Kevyn Adams, press conference 4/16/2024

[That Aud Smell]

22 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Asked about the arrogance that seemed to be coming from the room early in the season, Adams basically said the team didn't earn it yet and repeated it a few times. Seemed a bit incredulous that the team thought they had arrived. Talked again about earning it. 

What in fresh hell is this?

I don't recall reading or hearing this before.

If true, holy sh1t balls. THE WORST.

[Mango]

8 minutes ago, Scottysabres said:

Ok, which one of you is Adams Super Secret Sabrespace Squril account? Fess up, because he's parroting what's been said in this arena for years now.

So, Fess up Kyven, which acct is you? We have......"suggestions"....

LG, your up first in line.

 

4 minutes ago, Mango said:

I have been calling out a number of posters as being a Pegula or Adams burner account this year. Not me dude. 

...or is that what Terry or Kevyn would want you to think? 

3 minutes ago, Scottysabres said:

I believe PA should opine on this.

Interesting that @Derrico and @Sabres73 are silent during this presser...

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

so the upshot from this presser is that KA's butt is in a sling for his failures this season and that his plan is to try to save his arse by doing everything we have all said needed to be done for three years; play hard for the open practice of the season, be harder to play against, go to the net, and work hard on defense.  

Until today, the only player held accountable for the failed team, was Mitts and he was nearly the only forward showing nightly effort most of the season.

[Scottysabres]

1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

It's me, I am Kevyn Adams personal Sabrespace correspondent. Give him a daily summary. I have been caught. 

Great, so our GM has Dissociative identity disorder. He/You should feel trauma, after that train wreck of a season.

[SDS]

17 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Why weren't any of these issues vocalized…

My guess is that he really didn’t put your cell into his contacts.

[Pimlach]

I heard something not yet discussed hear.   The timeline.

I think he was specifically asked if he was waiting for playoffs to end in case there were candidates in the playoffs - if  I heard the question right.  He kind of balked at that and sounded ready to go.  

So he may be looking at coaches with NHL experience that are available right now.  If true, the Brind'Amour rumor fades away. 

[Weave]

After reading the accounting here of the press conference, my emotions seem different than most.  I’m pissed, frankly.

KA saw what we all saw.  Just acknowledged that he knew it was all wrong.  Knew the practices were wrong.  Knew coming out of camp was wrong.  Knew that the bottom 6 wasn’t heavy enough.  Knew that the players heads weren’t where they needed to be.  And he let it all fester for the whole ***** season.

Hands on GM, my ass.  You are complicit.  Get the ***** out of here.  You are over your head.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Why should anyone, the media, the fans, the players and TP trust that KA's plan to fix the mess he created.

His track record in fixing roster issues is terrible.

1) He never fixed the goaltending - Seriously, he tried 40000 year old Anderson, Subban, Dell, and Comrie

2) He tried and failed to fix his defense with Lyubushkin, Stillman, Clifton and Eric Johnson

3) He kept bringing back failing players like Jost, KO, and Girgensons and then added guys like Robinson

4) his big trade was to trade his only playmaker for a even younger D with the same skill set as the two youngsters he's paying 19 million for.

Does anyone here really have confidence this Howdy Doody GM of ours can fix this team?

Edited April 16 by GASabresIUFAN

[SDS]

16 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

The bit upthread about Adams' saying that competition starts in practice/training was interesting to me.

We've recently heard about how Sabre practices are light work.

That was the cynical fan take. Occam’s razor suggests that Casey was discussing practicing at altitude in Colorado. 

If you go back to the days of Ralph, those practices were considered light and everyone raved about Don‘s emphasis on compete in practice.

[pastajoe]

9 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

so the upshot from this presser is that KA's butt is in a sling for his failures this season and that his plan is to try to save his arse by doing everything we have all said needed to be done for three years; play hard for the open practice of the season, be harder to play against, go to the net, and work hard on defense.  

Until today, the only player held accountable for the failed team, was Mitts and he was nearly the only forward showing nightly effort most of the season.

I’d hardly call being traded to a Stanley Cup contender “being held accountable”. He was a commodity with a friendly contract status that Colorado wanted in exchange for a top 3 D. They did him a favor.

[thewookie1]

Reading between the lines:

After last season he believed the roster would take the steps forward needed to go from 9th to Playoffs.

UFAs to replace Quinn temporarily were far too expensive to acquire but he does feel some regret there.

He felt that with Erik Johnson and Clifton's experience coupled with our other vets that the players would correctly grow.

However while the team did seem to like Johnson and still do like Clifton neither could quite break the over abundance of arrogance. They were kids who acted like kids who thought what they did last year would just instantly comeback this year.

Adams hoped that Granato and the vets could reign in the issues and salvage the year. The players loved Granato, as did Adams, but when that still didn't fix the issues the kids were then punished. 

Feels like Adams akin to Krueger proving himself inept wanted to prove to the players that they were wrong to believe they were owed a playoff spot or that playing wouldn't require a great effort. Some of them probably believed Adams wouldn't fire Granato like we did and he called their bluff.

 

Now we wait to see what else happens. 

[Buffalonill]

 

[Weave]

3 minutes ago, SDS said:

That was the cynical fan take. Occam’s razor suggests that Casey was discussing practicing at altitude in Colorado. 

If you go back to the days of Ralph, those practices were considered light and everyone raved about Don‘s emphasis on compete in practice.

On a continuum, Ralphie might’ve been running a resort, Donnie an adventure vacation, and Colorado a coal mine, eh?

[SDS]

5 minutes ago, Weave said:

After reading the accounting here of the press conference, my emotions seem different than most.  I’m pissed, frankly.

KA saw what we all saw.  Just acknowledged that he knew it was all wrong.  Knew the practices were wrong.  Knew coming out of camp was wrong.  Knew that the bottom 6 wasn’t heavy enough.  Knew that the players heads weren’t where they needed to be.  And he let it all fester for the whole ***** season.

Hands on GM, my ass.  You are complicit.  Get the ***** out of here.  You are over your head.

So what are you angry about here? The timeline? Don was extended after last season. Clearly they liked what they saw at the end, but that changed over this season. I know the attitudes about everyone changes after every shift, but obviously Adam’s opinion needed time to change. So what are we talking about? January or February versus now?

[Second Line Center]

2 minutes ago, Weave said:

After reading the accounting here of the press conference, my emotions seem different than most.  I’m pissed, frankly.

KA saw what we all saw.  Just acknowledged that he knew it was all wrong.  Knew the practices were wrong.  Knew coming out of camp was wrong.  Knew that the bottom 6 wasn’t heavy enough.  Knew that the players heads weren’t where they needed to be.  And he let it all fester for the whole ***** season.

Hands on GM, my ass.  You are complicit.  Get the ***** out of here.  You are over your head.

 

This is probably all right.  And odds of this ending with Adams losing his job in April of 2025 probably are higher than making the playoffs.  
 

This is why I didn’t really think I wanted Donnie fired at this point.  It’s a sign the GM may not actually have his finger on the pulse but hopefully it was more Pegula saying just wait till the end of the year DG deserves at least that.  

[Weave]

2 minutes ago, SDS said:

So what are you angry about here? The timeline? Don was extended after last season. Clearly they liked what they saw at the end, but that changed over this season. I know the attitudes about everyone changes after every shift, but obviously Adam’s opinion needed time to change. So what are we talking about? January or February versus now?

I didn’t think it needed to be laid out so plainly to be understood.

Bottom 6 needed grit- didn’t react in time to save the season

Slow starts, arrogance speaks to leadership- didn’t react in time to save the season

Practice quality- did he address with Donnie at all?  He said he’s a hands on GM.  Where was his leadership? Was he not persuasive enough?

Donnie’s contract extension is whipped cream on top of the pie.  Evidence that KA is in over his head and needs a life preserver.

[Mango]

14 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Does anyone here really have confidence this Howdy Doody GM of ours can fix this team?

This is amazing. I am only calling Adams Howdy Doody from now on. 

[#freejame]

15 minutes ago, Weave said:

After reading the accounting here of the press conference, my emotions seem different than most.  I’m pissed, frankly.

KA saw what we all saw.  Just acknowledged that he knew it was all wrong.  Knew the practices were wrong.  Knew coming out of camp was wrong.  Knew that the bottom 6 wasn’t heavy enough.  Knew that the players heads weren’t where they needed to be.  And he let it all fester for the whole ***** season.

Hands on GM, my ass.  You are complicit.  Get the ***** out of here.  You are over your head.

Thank you, I thought I was taking crazy pills. 
 

also, thanks @LGR4GM for the transcript

[ska-T Chitown]

Just now, Mango said:

This is amazing. I am only calling Adams Howdy Doody from now on. 

That's GM Howdy Doody - put some respect on his title!

[thewookie1]

23 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Why should anyone, the media, the fans, the players and TP trust that KA's plan to fix the mess he created.

His track record in fixing roster issues is terrible.

1) He never fixed the goaltending - Seriously, he tried 40000 year old Anderson, Subban, Dell, and Comrie

2) He tried and failed to fix his defense with Lyubushkin, Stillman, Clifton and Eric Johnson

3) He kept bringing back failing players like Jost, KO, and Girgensons and then added guys like Robinson

4) his big trade was to trade his only playmaker for a even younger D with the same skill set as the two youngsters he's paying 19 million for.

Does anyone here really have confidence this Howdy Doody GM of ours can fix this team?

1. Anderson actually did rather well, Subban was great in Rochester, Dell was awful, Comrie was a great guy but also a mediocre at best goalie. He attempted to get other goalies but failed to. In the end though he ended up right about UPL and Levi has shown signs of future greatness; he doesn't get kudos for it but your need to harp on this point everytime and it ended up looking ok by year's ended.

2. Well he did make attempts but when your shopping in the bargain bin or getting rejected by better players there isn't much there to work with. Clifton did look better as the year went on too.

3. He brought back Jost once, Okposo(the Captain) once and Girgensons(a solid defensive forward) twice. Haven't we learned that cycling an entire bottom 6 every year doesn't exactly work all that well? 

4. Mitts was going to want 8x7mil which would of put us in cap hell in trying to adjust the roster, Byram was likely the best asset available that could potentially help both now and later. 

 

23 minutes ago, Weave said:

After reading the accounting here of the press conference, my emotions seem different than most.  I’m pissed, frankly.

KA saw what we all saw.  Just acknowledged that he knew it was all wrong.  Knew the practices were wrong.  Knew coming out of camp was wrong.  Knew that the bottom 6 wasn’t heavy enough.  Knew that the players heads weren’t where they needed to be.  And he let it all fester for the whole ***** season.

Hands on GM, my ass.  You are complicit.  Get the ***** out of here.  You are over your head.

Unlike fans, GMs can't just do kneejerk reactions and expect to accomplish anything. As they say, hindsight is 20-20 and we have the same benefit of that as he does. Perhaps like many of us, Adams hoped things would work out even if the voice in his head got louder about issues he saw creeping up. He can make suggestions and shop around for potential fixes for the issues but that doesn't necessarily mean they are widely available to grab. He chose to see if the players could work it out themselves with their coach; all of which he liked. And when they didn't find the correct answers he decided to be more direct.

For us its been 13 years but for the players it most certainly hasn't; you can't crucify a player for something he wasn't even a part of to begin with based on a whim. 

 

Even if he saw the issues in January or February; he very likely didn't want to fire Granato and that while a mistake was not something done out of malice or a lack of a pulse. He likely just really wanted this group specifically to succeed and turn things around.

Edited April 16 by thewookie1

[irregularly irregular]

As always, all we can do is wait and see. It would make sense that this is GMKA's last chance at a coach that gets them to the playoffs and keeps them there for a number of years. Maybe next to the last chance if things are not working in the early season and another change needs to be made. That seat has to be blazing hot. 

[SDS]

4 minutes ago, Weave said:

I didn’t think it needed to be laid out so plainly to be understood.

Bottom 6 needed grit- didn’t react in time to save the season

Slow starts, arrogance speaks to leadership- didn’t react in time to save the season

Practice quality- did he address with Donnie at all?  He said he’s a hands on GM.  Where was his leadership? Was he not persuasive enough?

Donnie’s contract extension is whipped cream on top of the pie.  Evidence that KA is in over his head and needs a life preserver.

As I tried to explain, this take is timeline dependent. His press conference was a retrospective on the entire season. Your position is that he knew this in real time AND those issues could all be rectified in a matter of weeks - from the moment of recognition to the moment of saving the season. 

so what’s the timeline you think would be a realistic between recognition and saving the season?

[Weave]

2 minutes ago, SDS said:

As I tried to explain, this take is timeline dependent. His press conference was a retrospective on the entire season. Your position is that he knew this in real time AND those issues could all be rectified in a matter of weeks - from the moment of recognition to the moment of saving the season. 

so what’s the timeline you think would be a realistic between recognition and saving the season?

My position was never stated or implied anywhere that he could rectify this in real time.  But he sure as ***** witnessed it in real time.

My timeline?  He had right up through the trade deadline to correct roster and leadership issues.  Donnie?  I think Jan 1 is reasonable.

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, SDS said:

That was the cynical fan take. Occam’s razor suggests that Casey was discussing practicing at altitude in Colorado. 

If you go back to the days of Ralph, those practices were considered light and everyone raved about Don‘s emphasis on compete in practice.

It was not just Mittelstadt's comments. With respect to those: I don't think Occam's razor plays here. This isn't a problem or puzzle in search of a solution or explanation. It's an interpretation of what the guy said. And given the abysmal level of compete that this team has consistently shown, why would we skew in favour of a benign explanation for what a former player said?

There was also the matter of the Panthers development coach talking about how they needed to get Okposo's game up to their program's speed.

There was also that country club vibe video that the team put out featuring Skinner mic'd up at a practice. Dude was straight clowning around.

Oh, and there's also what Adams just said in the press conference. He was clearly taking a shot at how this team practiced.

I don't see the rationale for defending how this team prepared under Granato.

Edited April 16 by That Aud Smell

[mjd1001]

26 minutes ago, Second Line Center said:

 

This is probably all right.  And odds of this ending with Adams losing his job in April of 2025 probably are higher than making the playoffs.  
 

This is why I didn’t really think I wanted Donnie fired at this point.  It’s a sign the GM may not actually have his finger on the pulse but hopefully it was more Pegula saying just wait till the end of the year DG deserves at least that.  

For those of us who rally think Pegula is involved in more than he should be, how much of Adams press conference today was him taking credit/blame for things that were ultimately Pegula's wishes? How much of it was Adams being the mouthpiece/bulletproof vest for Pegula?  Maybe Adams is an awful GM, but I still think it starts from the top with Pegula, as other have said, he had input into contracts, free agent moves, sits in on meetings...basically everything EXCEPT showing up when a press conference might have the tone of something that would bruise his ego a bit.

If Adams is in over his head, it might be because Terry wants someone who will do the day to day of the job, but someone who will still be his yes man. Not many other people will take that job.  I still think Adams (or any GM) is partially the Wizard of Oz that is there to distract us from the man behind the curtain (Pegula).

Edited April 16 by mjd1001