Friday 3/5: Adams to Speak to Media at 4:30

[Eleven]

7 minutes ago, Radar said:

No GM has full authority in my opinion given your description.

Correct.  As usual, there is nothing to suggest that the Pegulas wield any more influence over the team than the average NHL owner.

[PASabreFan]

8 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Correct.  As usual, there is nothing to suggest that the Pegulas wield any more influence over the team than the average NHL owner.

That's another debate. You're agreeing with me that Adams doesn't have full authority to do anything.

To the latter, if true, wouldn't it be a tremendous advantage if the Sabres were to make hockey decisions in a smarter way? (I'll give Mario a pass.)

[Eleven]

1 minute ago, PASabreFan said:

That's another debate. You're agreeing with me that Adams doesn't have full authority to do anything.

To the latter, if true, wouldn't it be a tremendous advantage if the Sabres were to make hockey decisions in a smarter way? (I'll give Mario a pass.)

I'm not agreeing with you at all.  I have no idea of the extent of his authority and neither do you.

Edited March 6, 2021 by Eleven

[PASabreFan]

3 minutes ago, Eleven said:

I'm not agreeing with you at all.  I have no idea of the extent of his authority and neither do you.

You just agreed with someone who said Adams does not have full authority.

[Eleven]

1 minute ago, PASabreFan said:

You just agreed with someone who said Adams does not have full authority.

GIVEN YOUR DESCRIPTION.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

What did he say?

I need the Reader's Digest version please.  Thanks.

[PASabreFan]

3 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

What did he say?

I need the Reader's Digest version please.  Thanks.

The Sabres' play is unacceptable. I'm evaluating everything, including RaKru.

Edited March 6, 2021 by PASabreFan
Hate the merge

[PASabreFan]

All owners do it.

OK, name some NHL owners. No googling allowed.

[Thorny]

2 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

It would be a foolish move for Adams to fire RK right now. The new coach would come in and be another loser. You can’t win with the goaltending they have now. Adams of course would be the next target of the media and the fans that want to fire people. Try and ride the season out, get some help in goal at the trade deadline, try and figure out how to get more 5x5 scoring and improve over the off season 

 

If Adams does fire RK, it should be at end of season so a new coach can come in and have time to make the team in his own mold. 

I agree this is most likely true, yet simultaneously still potentially  representative of a vast improvement in the eyes of the majority of the fan base. 

If we bring in a new coach that plays to this team’s strengths, you can’t tell me plenty won’t be at least somewhat more entertained by 6-5 losses. Half of the battle with this team is the utter boredom they inspire during their games. 

I get to do so much posting during the games 

Edited March 6, 2021 by Thorny

[Sabres Fan in NS]

11 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

The Sabres' play is unacceptable. I'm evaluating everything, including RaKru.

So, he said nothing, eh!!

Me too ... regarding your edit.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

10 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

All owners do it.

OK, name some NHL owners. No googling allowed.

Mario.  The Ghost of Harold Ballard. Molsons. Is that Gene guy still around?

Edited March 6, 2021 by New Scotland (NS)
I still can't type very goodly ...

[Thorny]

11 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

All owners do it.

OK, name some NHL owners. No googling allowed.

Eugene Melnyck

12 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

All owners do it.

OK, name some NHL owners. No googling allowed.

Rogers Sportsnet

[Derrico]

3 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

Did Adams blame himself at all?  His off-season moves weren’t exactly stellar. 
 

Girgensons
Staal
Eakins
Hall
Davidson
Irwin
Reider

🤮
 

This.  Look in the ***** mirror.  Does he really think his goaltending is good enough?  That’s what scared me the most from this presser.  Jesus Christ he doesn’t get it if he thinks this is what playoff goaltending looks like.  

[Brawndo]

13 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

I don't want to risk the team responding well for 2 games against the dreaded Islanders, then somehow having TPeg, KPeg, and GM Sheevyn recoil on getting a new coach or saying "awww... nah, we don't need your new coach services, because clearly the team now is playing Chancellor RaKru's system as intended. Look at his motivation skillz!"  I want him gone. Let Smith coach for a few games and then he's gone, too. Or Adams coaches Lamoriello style, and then back up to the box. Clean the deck entirely.

Adams mentioned he thinks of the short and long term ramifications when making decisions. If the wheels have been placed in motion to replace Krueger, a few wins won’t stop that 

25 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

All owners do it.

OK, name some NHL owners. No googling allowed.

Tom Dundon the Owner of the Hurricanes, is the self proclaimed most meddlesome owner in the NHL. He grills His Hockey Operations on why they want to make certain decisions, asks about players he likes, but ultimately he lets them make the decisions. He hired or retained highly skilled hockey minds.

 

Too bad Pegula doesn’t do the same 

[Weave]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

There is a thing called the interim coach.  If he is waiting to dump RK until he finds the next permanent coach, then he isn't going to do anything until after the season, because he has no idea who will be available until that time.  If he is going to hire Claude Julien then he can do that now and no reason to wait.

While 21 games for this season is short, there is plenty of evidence that it wasn't working last season.  Jack's "breakout" came from a career year shooting % of 15.9% versus a career % of about 10.  Hall's MVP year had a similar shooting % jump over a his career % of about 10.  These aren't breakouts, just aberrations.  

Since RK took over last season the team has had 6-7 significant losing streaks including 3 streaks of 0-5 or worse.  In year two of the system, if it worked, the team should be better and isn't. It's worse.  

Besides Jack's "breakout" last season, almost every skilled player has taken a step back under RK including Skinner, Sheary, Vesey, KO, Erod, Montour, Miller, Dahlin, now Jack, Hall and Staal.   The only real exceptions are VO, who is really a PP specialist, and Samson who is a duck and can swim in any system, but even he is struggling now.  

There honestly isn't anything left to evaluate.  This press conference should have been to relieve him of his duties.  

You really think an interim coach is any improvement at all?  NFW

[Thorny]

1 minute ago, Weave said:

You really think an interim coach is any improvement at all?  NFW

There's a reasonable chance we'd be better with you behind the bench having a beer watching, just telling them to go play. 

We have a better record on the road cause Krueger has less of a chance to make an impact. Stands to believe the less impact he has the better we'd be. 

Edited March 6, 2021 by Thorny

[IKnowPhysics]

Good presser.

 

It's good to hear verifying testimony that the GM's extremely pissed, completely empowered, and seeing the same problems as the rest of us.

It also sounds like the GM's constantly working solutions and is being proactive going into the trade deadline.

He knows, probably from his player experience, who is willing to do the job and who isn't.

I can't get a good read on what he's thinking on Ralph- they need to work as a team so he won't throw Ralph under the bus, but he's also constantly evaluating Ralph's performance (which can't be good for Ralph).  I think he's atrributing the failures more on the players than the coach, but I think he's keeping his criticism of Ralph to himself and weilding the team's performance as a the metric.

If KA is as pissed at it he wants us to believe, I think we're looking at significant player trade (not Eichel) and a possible, but not certain, coaching change.  To that, I think he may trade players pre-deadline and give Ralph a renewed trial period with the new players until the end of the year.

[ExWNYer]

23 minutes ago, Weave said:

You really think an interim coach is any improvement at all?  NFW

Exactly. Interims rarely work out. It's not like firing Herr Krueger will turn around this team's fortunes. They have dug themselves a grave-sized hole and are done this year. The only thing it might...might...accomplish is seeing if the players have been sandbagging in order to get RK fired. Even that would be speculative and not really quantifiable. 

 

[woods-racer]

8 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Of course it's not common. And if the owner can overrule then the GM doesn't have full authority. The owner does.

What if Adams went to Terry and said * I need to fire Ralph, the sooner the better because this isn't working*

Terry .. *I know , but I don't have the liquid assets right now to pay 2 coaches*

 

The real world is never totally black or white, there is usually a huge grey area that gets in the way when making big financial decisions. It's the same type decisions whether you're running a food truck or a major sports team. 

[woods-racer]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

There's a reasonable chance we'd be better with you behind the bench having a beer watching, just telling them to go play. 

We have a better record on the road cause Krueger has less of a chance to make an impact. Stands to believe the less impact he has the better we'd be. 

This is so sad, but very likely true. No offense weave, because I really think anyone here would do better. I'd just have a really nice bottle of whiskey If I got to do it.

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

You really think an interim coach is any improvement at all?  NFW

How is leaving RK in place for the remaining 30+ games going to make things better?  Ted Nolan and Ron Rolston could do a better job at this point.   My guess is the rookie Amerks coach would do a better job. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, IKnowPhysics said:

Good presser.

 

It's good to hear verifying testimony that the GM's extremely pissed, completely empowered, and seeing the same problems as the rest of us.

It also sounds like the GM's constantly working solutions and is being proactive going into the trade deadline.

He knows, probably from his player experience, who is willing to do the job and who isn't.

I can't get a good read on what he's thinking on Ralph- they need to work as a team so he won't throw Ralph under the bus, but he's also constantly evaluating Ralph's performance (which can't be good for Ralph).  I think he's atrributing the failures more on the players than the coach, but I think he's keeping his criticism of Ralph to himself and weilding the team's performance as a the metric.

If KA is as pissed at it he wants us to believe, I think we're looking at significant player trade (not Eichel) and a possible, but not certain, coaching change.  To that, I think he may trade players pre-deadline and give Ralph a renewed trial period with the new players until the end of the year.

Pissed or not, what has he done to fix this mess other then tell us he's pissed?  A big fat nothing.  No one has been waived or traded. The bad vets are still in the lineup and RK and his staff are still in place.  Actions speak louder then words and so does in action.

 

Edited March 6, 2021 by GASabresIUFAN

[Crusader1969]

Do you hate the idea of Adams going behind the bench for the rest of the year? let him see first hand what is going on with the team? 
I strongly believe Bruce Boudreau is the solution    Hopefully can bring out the next in the offense players and be entertaining   Not sure it’s a receipe for success in playoff but at this point who cares ?

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

8 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

Do you hate the idea of Adams going behind the bench for the rest of the year? let him see first hand what is going on with the team? 
I strongly believe Bruce Boudreau is the solution    Hopefully can bring out the next in the offense players and be entertaining   Not sure it’s a receipe for success in playoff but at this point who cares ?

 

That's fine with me.  If KA wanted to make himself the interim coach for the remainder of the season to help him better evaluate the players I'd be all for it.  He can't do worse then RK.  At least he knows what physical hard nosed hockey should look like.

Edited March 6, 2021 by GASabresIUFAN

[gomper]

12 hours ago, LTS said:

Did you read what Weave posted?  Did you ignore it?  It laid out some good reasons why this press conference was held.  You seem to just want to ignore things and rage about "inaction".  Stupid action is just as bad.

But is he wrong?  If he's not wrong, and I don't believe he is, then you are the one who looks like a joke for simply saying this in response to his accurate statements.

Before you have a plan you evaluate what needs to be done.  When you have a plan you evaluate how it's being played out.  And, it's a press conference to answer questions, if anyone thought they'd actually get detailed answers they are the fools.  What Adams did has been done time and time again across sports leagues and each time people are amazed at how little is said.

Sometimes statements are made without being directly made.

No, it's not.  He can have full authority to act but still want to consult people on his thinking.  I have full authority to go spend $1000 right now, but I'll probably confer with my wife before I do it.

 

If you think Bulldog is a credible broadcaster, then I really don't know what to say. All he does is regurgitate others opinions. How one can be in the same job for 25 years and not get better is really amazing.