maybe it's more though. Maybe Adams calls and they say "he has a no move" and Adams replies "well can you ask him if he will waive it" and then the other GM mutters "oh for f sake" and doesn't take the next call. 

[SDS]

6 hours ago, ... said:

Really, you're going to put this up as evidence to the contrary?

 

https://www.sabrespace.com/community/topic/37030-sabres-acquire-forward-beck-malenstvn-for-43rd-overall/?do=findComment&comment=1742987

https://www.sabrespace.com/community/topic/37030-sabres-acquire-forward-beck-malenstvn-for-43rd-overall/?do=findComment&comment=1743008

https://www.sabrespace.com/community/topic/37030-sabres-acquire-forward-beck-malenstvn-for-43rd-overall/?do=findComment&comment=1743331

 

What is your objection to their show?

Jeremy Roenick. 

[MDFan]

Well, let’s see.  A mysterious phone call from an unnamed source of an unspecified nature reported by a bitter ex employee.  There is certainly no reason to disbelieve that.   

[MISabresFan]

9 hours ago, Big Guava said:

Perhaps KA doesn't really play the game as a GM and says it's my deal or no deal and GMs are tired of it?

If his reputation precedes him, they'll take the call, aware that they won't need to haggle and potentially waste precious time seeking or negotiating other deals.   

The art of making a deal:

1. Preparation is Key

2. Define Clear Objectives

3. Build relationships

4. Create Value

5. Be Flexible and Adaptive

6. Master the art of persuasion

7. Know when to walk away

 

 

[Demoted]

I would need proof of this before I started going crazy. 

 

As of right now the only thing I can say about KA is he's just a bad GM.

Edited June 30 by Demoted

[Mango]

8 hours ago, Brawndo said:

I thought that every contract containing a M NTC or partial no trade list has a yearly deadline when the list needed to be submitted by the agent to the NHL Central Registry. 

Friedman and Marek discussed this on a pod and Marek wondered if there would ever be a day when the no trade lists are made public on a site such as Cap Friendly. Friedman quickly shot that down 

 

 

Also I think the number of players across the league with NTC’s is pretty low. Like 25%. Which means 75% of players are eligible to be traded to Buffalo.

It is a waaaaay overblown excuse used to “explain” away bad roster management. 

[Sabre The Cup]

It’s a vicious cycle. 

Adams overvalues his prospects because he can’t get good players (and inexperienced negotiators are either too reckless or too scared and Adams always seemed the latter). Teams can’t trade their good players to the Sabres because of NTCs. 
 

It’s a situation where to get good players the Sabres must overpay in trades, but instead overvalue their prospects. To get good FAs they must heavily overpay but have been cap strapped with bad contracts like Skinner and Okposo and Pegula can’t spend to cap on two sports teams. Furthermore, if the Sabres are not blackballed by GMs, they are likely blackballed by agents and players who strongly influence GMs. 
 

To get out of this mess the Sabres need to play moneyball and get REALLY GOOD at identifying diamond in the roughs during the draft and on other teams they can get cheap and have no say on where they get traded. This requires elite scouting and analytics departments, better than other teams. In PSE’s infinite wisdom, they cut these departments to the bare minimum meaning that we actually have bottom tier departments in these areas. 
 

Another thing required is a VERY savvy GM (like a Beane) who can turn water into wine, has a good relationship with other GMs who will help him, etc. What we have is the most inexperienced front office exec in the league who everyone knows is a Pegula puppet. 
 

Basically, this is an extraordinary disaster. Ruff is a (time limited) step in the right direction but we’re going nowhere until we get a great GM and throw millions into our scouting. 
 

Fellas, we are not just the worst run organization in sports, but so historically bad that books can be written on everything we do wrong. 
 

Sell the team or stay out of the front office, Pegula. 

[...]

5 hours ago, SDS said:

Jeremy Roenick. 

What about him?

[Buffalonill]

2 minutes ago, ... said:

What about him?

He's an idiot 

[Flashsabre]

5 minutes ago, Buffalonill said:

He's an idiot 

Him being in the HOF is an absolute joke

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/06/29/sports/connor-mcdavid-oilers-panthers-stanley-cup-final/

Buffalo again once removed from Cup

The road to the Stanley Cup for a second year in a row again ran directly through Buffalo, a place where the Cup actually never has landed. In fact, the sad-sack Sabres haven’t participated in postseason play since 2011 (a Round 1 loss to the Flyers in Game 7).

Last season saw Jack Eichel, once the Sabres cornerstone as the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft, have his name etched on the Cup with the Golden Knights. William Carrier, another ex-Sabres forward, was also a member of the 2023 Vegas winners.

And Monday night, another pair of ex-Sabres, Sam Reinhart and Kyle Okposo, were part of the Panthers pack that waltzed the Cup around Sunrise (and, hours later, various area saloons and beaches).

So it sure hasn’t been a good thing to be a Sabre or a Sabres fan for quite some time, but Buffalo is one heck of a clearing house for players to fulfill their dreams elsewhere. Reinhart, considered by many to be the priciest catch in the upcoming UFA market, was swapped to the Panthers in July 2021 in the package that sent ex-Northeastern goalie Devon Levi and a first-round pick to the Sabres. Okposo, a primo Islanders pick (No. 7, 2006) was one of GM Bill Zito’s deadline pickups in March. Only 108 days later, Okposo was holding the Cup, following his first playoff appearances since the spring of 2016 with the Islanders.

Now could it be Jeff Skinner’s time to step into the glorious white, silvery light? The 2011 Calder (Rookie of the Year) winner as a member of the Hurricanes, Skinner was rumored all week to be bought out by the Sabres ahead of the start of free agency Monday. If so, it will be the end of a highly unremarkable six-year run in Buffalo, where Skinner, like the Sabres, essentially disappeared. He is the lone player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-game plateau and never be in the playoffs.

Skinner, though, made bank in those six years, signing an extension in June 2019 for eight years, $72 million after being dealt to Buffalo in August 2018. The buyout would save the Sabres one-third of his remaining $22 million and increases by some $7.5 million the sum GM Kevyn Adams has on hand. Total free cash: approximately $31 million.

Even with all that dough to throw, Adams could be challenged to acquire the kind of high-profile players the Sabres need to shake their generational doldrums. While it’s undeniable that money talks, and often can win the day, elite players who finally reach free agency typically want to sign with a team positioned to be in the thick of the Cup fight. The Sabres have a handful of promising kids, but they’re not anywhere near the road back to bountiful.

[dudacek]

Draft weekend scorecard.

Thirteen teams acquired NHL players:

• Utah: Sergachev, Marino
• Vegas: Holtz, Schmid (lost Thompson, Cotter)
• New Jersey: Cotter (lost Marino, Holtz, Schmid)
• Buffalo: Malenstyn
• Los Angeles: Jeannot, Grundstrom (lost Burroughs)
• Washington: Mangiapane, Thompson (lost Malenstyn)
• Minnesota: Lauko (lost Lettieri)
• Boston Korpisalo, Lettieri, (lost Lauko, Ullmark)
• Ottawa: Ullmark (lost Korpisalo)
• Pittsburgh: Hayes
• St Louis: Texier (lost Hayes)
• San Jose: Wallman, Burroughs
• Chicago: Mikhayev

These teams made the most trades:

• Washington 6
• Philadelphia 5
• New Jersey 4
• Buffalo 4
• San Jose 4
• Vegas 3
• LA 3
• Nashville 3
• Chicago 3
• Carolina 3
• Utah 3

Might have missed a few, but that’s the gist of it. Obviously with only 19 NHLers changing hands most of the deals were to flip draft positions.

Edited June 30 by dudacek

[LTS]

All this conversation over a comment from Andrew Peters. It's incredible. Nothing this guy does changes my opinion of him from the first time I met him. He's a self-absorbed jack-ass desperately trying to hang on to any notoriety he gained from playing a handful of professional hockey games.

The dude is giving Mike Commodore a run for his money.

[bunomatic]

I’m a diehard Sabres fan and have been for 50 years. The Sabres would be on my NMC. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near a team with the Sabres ownership or with a management that continually points to the future as the time to expect wins. Pegula continually hires newby gm’s and for players,careers are short. Its a disaster and everyone within the league as well as fans know it. Sure, Tuch wants to be there but he’s an exception.

[Thorner]

9 hours ago, Second Line Center said:

It’s not that teams won’t deal with them.  That’s ridiculous.  
 

Colorado just made a player for player hockey trade with us.  
 

But this is the problem - the guys we need have NMCs and that is killing us forcing us to rely on internal upgrades and development and overpaying for 3rd pairing D men and 4th line defensive/physical guy.  

Nah. 75% of the league is sans NMC. If you can’t, from a combination of the draft and 75% of the league pool, establish a team that’s 16/32 once in 5 years, the problem is inarguably the GM. Math doesn’t check out otherwise. We aren’t special, plenty of other teams that constantly find themselves on NMC lists. None go more than a couple years missing 

I agree though that it’s baloney teams won’t deal with KA. Not only is there too much evidence to the contrary, it doesn’t make logical sense: there’s no good lowballing if you come away with nothing, what’s the end game? The moment two teams are competing for an asset lowballing becomes irrelevant 

If there’s smoke to the “teams won’t deal with Adams” line of thought, it’s definitely because of KA’s reluctance to part ways with value 

5 hours ago, MDFan said:

Well, let’s see.  A mysterious phone call from an unnamed source of an unspecified nature reported by a bitter ex employee.  There is certainly no reason to disbelieve that.   

Right? lol 

3 hours ago, Mango said:

Also I think the number of players across the league with NTC’s is pretty low. Like 25%. Which means 75% of players are eligible to be traded to Buffalo.

It is a waaaaay overblown excuse used to “explain” away bad roster management. 

Preach

It’s not only an excuse, it’s a bottom barrel excuse 

[dudacek]

49 minutes ago, Thorny said:

It’s not only an excuse, it’s a bottom barrel excuse 

This thread is a combination of Andrew Peters gross misunderstanding of the modicum of professionalism his job should entail, and the fanbase grappling to find coping mechanisms for their team's remarkable inability to provide reason for hope.

NHL GMs clearly have no issues making deals with Buffalo. Four of them did so this weekend.

The issue is solely the failure of the Buffalo Sabres GM to execute any deals that inject hope into the fan base in the wake of the franchise failing to reach the playoffs for the 13th year in a row.

Deals are there to be made. Deals have been made.

It's just that the ones he has actually been able to pull off are neither exciting, nor effective.

Edited June 30 by dudacek

[PromoTheRobot]

17 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Pegula, a GM with no front office experience. The incompetence of 13 years with no playoffs.

With a loaded prospect pool, some of which are open for a deal. But noooooooooo. Can't deal with the Sabres. 🙄

[PromoTheRobot]

17 hours ago, tom webster said:

Once again it’s Andrew Peters being full of crap. 

If you really listen closely to Peters on his podcast, he takes both sides of a position, sometimes switching back and forth in the same sentence. That allows him to claim he was right no matter the outcome. He did that when Adams gave Tage his big deal. 

17 hours ago, SABRES 0311 said:

These are all reason for other teams to want to deal with Buffalo IMO.

Or KA asks for too much because he thinks his players are better than they are.

Or he won't get bent over because the other GM thinks Adams is under pressure to do something.

[Flashsabre]

5 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

With a loaded prospect pool, some of which are open for a deal. But noooooooooo. Can't deal with the Sabres. 🙄

I don’t agree with Peters I think he’s an idiot. Someone just asked for possible reasons teams wouldn’t want to deal with Buffalo so I listed some potential reasons.

[PromoTheRobot]

14 hours ago, ... said:

Don't be so pedantic. If you listen to their show, they don't do "open phones". Peters and Rivet are still quite connected with the NHL if their guest list is any indicator. He's referring to someone whom he was talking to. Peters is also always first to say the rumours and chit-chat he gets from where ever are just that: rumours and chit-chat - just like he did in that tweet.

Yes. He's just going to toss that chit chat bomb out there and see what happens.

14 hours ago, bunomatic said:

If I could possibly blame this on Terry Pegula I would. 

Oh go ahead.

Edited June 30 by PromoTheRobot

[PromoTheRobot]

14 hours ago, ... said:

Really, you're going to put this up as evidence to the contrary?

 

https://www.sabrespace.com/community/topic/37030-sabres-acquire-forward-beck-malenstvn-for-43rd-overall/?do=findComment&comment=1742987

https://www.sabrespace.com/community/topic/37030-sabres-acquire-forward-beck-malenstvn-for-43rd-overall/?do=findComment&comment=1743008

https://www.sabrespace.com/community/topic/37030-sabres-acquire-forward-beck-malenstvn-for-43rd-overall/?do=findComment&comment=1743331

 

What is your objection to their show?

How dare someone cite Sabres trades when refuting no one will trade with us?

[PromoTheRobot]

7 hours ago, SDS said:

Jeremy Roenick. 

Mr. Hall of Fame.

[Believer]

15 hours ago, In The Buff said:

I'm calling BS on this one. If anything teams should love trading with us. Just look at the history of the guys we've moved out. ROR traded & his team wins the Cup. Eichel gets traded & they win the Cup. Reinhart gets traded & they win the Cup. Seems teams would be chomping at the bit, to poach us of our talent. What would make more sense is that the players themselves don't want to come here... and who could blame them?

 

15 hours ago, In The Buff said:

What would make more sense is that the players themselves don't want to come here... and who could blame them?

Our elite players should be talking up our young team and its SC prospects for the next decade to other players around the league, helping Adams sell the opportunity in Buffalo. Doubt this is happening much yet.

Our guys are probably waiting to get a firsthand sense of Ruff at camp and how Adams will address the several RFAs before buying in themselves and selling the opportunity to others. 

My guess is the stink of the fan boycott is another factor causing players around the league to wonder about Buffalo. Who disses their own fans? Unhappy players. Who wants to join a group of unhappy players? 

It’s a leadership issue, imo. Pegula is just now starting to reinvest in the arena. Granato is gone. Okposo is gone. Adams is on thin ice. Ruff and presumptive new Captain Dahlin will be the real catalysts for leadership change, imo.

[RochesterExpat]

9 hours ago, SDS said:

Jeremy Roenick. 

I dated his daughter briefly. Or more accurately we were “hanging out.”

In real life he’s exactly like you would expect.