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Boston wins it this year. Pitt wins it next year. And the major markets are back on track.

Yep. I can buy the idea of Adams getting a golden handshake for his loyalty and that the “promotion” is actually a demotion. I can even entertain hope that Karmanos may actually be capable and able to implement changes rather quickly because there will be no learning curve. Assuming he will actually have the authority to do so. But I can’t do anything but laugh at any talk of accountability from Terry and Kevyn.

I still have a huge problem with "promoting" Adams even if it's only symbolic. He has failed as a GM, so he gets to move up? This organization was humping "accountability" all last summer and this season. They do this and that was pure intellectual dishonesty.

It’s possible but they shouldn’t take more than a week. First step is determining what Adams’ new role actually is and how he fits in the hierarchy. One would think that would largely be dictated by Terry. If there are big issues, Adams simply gets fired. So if they met Sunday, that should have been hammered out by Tuesday. The next step is offering the job the Karmanos. This one’s a little trickier. Is Kevyn offering him the job, or is Terry? What does Pegula want from Jason? What does Jason want from Terry? Who is Jason’s direct boss? What is he in control of? What changes does he want to make? What changes is he allowed to make? Will the family move to Buffalo? What’s a fair contract? Given the past and the continued presence of Kevyn, there will be a few sticky points. So another 3 days there? Get the lawyers to draw up the documents, sign and announce Monday morning?

I don't believe any of this. Until proven otherwise, they're content with the status quo. A lot ppl still have Ruff colored glasses even though Granato had the same team get more points.

The idea that the changes made in this most important of off-seasons, will be driven by the biases of a 65 year old head coach who has had two winning seasons in his last 11 and whose teams consistently finish near the bottom of the league in goals against and who has one year left on his contract, is kinda nauseating. It would be completely on brand for the Sabres though.

I was rigged. With the 9th pick in the draft, the Buffalo Sabres select......

Perhaps a potential holdup, if there is going to be the change mostly speculated, is working out contracts with Adams and Karmanos. I mean, this wouldn’t be quite as simple as Pegula promoting Adams and Adams promoting Karmanos. Both Adams and Karmanos would need contracts (presumably, at least the minimum standard of 3 years I would think). Perhaps the decision has been made and it is the details that are still being ironed out.

Regardless of what happens off the ice, I am still expecting some more change on the ice. Too much smoke about Lindy discovering what his guys really are for that to just be Cozens and Jokiharju. If this braintrust is back they will be moving out more parts he didn’t like. I strongly doubt Samuelsson is back and I think there’s a good chance Quinn follows him. I buy the smoke about UPL. Reimer is a UFA and I wouldn’t be surprised if they come back with a better veteran, pair him with Levi, and see where that goes. Lindy certainly didn’t treat Clifton and Lafferty like his guys. I think the contract situations mean one of Tuch, Byram and Peterka is gone as well. I think Byram is the one the Sabres would choose to move, but what the player brings to negotiating table in terms of contract demands will pay a big role. We aren’t paying enough attention to the bomb Tuch might be ready to drop. Most of the above is about housecleaning, but there’s also the possibility that they may actually go shopping for what they think they are missing, and that puts everyone except Ras and Tage on the table. The Cozens and Savoie trades I think are templates we could see more of if Adams is still in charge, and I think that if he returns he will be under pressure (or even under orders) to make moves. I also think there are as many business reasons for a significant trade as there are hockey reasons, so there’s that too.

I believe changes are coming to the thread title, one way or t'other. I miss Rick.

No data. Expecting it'd be the normal 2-2-1. According to the Rocket, they went 2-3 this round to cut down on travel (well, duh). Only going to Ra-cha-cha shaves 4 hours off the trip from Laval to Cleveland.

Yea like the NHL needs to punish the Sabres... the Sabres do a fine job punishing themselves. If anything they probably knew the Sabres would waste McDavids career.

@JoeSchmoe is selling and I'm not opposed to buying. I just need to think it over first.

I think what you said about changing culture is the main reason why we should take him.

Next game Sunday 9pm ET in Vancouver. TV: ESPN+ for sure. Anyone know about CW23 in Buffalo?

Martin could be a 70pt player. He's got the skills for it and the aggression but to answer your question, no I wouldn't guarantee anyone else other than Misa as a 70pt player. Someone will be, but that's open for debate who from the class. Interestingly, Martin plays a high event clever offensive game that would mesh well with Benson. I have a sneaky suspicions that those 2 would play off each other perfectly.

The way Laval is playing against Cleveland they'll be done Sunday and the Amerks series will likely start next weekend. My question is will it be 2 in Laval, 2 in Rochester and 1 in Laval, or 2 in Rochester and 3 in Laval?

Was hoping to see some action. It’s Saturday, the NFL draft is long over. The Twitter world says Terry and Kevyn have met. Now what?

Maybe they wait until after the draft lottery. Let Adams be the embarrassed face of the franchise at the lottery (again), and then Karmanos takes over later in the week. At this stage, I would accept Adams to POHO and Karmanos to GM, if only because I would have some hope that Karmanos having a larger influence might make a difference. I have no idea if Karmanos will work, but his background and experience makes him a legit candidate. What I don't like is saddling Karmanos with Ruff as HC. It echoes last year and Ruff accepting a two year deal as HC and agreeing to keep the existing assistants. It reaffirms that the first priority of Pegula and Adams is not hiring the person who will bring meaningful change, but rather the person who will accept the existing flawed structure. It won't happen, but the best combination of maximum change with minimal firing, would be Adams to POHO, Ruff to Senior Advisor, Karmanos to GM, Appert to GM Rochester, Ellis back to development, Wilford fired. With one firing, space is opened up for an entirely new coaching staff (save for Bales, who I could take or leave at this point).

If there's a 70pt guy, we have to take him... But outside of Misa, do you think any of the other picks will hit that? As I was saying before, Martin was a +25 on a team that was -42 and has the work ethic to change the culture of the team. Plus, he was one of the best offensive players in the draft in the second half of the season and I see him at 50 to 60 points in his prime. From what little I saw, I also really like that Carter Bear guy you posted about... I just happen to know Martin's game going back quite a few years and think he has intangibles that other kids might not have.

Aaaah! Spring is in the air. It wouldn’t be playoffs in Buffalo if there wasn’t an offseason thread interlaced with a wing discussion.

I like Martin and I'm not saying he's a 3rd liner but I think some of his offensive play will need modifications to transfer. His shot is heavy and he'll fire from anywhere. His pace is frantic and I think that's good but at the NHL level he'll need to apply it better. Also, EP has this: "Brady Martin has one gear, and it's the destroy the world gear." As always ep is awesome in their prospect coverage with their scouting reports.

You watch, they'll start only funding research (through NIH) that publishes in their journals. It's fake science designed to deceive and control.

Thanks for posting this. I love The Gate. My sense is that there’s inconsistency there because it’s difficult to get and keep good help. We had several out of town wing visits over a 5 year period — 2 were traditional Gate excellence and the others were meh. (Our guests didn’t seem to notice any deficiency.)