Kyle Okposo's letter to Sabres fans

[Second Line Center]

6 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Or an indictment of previous leaders like ROR and Jack.

 

 

It was all of it.  

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, klos1963 said:

It's really not at all.  Poor coaching, poor GM's, poor goaltending, bad drafting, bad trades... , our players that performed well were not the problem, the ones that didn't play well were.

The drafts, apparently, haven't been that bad.

[pi2000]

Don't tell me Kyle, show me.

[PromoTheRobot]

5 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Don't tell me Kyle, show me.

Have you seen a game?

[JKB1646]

8 hours ago, bunomatic said:

True. Maybe the Pegulas finally get it? We can only hope.

Maybe getting rid of John Eichel we can actually start some team building

[JohnC]

9 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

I have a theory that "The Process" installed by McDermott and Beane with the Bills is the template being applied to the Sabres now. It wouldn't shock me if Beane and McDermott shared some thoughts to the Pegulas and/or Adams on team building.

I have heard KA state on WGR about his conversations with Beane about his approach and philosophy to roster building. He noted that the main takeaway was that you had to determine who wanted to be there and who is bought in. He said on WGR that after the exiting interviews of players upon the conclusion of the season it wasn't difficult to determine who wanted to be part of the solution and who wanted out. He pointed out that after Granato took over there was a regeneration of enthusiasm by the young players where they expressed that they wanted to be part of the rebuild and contribute to the success of the team.  

 

[Andrew Amerk]

7 hours ago, Cheektorado said:

Kyle always pushed hard and gave his best.

I can see that at his age and what he went through health wise he could be a real inspiration for the team.  Especially the young guys.

Can't see how he doesn't wear the C next year.

If the team keeps playing with this effort through the first 20 games, I’d see no reason not to make him the C in game 21. 

[klos1963]

3 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

The drafts, apparently, haven't been that bad.

There's some hope. Jury still out. I think Granato might be a very good coach and can have some of these draft picks realize their potential.

[Pimlach]

6 hours ago, Thorny said:

There being more of a "void" now that he feels extra comfortable stepping into does make sense. I dunno if any of the bolded bits are true, but if the organization decided to give all that power to Jack, that's a mistake (clearly) and that's on the organization. Not all that surprising though, when the franchise stripped itself to it's bones and threw away 2 seasons to get him. 

Bad plan from the beginning. 

I do agree with PA about the marketing team knocking it out of the park. There was certainly nothing preventing KO, a leader for years, from stepping up before now/writing a letter. I think it's probably PR prompted (did anyone see the image they put out with all the Tweets from fans? There are running a balls-to-the-wall campaign, here), but like Curt mentioned, KO's comments themselves certainly feel genuine.

And if we believe everything he's saying here, I see no reason not to believe what he's said about Jack, and what he's said about Jack has been good. Otherwise, we are picking and choosing.

Anyways, KO is an incredibly likeable dude. 

 “The Organization“ you speak of is a nebulous thing?   The organization did not  decide who the leaders are.  It doesn’t work that way.  

Personalities and group dynamics decide who the leaders are.  For a time, the big name players like Kane, Bogo, ROR, Sam, and Jack were the leaders - some on the ice, some in the locker room, some in influencing the social/behavioral ways of the team.  What cannot be denied is the leadership overall was poor and has been for a long time.  The team really has not backed each other or been committed to each other since the Drury/Briere era. There has been a lack of  pride.  The team killed coaches, and the overall environment was not good.  
 

The C and the A are nice symbols but anyone can be a leader.  KO has been one , with or without a letter on his sweater.  With no C assigned and Eichel gone he is stretching out, which is good. 
 

I think the best leader, by far, has been Don Granato.  His no nonsense approach, favoring hard work and honest effort over a “common system for all” is resonating with the players.  His trust in them is building their confidence.  He will only get them so far, then they will need the players internal leadership to kick in and carry it from there.  
 

When this gets turned around we are going to look at the coach as a huge component of it.  

[Thorny]

4 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

 “The Organization“ you speak of is a nebulous thing?   The organization did not  decide who the leaders are.  It doesn’t work that way.  

Personalities and group dynamics decide who the leaders are.  For a time, the big name players like Kane, Bogo, ROR, Sam, and Jack were the leaders - some on the ice, some in the locker room, some in influencing the social/behavioral ways of the team.  What cannot be denied is the leadership overall was poor and has been for a long time.  The team really has not backed each other or been committed to each other since the Drury/Briere era. There has been a lack of  pride.  The team killed coaches, and the overall environment was not good.  
 

The C and the A are nice symbols but anyone can be a leader.  KO has been one , with or without a letter on his sweater.  With no C assigned and Eichel gone he is stretching out, which is good. 
 

I think the best leader, by far, has been Don Granato.  His no nonsense approach, favoring hard work and honest effort over a “common system for all” is resonating with the players.  His trust in them is building their confidence.  He will only get them so far, then they will need the players internal leadership to kick in and carry it from there.  
 

When this gets turned around we are going to look at the coach as a huge component of it.  

The organization assembled the group that failed to evolve into a properly led team. They are responsible for the collection of talent that failed - of course they are. And because there's a common denominator with the last 10 years, I don't have to parse much further. 

If the Sabres are turned around, the common denominator, if there is one still, gets it's due credit. 

As always, about results. 

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

 “The Organization“ you speak of is a nebulous thing?   The organization did not  decide who the leaders are.  It doesn’t work that way.  

Personalities and group dynamics decide who the leaders are.  For a time, the big name players like Kane, Bogo, ROR, Sam, and Jack were the leaders - some on the ice, some in the locker room, some in influencing the social/behavioral ways of the team.  What cannot be denied is the leadership overall was poor and has been for a long time.  The team really has not backed each other or been committed to each other since the Drury/Briere era. There has been a lack of  pride.  The team killed coaches, and the overall environment was not good.  
 

The C and the A are nice symbols but anyone can be a leader.  KO has been one , with or without a letter on his sweater.  With no C assigned and Eichel gone he is stretching out, which is good. 
 

I think the best leader, by far, has been Don Granato.  His no nonsense approach, favoring hard work and honest effort over a “common system for all” is resonating with the players.  His trust in them is building their confidence.  He will only get them so far, then they will need the players internal leadership to kick in and carry it from there.  
 

When this gets turned around we are going to look at the coach as a huge component of it.  

I'm not saying that you don't have good points but I where I strenuously disagree with your concept of what an organization is. It is not a nebulous entity. How it is staffed and structured determines how the hockey operation is run and the culture that permeates the whole system, including the farm system. If there is instability in the organization where the staff is constantly churning and the ensuing philosophy changes with the personnel changes then there is little chance that the franchise will succeed. The predictable outcome of failure will follow because the organization has no adhering belief system that unifies the operation. And that same predictable outcome of failure will happen in any other endeavor (sports, business, government etc.) if the system is riddled with instability. There is no question that the Sabres are a classic example of that. 

I'm not going to get carried away over two consecutive wins. But the difference with this current hockey operation compared to the other operations under Pegula is that there seems to be a coherent ethos understood and followed from the top of the operation to the lower rungs of the operation. My point is that until the organization is properly set little else matters. The critical issue is whether the Pegulas have the sense to learn from their repetitive mistakes and allow this staff to follow through even after some setbacks. 

 

[nfreeman]

Holy mackerel that is a great freaking letter.

I’m one of the jamokes that has been critical of KO but so far so good this year.  

[PerreaultForever]

Well, if what he says is true, and I think it is, I just want to shove it up close and wave it in the faces of all the people who have laughed, argued, mocked, dumped on, or dismissed my comments over the last 3 years that the team needed a culture change rather than the just get more talent argument they generally countered with. 

Because that is what this is, a culture change. 

[Doohickie]

14 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

I have a theory that "The Process" installed by McDermott and Beane with the Bills is the template being applied to the Sabres now. It wouldn't shock me if Beane and McDermott shared some thoughts to the Pegulas and/or Adams on team building.

Oh, I think Adams probably sought them out.

[Pimlach]

4 hours ago, Thorny said:

The organization assembled the group that failed to evolve into a properly led team. They are responsible for the collection of talent that failed - of course they are. And because there's a common denominator with the last 10 years, I don't have to parse much further. 

If the Sabres are turned around, the common denominator, if there is one still, gets it's due credit. 

As always, about results. 

The organization is responsible yes I agree but you still missed my point.  When you say “ the organization decided to give the power to Jack”, or anyone for that matter, you are leaving out the impact the rest of the cast has.  I doubt you think its all on Jack, although a big portion of the problems apparently were. 

[matter2003]

16 hours ago, French Collection said:

LEADERSHIP

And accountability...both were something sorely lacking under Eichel.

 

I am on record saying this team will likely finish with more points than any team he was on did.

Edited October 17, 2021 by matter2003

[matter2003]

49 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Oh, I think Adams probably sought them out.

If he was smart he would have...honestly didn't even have to be smart to do it...just not brain dead.

They methodically built something that was even in worse shape than the Sabres having missed the playoffs for 17 straight years...

And the first step was to get the wrong people off the bus. That's the first step of ANY successful rebuilding process...you can't allow poison to remain and spread to the other players who want to do what's right. 

Edited October 17, 2021 by matter2003

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, Doohickie said:

Oh, I think Adams probably sought them out.

One side note, JBot also talked about a need for a culture change, and he's in with the Kraken who seem to have that aspect right, so I do wonder if the Pegula's refused to accept the idea that problems stemmed from certain individuals and a lack of leadership and now they finally got it. Maybe it was Jack's attitude, maybe others, can't say anything for sure and it'll always be speculative, but time will kind of make things obvious I think. 

[Weave]

6 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

One side note, JBot also talked about a need for a culture change, and he's in with the Kraken who seem to have that aspect right, so I do wonder if the Pegula's refused to accept the idea that problems stemmed from certain individuals and a lack of leadership and now they finally got it. Maybe it was Jack's attitude, maybe others, can't say anything for sure and it'll always be speculative, but time will kind of make things obvious I think. 

Would be interesting to see an alternate universe where Jack bought into the rebuild plans.  Would the culture change be as dramatic if the biggest holdover from the posttank culture stayed on?

[mjd1001]

6 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

One side note, JBot also talked about a need for a culture change, and he's in with the Kraken who seem to have that aspect right, so I do wonder if the Pegula's refused to accept the idea that problems stemmed from certain individuals and a lack of leadership and now they finally got it. Maybe it was Jack's attitude, maybe others, can't say anything for sure and it'll always be speculative, but time will kind of make things obvious I think. 

There is a middle ground here.  Maybe Jack wasn't an 'awful' captain or even a bad person that created division on the team.   It could have been that in terms of leadership, in terms of players coming together....he simply was not the catalyst to make that happen.   

We hear stories now about how this team is close, they hang out together, etc and the players/coaches think it is a good thing. We also heard that the 2005-2006 teams were that way because a lot of the key pieces got that way when they played in Rochester together.  The Sabres teams since Jack got here didn't seem to be that way.  Again, it may not be intentionally Eichel's fault...just coming in as the 'star' and 'savior', he may have never been in a position, or WANTED to being the team together (for what that is worth)

[Zamboni]

I’m starting to believe that Eichel was the root cause of any division. Way More than rumors of ROR or Reinhart or almost any other name people want to make up and run with. 
I also think Evander Kane fueled the fire in that regard when he was here.

[Archie Lee]

14 hours ago, Pimlach said:

 “The Organization“ you speak of is a nebulous thing?   The organization did not  decide who the leaders are.  It doesn’t work that way.  

Personalities and group dynamics decide who the leaders are.  For a time, the big name players like Kane, Bogo, ROR, Sam, and Jack were the leaders - some on the ice, some in the locker room, some in influencing the social/behavioral ways of the team.  What cannot be denied is the leadership overall was poor and has been for a long time.  The team really has not backed each other or been committed to each other since the Drury/Briere era. There has been a lack of  pride.  The team killed coaches, and the overall environment was not good.  
 

The C and the A are nice symbols but anyone can be a leader.  KO has been one , with or without a letter on his sweater.  With no C assigned and Eichel gone he is stretching out, which is good. 
 

I think the best leader, by far, has been Don Granato.  His no nonsense approach, favoring hard work and honest effort over a “common system for all” is resonating with the players.  His trust in them is building their confidence.  He will only get them so far, then they will need the players internal leadership to kick in and carry it from there.  
 

When this gets turned around we are going to look at the coach as a huge component of it.  

I partially agree with what you are saying.  A group that has a common goal will often determine naturally who its leaders are.  The Sabre locker room may have chosen Eichel as one of its leaders independent of him getting the "C".  There is no question though that "The Organization" was determined to have Eichel assume the modern-day role of Superstar-Captain whether he was suited for it or not.

Where I entirely agree with you is on Granato, though I would add Adams to this equation personally. For years now the Sabres's issues have largely stemmed from a lack of talent and leadership in the GM and Head Coach positions. Obviously it is way too early to draw conclusions about how this season will turn out, but thus far I find that Adams and Granato are saying the right things and pressing the right buttons. 

I can't help coming back to Botterill's bizarre press-conference in December 2018 when we were 1st overall in the NHL.  The intention was for Botterill to take some pressure off by pumping the breaks a bit on the idea that we might have gone from being the worst team in the NHL to being a contender overnight. His complete lack of communication skills though resulted in him instead just telling the world (including the players on the team) that he was not buying the hot start and that he knew they were not close to being as good as their record.  Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mr. GM!  From listening to Adams and Granato speak over these past months, I'm confident that nothing so ridiculous will occur under their leadership.

  

[Thorny]

13 hours ago, matter2003 said:

And accountability...both were something sorely lacking under Eichel.

 

I am on record saying this team will likely finish with more points than any team he was on did.

They won't, unfortunately. 

[Taro T]

21 minutes ago, Thorny said:

They won't, unfortunately. 

Agree.  But IF they somehow pull that off, Granato wins the Jack Adams hands down.

[Thorny]

19 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Agree.  But IF they somehow pull that off, Granato wins the Jack Adams hands down.

I think in that case he probably should, but I doubt he would. Jack Adams don't usually go to 82 point teams. They make the playoffs, it's got his name on it I'd imagine almost certainly.