Is there an Aggressive GM developing inside Adams?

[GASabresIUFAN]

The Mitts trade took guts and gives me some hope that Adams might be willing to be more aggressive in solving his roster issues.

We have seen growth from Adams in this area.  Over the last 3 failed seasons he has ratcheted up the price tag of his free agents.  One 1, since the old care sell off, he signed $1 million guys on 1 year deals like Pysyk.  Year 2 were $1.5 to $2 mill guys with 2 year deals in Lyubushkin and Comrie.  Year 3 were $3 million guys and Clifton received a 3 year deal.  

He was also seems a fraction more aggressive on the trade front. Last season he moved a 2nd for Greenway at the deadline.  This season he made a huge hockey trade of his leading scorer and top utility forward for a young top 4 D.  So far both teams a getting what they wanted out of the deal.

Could the Mitts trade signal that Adams is finally serious about doing what must be done to remake his roster? 

 

[Pimlach]

Guts?   According to Mitts they never talked about an extension.   
 

I say the Mitts for Bryam trade only works if he replaces Mitts with an equal or better player in another deal.  
 

Get ready for an extended Krebs/Savoie/ Rosen tryout for 3C next year.  It’s going to happen just like the great goalie tryout of 2023.  

[GoPuckYourself]

4 years of no playoffs with him, he should not be the GM of this team come next year. What more do we need to see? 

[K-9]

Of course! I mean, can’t we all see the fire in his eyes?

[Buffalonill]

7 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Guts?   According to Mitts they never talked about an extension.   
 

I say the Mitts for Bryam trade only works if he replaces Mitts with an equal or better player in another deal.  
 

Get ready for an extended Krebs/Savoie/ Rosen tryout for 3C next year.  It’s going to happen just like the great goalie tryout of 2023.  

I have a feeling Savoie will have a bigger impact more so then JJ,Quinn did in 22-23 .

 

[nfreeman]

I need to see a new coach before I can agree that KA has adopted a take-no-prisoners approach to icing a winning team.

[Weave]

This thread topic seems more hopeful/desperate than observational.

[Thorny]

31 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Guts?   According to Mitts they never talked about an extension.   
 

I say the Mitts for Bryam trade only works if he replaces Mitts with an equal or better player in another deal.  
 

Get ready for an extended Krebs/Savoie/ Rosen tryout for 3C next year.  It’s going to happen just like the great goalie tryout of 2023.  

 

27 minutes ago, GoPuckYourself said:

4 years of no playoffs with him, he should not be the GM of this team come next year. What more do we need to see? 

I’m still willing to give him a chance for next year, but I’d admittedly be pretty hopeless if we were to enter into the season with Krebs as the 3C. We’d already know right away they are doing the “hope for best case scenario” thing again. 

[Pimlach]

20 minutes ago, Buffalonill said:

I have a feeling Savoie will have a bigger impact more so then JJ,Quinn did in 22-23 .

 

If true then we have Mitts' replacement.  I say he is not ready for the NHL next season and that he is at least 3 years away from playing like Mitts does today. 

I want to be wrong. 

 

[Pimlach]

3 minutes ago, Thorny said:

 

I’m still willing to give him a chance for next year, but I’d admittedly be pretty hopeless if we were to enter into the season with Krebs as the 3C. We’d already know right away they are doing the “hope for best case scenario” thing again. 

Sure, I want to give him year 5 but with goals set that playoffs are required.  But who is working on the alternate plans for a change if Adams fails again next year?  Terry all by himself?   All he has is the new Business COO and Adams.  That is the brain trust.  

[inkman]

31 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Guts?   According to Mitts they never talked about an extension.   
 

I say the Mitts for Bryam trade only works if he replaces Mitts with an equal or better player in another deal.  
 

Get ready for an extended Krebs/Savoie/ Rosen tryout for 3C next year.  It’s going to happen just like the great goalie tryout of 2023.  

Power & Dahlin’s contract extensions kick in next season. That’s a $12.5 mill increase from this season.  UPL is due for a raise as well, anywhere from $3-6 mill depending on term.  So they will have an increase of 15-20 mill based on those 3.  
 

I’m guessing Adams decided the team couldn’t afford Mitts with the impending raises.  Maybe he also decided Casey wasn’t the type of player he wanted moving forward.  I don’t know if I agree, just trying to dive into the mind of GMKA.  

Good teams keep the guys they want. They find a way.  This team isn’t good and I’m not sure they know who they want.  There might also be some buyers remorse with Dahlin, Power, Tage and Cozens.  Maybe that is making Kevyn gun-shy.  
 

I’ve lost faith in this regime.  I don’t think a new coach will fix all of their problems.  They need a heart transplant.  Can they do they if they move Power and buy out Skinner?  Tage and Dylan make me nervous.  I think Cozens has the desire, I’m just not sure he has the ability to make the difference.  Tage on the other hand.  I’m worried they hitched their cart to a broken horse. 

[Pimlach]

33 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

I need to see a new coach before I can agree that KA has adopted a take-no-prisoners approach to icing a winning team.

Not gonna happen Rico.  You might see a few assistants move, maybe a power play guy brought in.  

Enjoy the scoreboard and the roof.   That is the extent of real attention Terry is going to pay on this team. 

Thankfully, the new COO will have to run those projects.  Between the new stadium and scoreboard/roof that guy will be busy.  

Edited March 22 by Pimlach

[WhenWillItEnd66]

I would say yes if i knew he initiated the call to trade Mitts. But i will lay money, he was not. Just listen to him talk about his players and it does not sound like a business. It sounds like he is talking about family and friends. I am sorry, but his job should be one thing and one thing only. Make a team good enough to win a cup. We are not even close. Every year it is the same thing. No aggressiveness, no forecheck, easy team to play against. This has not changed in years! Talent may be there, but not the grit and passion it takes to win and even make the playoffs. So, to be honest and answer the question, i do not think he is aggressive enough. 

[Pimlach]

1 minute ago, inkman said:

Power & Dahlin’s contract extensions kick in next season. That’s a $12.5 mill increase from this season.  UPL is due for a raise as well, anywhere from $3-6 mill depending on term.  So they will have an increase of 15-20 mill based on those 3.  
 

I’m guessing Adams decided the team couldn’t afford Mitts with the impending raises.  Maybe he also decided Casey wasn’t the type of player he wanted moving forward.  I don’t know if I agree, just trying to dive into the mind of GMKA.  

Good teams keep the guys they want. They find a way.  This team isn’t good and I’m not sure they know who they want.  There might also be some buyers remorse with Dahlin, Power, Tage and Cozens.  Maybe that is making Kevyn gun-shy.  
 

I’ve lost faith in this regime.  I don’t think a new coach will fix all of their problems.  They need a heart transplant.  Can they do they if they move Power and buy out Skinner?  Tage and Dylan make me nervous.  I think Cozens has the desire, I’m just not sure he has the ability to make the difference.  Tage on the other hand.  I’m worried they hitched their cart to a broken horse. 

First bold -  Adams has the exact same problem with Byram as he has with Mitts.  He has to extend him too.  Lots of cap $$$ are going to the blue line.  

Second bold - Yes, hard working 2 way forwards, with great hands and skills, that can play both center and wing, are not the type of player we need. 

[Thorny]

9 minutes ago, inkman said:

I’ve lost faith in this regime.  I don’t think a new coach will fix all of their problems.  They need a heart transplant.  Can they do they if they move Power and buy out Skinner?

@LGR4GM

[Flashsabre]

Adams does whatever Pegula wants him to. He manages the team for Terry. He is just a yes man lapdog at this point. He is not a GM allowed to do what he wants or thinks is best.Watch the draft Blue and Gold where he is at the draft table on the phone with Terry telling him everything they are trying to do like a little kid looking for approval from their dad. Notice how they have never been a 3rd party broker for a deal to gain an asset. There is a strict budget he has to follow.

[Goldseatsaud]

Adams is like a son to Pegula. Adams probably has the owner snowed under with all these promises 

[Kruppstahl]

53 minutes ago, GoPuckYourself said:

4 years of no playoffs with him, he should not be the GM of this team come next year. What more do we need to see? 

This is the correct answer.  Granato should not be back either, and I have always liked Granato from the beginning.  I'm sorry he isn't the guy, but he isn't the guy.

Will either of these changes happen? No.  Why? B/c Pegula's hockey heaven concept no longer exists.

This franchise is being run as badly as at any time in its history, which is saying something.

The status quo is good enough for Pegula these days, especially given the "success" of the Bills.

 

 

[Thorny]

Just now, Goldseatsaud said:

Adams is like a son to Pegula. Adams probably has the owner snowed under with all these promises 

[Kruppstahl]

5 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Adams does whatever Pegula wants him to. He manages the team for Terry. He is just a yes man lapdog at this point. He is not a GM allowed to do what he wants or thinks is best.Watch the draft Blue and Gold where he is at the draft table on the phone with Terry telling him everything they are trying to do like a little kid looking for approval from their dad. Notice how they have never been a 3rd party broker for a deal to gain an asset. There is a strict budget he has to follow.

When you have ineptitude of this caliber, the ONLY place you should ever look is at ownership.

It would be impossible for us to be this bad for this long if we were honestly trying to be the best we could be all the time as the No. 1 priority.

That's not how this franchise is being run now.  It's not how this franchise has been run for much of its history, too.

 

 

[Thorny]

As for the question in the OP: I think it’s possible it’s a sign of that, yes. We’ll have to see. 

[Kruppstahl]

12 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

First bold -  Adams has the exact same problem with Byram as he has with Mitts.  He has to extend him too.  Lots of cap $$$ are going to the blue line.  

Second bold - Yes, hard working 2 way forwards, with great hands and skills, that can play both center and wing, are not the type of player we need. 

First we give away ROR and he wins a Conn Smythe.  Then Eichel wins a Cup in LV; and now Samson is busting out as a 50+ goal scorer...

When Mittselstadt helps Colorado win a Cup this year, he'll fit right in. My God., that team is loaded. 

We are good at selling good players.

 

 

[Pimlach]

1 minute ago, Kruppstahl said:

When you have ineptitude of this caliber, the ONLY place you should ever look is at ownership.

It would be impossible for us to be this bad for this long if we were honestly trying to be the best we could be all the time as the No. 1 priority.

That's not how this franchise is being run now.  It's not how this franchise has been run for much of its history, too.

 

 

The Knox's ran this franchise the right way.   They hired good leaders, the teams were good and fun to watch.  Imlach, Bowman, Meehan, and Muckler all knew what to do.  

Rigas and Golisano both had some success mixed with some poor periods.  Golisano inexplicably took apart a great team for no reason other than underfunding his payroll.  

Pegula has been a complete disaster.  His words at those opening press conferences turned out to be lies. 

 Example:  “I wanna run the team to win the Stanley Cup. If I want to make some money I’ll go build a gas well.”

 

[Night Train]

What is developing inside of him is basically indigestion and gas. 

New leadership at GM and HC is desired. 

Faith/belief in the "process" is basically gone. That means empty seats and fan apathy. 

Edited March 22 by Night Train

[msw2112]

At this point, I don't think you can blow it up and start over.  I think they make some roster tweaks in the offseason and roll it back with Granato next season.  Part with a prospect or 2 and bring in some physical, gritty forwards who finish their checks.  They also MUST address the Power Play this offseason, the way they addressed the Penalty Kill last offseason.  If the team isn't comfortably in playoff position by Thanksgiving, Granato has to go.  I realize that's giving him more time than he may deserve, but 1) regardless of what I think, that's likely to happen; and 2) they've invested in this "process" for so long, it's best to let it play out.  Outside of last night's debacle, they've had very good NHL-level goaltending since January 1.  If they can have that for an entire season, they might be on to something.

Something often neglected on this board - the team is not terrible.  They are mediocre and inconsistent.  They're hovering in the .500 range.  They win a fair number of games.  I think the disappointment comes in that they are playing below expectations.  They are a young team and have dealt with a lot of injuries (Samuelsson, Power, Quinn, Thompson, Skinner, Cozens and others have all missed a lot of time this season), so it's a little more difficult to assess than a fully healthy team.  Yes, all teams have injuries.  Many teams are very young.  The Sabres have had both going on at the same time - youth and injuries.  So, bottom line, I'll be patient through about Thanksgiving, and if they haven't gotten in right by then, I will join the crowd demanding a coaching change.  I'm not overly optimistic, but I am willing to allow a little more runway to let it play out.

As a side note, I've seen on this board that Mittelstadt made some comments about how different the environment is in Colorado.  I have not seen those and couldn't find them via a couple of Google searches.  I'd be very interested to see what he said.  Maybe it will alter my level of patience....

Edited March 22 by msw2112