The Athletic Agents Poll

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

there was some member of the old guard from Pittsburgh who was floating around early on. i remember seeing him at a STH event. i can't recall his name. he was a hockey guy. he always seemed lightly engaged.

When he bought the team he hired Teb Black as team president (he worked for the Penguins) and Ken Sawyer (also from the Penguins), but both were financial guys.

I think I found what you were remembering.  In Jan 2014 they hired Craig Patrick as a special advisor.  He last a year.

[Sidc3000]

4 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

It was Harrington from late December that I had in mind:

The problem here, as hard as it may be to believe, is really not palm trees or taxes. That’s just the soundbite gaffe the GM made in an otherwise legitimate answer about the Sabres needing to earn their respect to recruit players.

... what’s missed is the most important takeaway from the news conference: Adams speaks to Pegula every day.

It’s well-known by those of us who cover this team but lots of you probably needed to hear that in the open. There’s your organizational red flag, the siren wailing to signify the real problem here.

Pegula loves hockey and loves the Sabres. Anyone who says he doesn’t care about them because he’s now an NFL owner doesn’t understand what makes him tick. Pegula is a season-ticket holder dating more than 40 years ago. Hockey − and not football − is his first love, even though he might be two months from winning a Super Bowl and doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in Orchard Park of winning a Stanley Cup anytime soon.

...

Pegula has long refused the model of having a president of hockey operations because he likes the direct line to the GM. The results say it’s a 14-year mistake he needs to rethink, even if he’s still spooked by whatever version of events you believe happened 11 years ago with Pat LaFontaine. Pegula needs more veteran hockey minds, just like his team needs more veteran players.

Juat because he talks to him daily ( I believe Beane has made the same comment) doesn’t mean that Pegula is telling him what to do. If football isn’t Pegula’s “first love” why is he talking to Beane daily?  That comment very well could have been Adams trying to convince the fans that Pegula actually cares. Harrington is reading into a comment with no evidence. I know Pegula is very invested in the Bills because you see him in the locker room regularly. When has anyone seen Pegula in the Sabres locker room?

[That Aud Smell]

2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

When he bought the team he hired Teb Black as team president (he worked for the Penguins) and Ken Sawyer (also from the Penguins), but both were financial guys.

I think I found what you were remembering.  In Jan 2014 they hired Craig Patrick as a special advisor.  He last a year.

Sheeyit - I think I thought Sawyer was a hockey guy?

Also, yes - Craig Patrick.

[That Aud Smell]

26 minutes ago, Sidc3000 said:

Juat because he talks to him daily ( I believe Beane has made the same comment) doesn’t mean that Pegula is telling him what to do. If football isn’t Pegula’s “first love” why is he talking to Beane daily?  That comment very well could have been Adams trying to convince the fans that Pegula actually cares. Harrington is reading into a comment with no evidence. I know Pegula is very invested in the Bills because you see him in the locker room regularly. When has anyone seen Pegula in the Sabres locker room?

That's not the threshold of my concern. They're talking daily. What are they talking about? Seems more than fair to infer that they're having daily give and take about evaluating talent, building an NHL roster, etc.

[GASabresIUFAN]

6 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

Sheeyit - I think I thought Sawyer was a hockey guy?

Also, yes - Craig Patrick.

He was Chief Financial Officer for the NHL at one point.

[Sidc3000]

23 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

That's not the threshold of my concern. They're talking daily. What are they talking about? Seems more than fair to infer that they're having daily give and take about evaluating talent, building an NHL roster, etc.

That’s a logical assumption. It could also be as simple as just giving him quick updates. Also talking to Terry, does that mean on the phone, an email, text msg?
 

People are reading into that comment.  

Edited Thursday at 06:52 PM by Sidc3000

[tom webster]

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

I do not accept that LaFontaine, a former Sabre, was ever a top candidate to run an NHL team.  Not after his short stint and bizarre time in NYI.    Murray was a LaFontaine hire and he also was boarder-line hire, and without his Uncle who was he?  Where is he today?   

Then he put his wife in charge and I don’t think she was any help, or got along with a crusty guy like Murray.  

Botterill was highly thought of, a former Sabre, and Terry listened to his Pittsburgh buddies on him, while passing on Bill Zito. 

Housley as a HC - like Boterill, being a former Sabre was one of his best attributes.   Krueger was a joke of a hire, applause around the league (if true) turned out to be unwarranted.   

Adam’s was a trusted person who would carry out the purging and the EEE, and the low cost draft and develop no blocker strategy.  

Rumor has it Terry “talked” to Briere.  

Lindy Ruff, a former Sabre, a friend of Terry, was the entire “exhaustive coaching search”.   

So in summary he took some advice from the league, some advice from “hockey friends”, he hired some former Sabres, and he has failed at every turn.   Boterill was his one and only “highly thought off” and “up and coming” hire. 

With the Bills he first hired Rex Ryan, at the behest of Russ Brandon.   He scored big with McDermott the second time around, so for that I am grateful.   McD fit the description of “up and coming” and was on the NFL list of top coaching talent. 
 

 

I don’t mind people having a difference of opinion with me but I take offense to the implication that I made up something. All you have to do is google “Sabres hire Krueger “ and you will see him described as “innovative” @well thought of” etc.

[JohnC]

6 minutes ago, tom webster said:

I don’t mind people having a difference of opinion with me but I take offense to the implication that I made up something. All you have to do is google “Sabres hire Krueger “ and you will see him described as “innovative” @well thought of” etc.

The Krueger hire was a reasonable hire or at least it was a conventional hire. He coached Edmonton and had experience with international teams. His best attribute was that he was a good communicator who could impress those listening to him. I think his art of persuasion influenced Pegula when he interviewed him. It didn't work out for him here presiding over a lot of young players. He emphasized rigid structure which inhibited the play and development of the young players. (How Dahlin was handled is an example of that.)  It didn't work out here, so he was fired. That happens. However, the KA hire was really an odd hire. His appeal to the owner related to cutting costs and starting over with less costly young players. His hire is an owner boondoggle that set back this franchise. 

I want to make it clear that I don't consider KA to be a disaster as a GM as much as he is a mediocre GM who is less accomplished than the GMs he is competing against. As others have said, he made some solid moves over the past offseason. However, not enough of them to keep up with the competitors. It was a lost opportunity.  

[Pimlach]

5 hours ago, tom webster said:

I don’t mind people having a difference of opinion with me but I take offense to the implication that I made up something. All you have to do is google “Sabres hire Krueger “ and you will see him described as “innovative” @well thought of” etc.

Certainly didn't mean to imply you made it up.  Not at all.  

Regarding Krueger, I definitely saw news out of Edmonton that he got a bad deal, but most of the news I heard contained much surprise by the his hiring.  He was out of the NHL for 8 years, and out of hockey all together at the time.  

 

Edited Friday at 12:33 AM by Pimlach

[shrader]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Certainly didn't mean to imply you made it up.  Not at all.  

Regarding Krueger, I definitely saw news out of Edmonton that he got a bad deal, but most of the news I heard contained much surprise by the move.  He was out of the NHL for 8 years, and out of hockey all together at the time.  

 

But around here we love people who have been out of the NHL for a very long time… coughTEDNOLANcough

[Taro T]

On 2/27/2025 at 10:10 AM, mjd1001 said:

Wasn't Housley at the time of his hire highly thought of around the league as a somewhat older, but up-and-coming head coach?

I don't remember it that well, but I think I heard talk that it was thought he did such a good job as an assistant coach working with D-men (Nashville was it?) that even outside of Buffalo he was a 'hot candidate' for head coaching jobs.

Yes, there were claims that Housley was a D coaching genius, but it NEVER made any sense.  That D that Nashville had was absolutely stacked and they were great before Housley ever showed up.  He didn't make them any better than they'd already been.  He also had nothing to do with Rinne and Saros being absolute studs.

Claiming he was a genius was akin to saying Adam Gase was one because Peyton Manning liked him and played well when he was his OC.  Sure, people said it, but they were oh so very wrong.