Is Kevyn Adams doing anything?

[Zamboni]

The board seems to be split on this. Is General Manager Kevyn Adams doing anything to help the Buffalo Sabres so far this season?

[Buffalonill]

He will do nothing till the deadline 

[Sidc3000]

I’m sure he’s keeping in touch with the other teams but he’s not in a rush to do anything at this point. He knows this team isn’t a playoff team and don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. At the moment they have buy-in  from the players to the owners. He will do some moves in the offseason (nothing crazy because he’s not going to be picking from the cream of the crop). I worry that he’s holding out hope that he’s capture lightning in a bottle for a second time and Levi will develop quickly once he’s done with college. 

[dudacek]

I think Kevyn Adams must be ridiculously busy right now. This is just the top baker’s dozen priority activities I’ve gleaned from reading Sabrespace.

• Penning heartfelt letters on monogrammed stationary to the league’s biggest agents reassuring them “things are different in Buffalo now”.
• Forcing his team to watch Lucic/Miller on video loop to the soundtrack of Jack Edwards’ “greatest” calls.
• Personally choosing those weekly flower arrangements for Patrick Kane’s mother, grandmother, wife and mistress.
• Figuring out whether Justyce “Haymaker” Smoke and Justin “Bull” Schmidt really want to be in Buffalo.
• The daily Cohiba Lanceros and Loch Lomond with Terry in the owners suite.
• Reviewing with his players the latest analytics heat charts on the importance of winning faceoffs, blocking shots and hitting.
• Making sure Jim Rutherford is still on ignore.
• Allowing himself a small, self-satisfied smile over how thoroughly Sean McDermott has adopted his philosophies on blocking.
• Wondering where Casey Mittelstadt hid the original file and how many copies there are.
• Practicing his best “aw shucks” grin in front of the mirror in the executive en suite to the audiobook version of Mike Harrington’s Twitter feed.
• Tracking down the current whereabouts of Matt Hackett, Michal Neuvirth, Anders Lindback and Jhonas Enroth.
• Mindfulness and avocado toast bruncheons with Cozzie, Krebsie, Quinnie and JJ.
• Sticking to the plan.

Frankly, I don’t know how he finds the time to do anything else.

Edited December 11, 2022 by dudacek

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Yes.

I voted option #3.

The Sabres will be fine.

Adams is doing exactly what he said that he would do.

[nfreeman]

I’m sort of between option 2 and option 3. If we get to New Year’s and the Sabres or five or six below Deluca .500, and goaltending and defense depth are still major issues, and activity has occurred around the league involving those positions, I will firmly be in option 3 territory. He will not have done enough to help the team, pretty much by definition. 

[Thorny]

First option - is he sitting on his hands, or on his butt? Shouldn’t this be divided into 2 options?

[Eleven]

I think he's looking for another lottery pick and it's pissing me off.  GET A GOALIE UP IN HERE.

[Thorny]

Re: board being split - results of poll seem to indicate overwhelming support of plan 

Also, the Leafs had a cool sounding name for their rebuild plan, ie the “Shanaplan”. We should have something like that. 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Thorny

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

I think Kevyn Adams must be ridiculously busy right now. This is just the top baker’s dozen priority activities I’ve gleaned from reading Sabrespace.

• Penning heartfelt letters on monogrammed stationary to the league’s biggest agents reassuring them “things are different in Buffalo now”.
• Forcing his team to watch Lucic/Miller on video loop to the soundtrack of Jack Edwards’ “greatest” calls.
• Personally choosing those weekly flower arrangements for Patrick Kane’s mother, grandmother, wife and mistress.
• Figuring out whether Justyce “Haymaker” Smoke and Justin “Bull” Schmidt really want to be in Buffalo.
• The daily Cohiba Lanceros and Loch Lomond with Terry in the owners suite.
• Reviewing with his players the latest analytics heat charts on the importance of winning faceoffs, blocking shots and hitting.
• Making sure Jim Rutherford is still on ignore.
• Allowing himself a small, self-satisfied smile over how thoroughly Sean McDermott has adopted his philosophies on blocking.
• Wondering where Casey Mittelstadt hid the original file and how many copies there are.
• Practicing his best “aw shucks” grin in front of the mirror in the executive en suite to the audiobook version of Mike Harrington’s Twitter feed.
• Tracking down the current whereabouts of Matt Hackett, Michal Neuvirth, Anders Lindback and Jhonas Enroth.
• Mindfulness and avocado toast bruncheons with Cozzie, Krebsie, Quinnie and JJ.
• Sticking to the plan.

Frankly, I don’t know how he finds the time to do anything else.

So nothing!

You forgot Xmas shopping for his family on amazon.  Getting his oil changed.  Putting on snow tires.  
You also forgot about giving interviews admitting that he isn’t doing anything and won’t be doing anything.

Edited December 11, 2022 by GASabresIUFAN

[SABRES 0311]

I think it’s a fine line Adams is trying to toe. He knows offensively this team is in a good place but to improve goaltending it’s going to cost. Using high draft picks for NHL players reduces his ability to stock Rochester and develop more players. Trading existing players may reduce offensive production. 

In my inexperienced GM opinion there will be no moves until the deadline. If we are out of playoff contention Olof might be moved. I could see Mitts and/or UPL moved in the off-season giving Adams more time to find a suitable partner/return. I see Pilut gone after this year too. 

UPL/Mitts and a pick could get us an NHL goalie for a 1A/1B situation with Comrie next year. Defensively I imagine Adams is hoping this season’s worth of experience enables us to be more responsible in the DZone next year. 

Plan A is use negligible players and a pick(s) for a goalie. Keep three of four lines in tact. Rely on experience for better defense next year.

Edited December 11, 2022 by SABRES 0311

[Thorny]

I’ve gone through the Stages and have settled on “acceptance” for this season as: development year. I’m not too fussed on what we see done to supplement the roster, right now, for a shot at the playoffs I think they’d realistically have - I don’t think that’s in the cards and, ok. That’s the plan. All I care about now is that Adams has now decided to do everything in his power to shift this roster into a configuration that demands playoffs, as the borderline expectation, in time for next season. 

Next season, during this coming offseason, the quotes we hear coming from internally need to be about being focused on making the playoffs. I’d definitely tune out if they come out preaching development-year-as-priority for next season. 

[Porous Five Hole]

What moves since opening night made by other teams are we supposed to be jealous of?

[Thorny]

7 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

What moves since opening night made by other teams are we supposed to be jealous of?

For me maybe just the Reilly pick up on D

[GASabresIUFAN]

17 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

What moves since opening night made by other teams are we supposed to be jealous of?

We have two or more D injured for most of the season.  Ethan Bear was traded for a 5th rd pick.  Reilly was waived and went unclaimed because of his contract.  Both would have been upgrades over Fitz, Clague, Pilut and probably Bryson.

[bob_sauve28]

2 hours ago, Eleven said:

I think he's looking for another lottery pick and it's pissing me off.  GET A GOALIE UP IN HERE.

What would we give up to get this done? Picks, prospects and or roster players? Combo? 

[Carmel Corn]

Goaltending and defense....somebody please convince me that Adams has done enough here!  I voted for #2

[bob_sauve28]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

 

Next season, during this coming offseason, the quotes we hear coming from internally need to be about being focused on making the playoffs. I’d definitely tune out if they come out preaching development-year-as-priority for next season. 

Even to get that done will require trades to be made. Levi won't be ready, and have I missed the next almost ready NHL d-man in organization? I hate trading our picks or prospects away, but how else to get to where we need to go? 

[Porous Five Hole]

18 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

We have two or more D injured for most of the season.  Ethan Bear was traded for a 5th rd pick.  Reilly was waived and went unclaimed because of his contract.  Both would have been upgrades over Fitz, Clague, Pilut and probably Bryson.

This might be true, but we are talking about third pair D (also Bear sucks…I don’t think he was an upgrade over anything).  
Pretty far from blockbuster or super-impactful. 
 

So no NHL team has acquired a top six forward, a top four D, or a starting goalie.  But it’s just our GM isn’t doing enough?

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

Re: board being split - results of poll seem to indicate overwhelming support of plan 

Also, the Leafs had a cool sounding name for their rebuild plan, ie the “Shanaplan”. We should have something like that. 

Get a goalie plan.  Adams is a jerk.  And he spells his first name like he is experimenting with his gender.

[Thorny]

3 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Even to get that done will require trades to be made. Levi won't be ready, and have I missed the next almost ready NHL d-man in organization? I hate trading our picks or prospects away, but how else to get to where we need to go? 

We sort of take on the lingo of whoever the GM is at the time, and their common buzz words become the key/legend for how we expect the given rebuild to proceed: one bit of lingo we used to use that has more/less evaporated into thin air is draft picks as “currency”. It’s still a thing - Adams hasn’t spoken about this really but that’s probably timing. In the past, we may have cashed in too quick. But most any team properly assembled, on NHL ice, is supported by a deep through-line of in-system talent, at one point. We have clearly achieved the deep system bit. 

But over time, as the top side of the Sabres becomes more strong and powerful, the part of the iceberg we see above the surface, the mechanics of that operation become so intensive that it needs more immediate “blood flow”. Whereas the Sabres operation (this rebuild) up until now has been well-sustained by supplementing the ranks below the surface, as immediacy wasn’t required, soon more of that lifeblood needs to be transferred to the big team: the better it gets, the more it needs, but also: the more we can afford to give it. The stronger the roster, the less we need to supplement the “future”, the less served the system is by allocating resources to the “below the surface” portion, the more necessary it is to convert asset to the immediacy the roster demands. The strong NHL roster is actually served just as well by a lesser quantity of pick/prospect asset, as less is required on its face.

This is where draft picks/prospects as currency comes in. There will come a time when the cash needs to flow for sustainability. I think that’s this offseason.

 

[Thorny]

13 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Get a goalie plan.  Adams is a jerk.  And he spells his first name like he is experimenting with his gender.

“Blueprint: Learning to Ir-Wyn”

[Carmel Corn]

Geez, is Frazier going prevent all the way to 1st and goal?

[Captain Caveman]

How could any of us really know - you have to assume a GM (especially someone as drive and competitive as KA) is actively working towards making the team better every single day.  But a GM's job on most days isn't visible, beyond the production of the players, coaches and staff that he's hired.

[Thorny]

13 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

Geez, is Frazier going prevent all the way to 1st and goal?

I still get old school cable and recently the CMT channel appears to be in free trial, and I’ve taken to watching this show as well as Cheers. 

Can say I am hooked 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Thorny