All Activity

Ok you guys are slowly talking me off the Karmanos ledge lol.... I still am in the he has helped preside over this mess and I want new eyes on this mode... but at least I am starting to see that there might be hope for change if we kept him... still not there... and absolutely AGMs are promoted... a lot of them internally, I just dont know that they have the horrible track record for futility on those teams that we do... I also would hope that a major change with a major GM may make it more likely that Pegula steps out and simply provides resources... my concern is an internal promotion facilitates the same owner dysfunction we have had for a long time... ( although Briere and the Flyers have not been the poster child for organizational functionality. )

I think you're probably putting way too much weight on the past two years in Buffalo in terms of Karmanos' resume. Karmanos first two years in Buffalo, the team outstripped expectations. His Rochester teams have been very good over all 4 years. And then there's the 20+ years with Pittsburgh and Carolina and the 3 Stanley Cups. And NHL people know there is only so much control an assistant GM has. As for the bold, I think the recent hiring of Jason Botterill is all you need to know about the importance of team records when it comes to GM hires. Here's some other recent hires: Craig Conroy was an inside promotion from a mediocre Flames organization Kyle Davidson was an inside promotion from a mediocre Hawks organization Steve Staios had one year as a special advisor in Edmonton after running a minor league team Briere and Drury were internal hires promoted after their GMS got fired Mike Grier hadn't even been an assistant GM, he was a special advisor plucked from the Rangers Patrick Allvin was a long-time Penguins scout, who spent a couple years there as assistant GM. GMs are business hires based largely on the impact their vision and presentation makes on the owner, supported by their reputation around the league. It's certainly not unheard of for the assistant GMs of top teams to make the step, but it would wrong to see that as the usual path. Jim Rutherford reached out to Karmanos for the job Allvin got; It's my understanding its no the only time he's been considered. Truth of the matter is that it's an old boys network.

True, t hey will be sad for awhile, but both teams and their fans will also talk about adding a few more pieces and getting back up in the standings.

I agree there will be no new regime or changes that will change the direction of the team and complexion of the FO in any drastic way....

Last I head Winnipeg also has a cold climate and Canadians pay taxes. It must be magic? Looking at the rosters Winnipeg has the better team and they were without two excellent players. That said, St Louis played hard right to the end. Sure they played those last few minutes of regulation much to conservatively, but they seem to be a group that relishes hard work and effort. They have only 5 players left from the 2019 Cup winning team but they are re-tooling and their winning culture helps. Do not be surprised to see them add a few more key pieces, the POHO/GM (Armstrong) seems to find a way and the owner wants to win. Amazing what competent hockey people can do.

Don’t sell some greasy fried rice and noodles and kung pao short on its ability to fatten you up. And plum wine. 😇 I’m just looking forward to GMKA being the face of the franchise tonight during the lottery when some team leaps to the top and the Sabres end up with 8 overall. Just looking forward to Sheevyn’s smug smirk. Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen.

I mean... you're a sabres fan 🙂

Brady Martin ranks 10th here. I'll be tossing my current rankings now and re-doing them from scratch. I do this to avoid anchoring. What I've seen of Martin, he's got an NHL shot and he's smarter than your typical hits stuff guy. He's not dirty, he's just very skilled and using his body. The playmaking is fascinating to me and that's what's gonna make or break him as a top 6 center or a 3rd line 2way pk guy. Wheeler talks about Martin having a B and a C game to fall back on and I fully agree. I'm quickly warming up to Martin in the top 10. When I redo my board, there's a good chance he gets there. Anton Frondell ain't getting there though.

Simple solution: Don't read the thread. It's like going to a Chinese restaurant when you hate Chinese food. And then afterwards, predictably complain about the food. Try Italian food instead. You might like the food better and it will fatten you up more. And don't forget to order the vino with it. If the food is not palatable, at least the wine will make up for it.

Then stop reading it. Recall the ubiquitous "Is this the lowest point" thread. It was shut down and yet several more "lowest points" have been achieved by this moribund franchise.

There will be no new regime. Ruff will be back, most likely with increased responsibility. Adams will be back in some capacity that involves Hockey Operations. If he was getting fired it would have happened already. Karmanos - maybe he gets promoted to the Sabres GM slot, maybe he doesn't and he leaves?

I'm with chz and at least one other. This thread could be taken out behind the barn. Replace it with something else. Just reading the same title that is apparently all a tease wears you down. Sabres Water Torture.

So this is an interesting take... so if you are saying that his role was not about the NHL but rather the AHL I still wonder about the development of players down there but this could be an interesting take. Maybe he has something there... I would say though that the lateral move comment was actually not to over state why he didnt move on to be a GM... I was actually taking a more conservative view of, look if he is watching what his happening here and not intervening, or simply not being heard... then why not move out someplace if he wasnt allowed to be effective in his job... in fact, being the AGM of the running joke in professional sports for a long period of time one could argue might be a worse career move.... anyways, your point is one I was not actively thinking about... so its a good one... in the end... I still am in the we need a brand new regime mode... but that isnt really gonna happen and I think we all know it...

Ugh. Thanks for the update. I missed that news. Yet another example of teams that want to win - they make quick and decisive moves. St Louis went from bottom 5 in the standings to the playoffs by making an in-season coaching change. They were 1.6 seconds from beating the top seed. Their GM will not sit on his hands, they need another top 6 talent and another puck mover on defense - and they will find a way to get it. Winning is not a priority for Terry Pegula's hockey team.

The standard for a Pegula owned team isn't a standard that is applied to all other normally run franchises. Acknowledging that ugly reality, then I would very much be receptive to an internal shakeup where Karmonos is elevated to the GM position, Ruff having more input with his roster and transactions to improve it and the face-saving elevation to a loftier titled position that is more ceremonial than substantive for the feckless KA. As @thewookie1 pointed out, any credible HC and GM candidate is not coming here when there are better options working in a normally run franchise. Sullivan coming here was a fantasy aspiration for this hollow franchise. The bottom line is that I would gladly take an internal shakeup to maintaining this suffocating status quo situation. When you are incapable of hitting a home run then at least try to get a single.

For Karmanos, it would be a poor career management for him to another lateral AGM move. His next move should be GM. It will happen at some point. Right now he can take some credit for rebuilding the Rochester farm system into a winning team and helping to develop players. He is ready to be promoted and get a shot. He seems to like staying in Pittsburgh, we don't know his family situation either, so maybe that is holding back career opportunities at this time. It would be a mistake to assume that he is not capable or qualified, especially after experiencing the much less qualified Kevyn Adams for 5 years. Adams calls the shots for the Sabres, not Karmanos. I have no problem with giving Karmanos a shot at GM, admittedly in part because I highly doubt that Terry can conduct a GM job search. I do have a problem with retaining and promoting Adams. Adams poor results are out there and cannot be ignored.

Sullivan already signed in NYR

The bolded is why I reacted. Brandon Beane has a job with the Buffalo Bills and that is enough work for him. I will assume you are just spit-balling and do not mean this. We don't need the Hockey GM to GTFO out of the way. We need him to establish credibility to a tarnished franchise, to help build a winning culture, and to lead us to victory. Hockey is a different sport, and the NHL is a much different league, and Brandon Beane is not going to fix anything on this hockey team. Every single year there is change in the NHL. Every year there is FO, coaching, and player movement. The Sabres have been content in the Adams/EEE era to play the slow game, to stockpile lottery tickets, wait for their prospects, and to "hope". According to rumors TP is looking at promoting the problem (Adams) up and maybe "out of the way". If this is even true, it sounds like another desperately flawed plan. We shall see. Round 1 of the playoffs are over. There is a two time Cup winning long standing NHL coach from his favorite city sitting out there. Will Terry write a check, drill a well, and even attempt to fulfill his blather about hockey heaven for Buffalo?

The odds increase when the team in the lead keeps icing the puck trying to score. The tying goal last night came after another icing. I see this happen way too much.

I agree, he is still here because he is going to be here.... maybe the same job, maybe the Peter Principle where he gets promoted... and with a bigger title... etc... bottom line is as I have said before they are gonna put lipstick on this pig and trot it out at best... What GM or POHO that is worth their salt is gonna come in here with Kevyn Adams still here and potentially presiding over their job... I just can see it... they are going to shuffle internally, IF they do anything, and perpetuate the incompetent cronyism that has pervaded this regime... Maybe the get a new assistant coach... but they are trotting this out and running it back next year with no appreciable changes... they must be happy with their results... I am sure they are consulting with their new Marketing/Branding officer as to how to spin this as progress...

Is it me or is thread more and more depressing when we all know nothing is going to change.....LOL

I have a 2-year-old named R J's Ice. His older Brother won the Maryland Million Classic. Hoping the tribute to RJ comes through.

This question is already warranted. The Jets have made the playoffs 8 of the last 9 years. They won the President’s trophy this year. 5 years into the Adams era and we are as far from the playoffs, let alone the Stanley Cup, as we were when he took over. It’s a sad state when you go into the off-season knowing there is nothing Adams will do that will have the Sabres even projected to be a playoff team.

So that is where I am at.... and maybe I am wrong... but the guts of this organization are so dysfunctional, Karamanos has been here for several of these years (you say 5, I dont remember exactly) ... what exactly has he done to change the direction of the ship.... he seems like he is helping navagate... after 5 years if he was so good why are not other teams sniffing around, OR after 5 years, if he is not being heard and knows that what is happening is a cesspool of incompetence why if he is so good has he not left and got another AGM job someplace... Surely if he was that good someone could find a place for him... Instead, he has stayed here and helped Preside or at minimum support this garbage like a well paid sycophant... I just cannot think he is the answer... cause if he was... why is he still here after all of this time... and why are we where we are at...

From a stat line standpoint there is no surprise, nor argument... I think Sabres fans have disdain for him because he despite all of his points and scoring actually was part of the problem for the lack of success in his Sabres stint... from what we hear from some of the players of that era mostly Rob Ray but others as well... he was an arrogant self absorbed me guy that was divisive, he played like a me guy... he was gutless (hearing him tell the team that he was coaching that they needed to get to the tough areas of the ice... ) that's like Niagara Falls preaching to Lake Erie to stop being wet... literally stepping out of the way of Stephone Richer in the final game of the playoffs (at least for us) in overtime to give him a clear shooting lane to me exemplified his entire career... His abject cowardice in the Red Wings Sabres Brawl when Maguire ran Stefon... you see these Red Wings jump Maguire and 3 other Sabres jump in... one lagged back Housely... then at the other end of the ice when Probert was free and Maguire was down he had a chance to get in the way of Probert who was going to cheap shot his teammate... Probert wagged his finger at him.. Housely turned around and looked away... and Maguire got tagged when he was on the ice.... THAT is the Phyllis Housely I remember... as do many Sabres fans who watched him play... He literally made me sick watching him play... I remember Maguire calling him out after that game... I believe he was traded not long after that... Sorry for the longwinded thing... but the Housely paradox is an interesting one... His talent and production offensively should have been regarded in the same breath as Perrault and Martin and Gare and LaFontaine... yes he is so widely disparaged by those who watched him every game... Hall of fame numbers... absolutely, Hall of Fame player... hate it...