JohnC

Is Pegula's budget so much less than most teams' budgets that it makes it nearly impossible to compete? @Pimlach and others have cited the lack of financial resources as one of the primary reasons that inhibit the Sabres from being a serious team. I'm aware that during covid that TP dramatically retrenched with his hospitality businesses, but is that still the case as the financial situation has stabilized after the covid economic trauma? My view is that even with a more restrictive budget compared to other franchises, it is more of an imperative to hire competent and creative staff in order to overcome (to a degree) the more financially restrictive environment to work under.

I have no clue what the owner will do regarding the staffing issue. He doesn't publicly express his thoughts. What I do know as an indisputable fact is that the current GM, who has guided a rebuild for the past six years, has this team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and in the lower 20% for overall. That's not a record of a successful rebuild; it is a record of abject failure. It's a disgrace and an embarrassment for this mocked franchise to be here at what should be a completed or near completed stage of a rebuild. Your record is your record and can't be ignored. If the owner is not going to hold his employees to a reasonable standard, then who is?

It’s futile to predict what this unreachable owner will do. My opinion/ suspicion is that there will be a change sometime soon. It seems to me that having Jarmo hovering in the system makes it possible if not probable. Just my guess?????

No they didn’t give me a watch. However, they did give me the 🩸 bloody knife that they frequently used to stab me in the back.😎

We’ll see. What happens if there is no staffing change? That’s what I’m looking for and will find most consequential.

It would be a mistake to make a trade just to demonstrate that you are doing something. That’s when you make a bad deal. I’m not looking for flashy actions as I am more demonstrations of thoughtfulness and competency. The offseason is the time to make deals that restructure the roster. However, a change in GMs will be a clear sign to the players that changes will be made and the status quo will no longer be tolerated. And I’m sure most of the players will appreciate that.

I retired. At the end of an exhausting career there was a boss who was the #2 man in a relatively large agency acting like a cartoon dictator and being obnoxious and condescending in his presentation. There were a lot of big shots at the gathering. During his bloviating I stood up and interrupted his public display of stupidity and politely asked him if he recognized how stupid he sounded? The audience went dead silent. He was a big fellow who went to an NFL training camp. He wanted to kill me for humiliating him. I was at the end of my career. Needless to say, I had to watch my back.

I worked in a 👮 police and security agency for 30 years. The most important skill in prospects and employees is interpersonal skills. It’s stunning to observe how many people lack what I consider a basic talent. I had more conflicts dealing with some of the unappealing people I worked with than with outsiders.

Great story. I once was being interviewed for a job. He brought up my job history and the stepping stone jobs that I had when young. I made the point to him that there is no such thing as a menial job. That whatever job one had was to be done well and with pride. He was impressed. However, although the interview went well, I wasn’t hired.

How many dishes did you break per day? On payday did you end up owing more $$$ to the company than you ended up with on payday? 😀

Titles mean nothing in this aberrant organization. It doesn’t matter what title he is given. From a hockey operational standpoint he will have no influence. This is a Terry P created organization that doesn’t follow the normal standards and practices of a genuine NHL franchise. The aloof owner acts on his own whims. He empowers and un-empowers whoever he wants. I’m confident that if removed from the GM position and then given a lofty title KA will then be neutered as a factor in actual hockey decisions.

If KA is removed from the GM position, it’s unlikely he will have any meaningful influence on hockey decisions. Even if he was given the title of POHO, it will carry little influence in the hockey side of the business. For the sake of argument, let’s assume Jarmo takes over the GM job. If Jarmo wants to make a trade and KA disagrees in his POHO role, KA would be ignored.

As you noted, Paul Hamilton is not noted for harsh or controversial commentary. I like him but in general his style is reasonable and bland. However, on the topic of the competency of KA, even the blind can see. It was absurd for the aloof owner to hire KA to be his GM, and it is even more absurd to keep him on the job for so long.

What’s irksome is not the dissent as it is the perplexing reasoning. 🙃

It doesn’t matter how few or many people will be snickering in the crowd. What matters to the most of us is what the owner does to help this floundering franchise get on the right track.