Why is Kevyn Adams still the General Manager?

[Pimlach]

Just now, HumanSlinky39 said:

 

Well - it's not unheard of. Detroit is doing it right now with the "Yzerplan." Stevie Y just completed his 6th season with no playoffs and has made as many bad/questionable moves as KA. But, difference is he's a franchise icon. Adams was a JAG player.

Thanks for the update.  I was referring to Adams 5 on top of the 9 prior (14 year NHL record) which should increase the urgency,  but I did not clearly state it.  

[Thorny]

48 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

Fungoo - you ain't goin' anywhere.

Draw lines all you want. And then become a habitual line-stepper.

Our need to be entertained by your Sabrespace content outweighs whatever purported principles you're invoking here.

 

 

we need to keep the memes rolling on #multipledaysofpresenting

 

On 4/18/2025 at 5:21 PM, Thorny said:

It has gotten to that point. It’s a crossroads. The incompetence cannot be denied, but that’s been so for a long time. What cannot be denied, now, is that the organization’s goal is not to win 

A true crossroads as a fan. You either realize our anger has to be relatively worthy of their betrayal, increasing exponentially as their failures do, or you realize you have to stop caring because it’s hurting you, personally, too much, and you just can’t take it anymore 

i care too much for the crest. And for the fanbase, to lower myself to that. I will never follow this team apathetically, because I am too afraid to expect better. What a disastrous, disservice to the fine folks of the fandom that would be

no, they’ll get my anger, and then they’ll get nothing 

 

[Indabuff]

3 hours ago, Brawndo said:

Per After the Whistle Adams is confirmed to be the GM next season 

[krakensabr56390]

2 minutes ago, Indabuff said:

Haha - but in all seriousness, does anyone else actually confirm this or just repeated the report? I’ve looked at all the usual sources that report stuff for the Sabres and no one else is actually confirming it… Unless I miss something? They  ( atw) are not exactly a super reliable source 99% of the time.

 

I don’t count wgror other folks parroting this report without a secondary confirmation as  confirming it

Edited 3 hours ago by krakensabr56390

[HumanSlinky39]

11 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Thanks for the update.  I was referring to Adams 5 on top of the 9 prior (14 year NHL record) which should increase the urgency,  but I did not clearly state it.  

Hard to believe the Wings just missed for the 9th straight. They were a model organization for so long. They've managed to almost fall back to the Dead Things. Similar situations to us, though. They've drafted reasonable well, but Yzerman has failed to build a coherent roster around them. He made a decent trade for DeBrincat, but other than that, a lot of very questionable veteran signings.

[Mango]

My tinfoil hat is that Terry wants out but he doesn't want to become the villain of the community so wants to do it behind the excitement of a Super Bowl parade.

Beane has said that Terry puts a lot of pressure to spend now and borrow from the future to get this thing done. 

I've thought Terry wanted the Bills SB to be a done deal before the KBC lease was up so he could sell the team as a champion and be forgiven.

I am finding it tougher and tougher to be convinced otherwise.

[JustOutsideChicago]

50 minutes ago, inkman said:

Fans have more leverage than they choose to wield.  I know this team and sport are within the fabric of WNY society but if people want real change, hit em where it hurts.  The pocketbook. Pegula needs to go to a game and see 50 people in the stands. That’s the only thing that has any chance of inspiring change.  

I mean if you watch the games, Keybank is already pretty sparse. Feel like people have already been staying away and for whatever reason it doesn’t appear to move the needle. The behavior of organization is beyond baffling. Honestly, why does Pegula still own the team? It’s so weird 

Edited 3 hours ago by JustOutsideChicago

[That Aud Smell]

20 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Was that Friedman thread just deleted? Was looking for a post about lower expectations re: front office shuffle 

it appears so. total BS.

[Stads]

[spndnchz]

46 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Was that Friedman thread just deleted? Was looking for a post about lower expectations re: front office shuffle 

Yes

[That Aud Smell]

Just now, spndnchz said:

Yes

By whom?

Total BS.

[spndnchz]

4 minutes ago, Stads said:

This does NOT meet this forum ethics 

[RangerDave]

5 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Because he does what Terry tells him to do. This is the classic yes man.  Competency doesn’t matter.

There is a lot of evidence to back this up.

But I have to ask why would Pegula prioritize yes men over competency?  He seems to not have that affliction with the Bills. I don't think the answer is that he is cheap.  One would think a winning team playing lots of playoff games would make him more money. 

Why, oh why, does he put up with this with the Sabres??

[bob_sauve28]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

Was it Adams' fault that Ruff didn't get to choose his assistants and Seth Appert was named the X & O's PP coach?  And the corrolary, was it Adams' fault that Wilford was still running the D and PK?

 

Are you saying Ruff took a job where he was told he had no say over who his assistant crashes were? Why would Ruff take a job here then? 

[Mango]

6 minutes ago, RangerDave said:

There is a lot of evidence to back this up.

But I have to ask why would Pegula prioritize yes men over competency?  He seems to not have that affliction with the Bills. I don't think the answer is that he is cheap.  One would think a winning team playing lots of playoff games would make him more money. 

Why, oh why, does he put up with this with the Sabres??

I don't think he is prioritizing a "yes man" over competency. 

I don't think any leader of an org does.

At Pegula's core I think he views himself as competent and those that disagree with him incompetent. Adams is one of the first GM's to be in lock step with Terry. Therefore Terry views him as more competent than any other,which is why he is trending towards being in charge for nearly half the drought.

Pegula is fragile. Facts don't matter. For him feels equals reals.

[Thorny]

28 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

By whom?

Total BS.

History really is written by the winners. 

or, erased. Whichever.

[dudacek]

I realize this thread mostly exists to vent and crack jokes, but it is such a great question: why indeed?

By any objective pro sports results measure, Adams should be fired; the evidence is everywhere. I haven’t done the research myself, but I believe someone posted that he will be among just 2 or 3 GMs in NHL history to get a 6th season after 5 without playoffs.

And it can’t be for business reasons. Whatever the money Terry is saving on salaries, he’s squandering in lost revenue opportunities.

So why?

Does Terry Pegula draw different lines around success and failure than other billionaire sports owners? If so, what are they?

Did Kevyn actually present him with an off-season plan for success that he bought? If so, how?

Why?

Edited 1 hour ago by dudacek

[Thorny]

3 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I realize this thread mostly exists to vent and crack jokes, but it is such a great question: why indeed?

By any objective pro sports results measure, Adams should be fired; the evidence is everywhere. I haven’t done the research myself, but I believe someone posted that he will be among just 2 or 3 GMs in NHL history to get a 6th season after 5 without playoffs.

And it can’t be for business reasons. Whatever the money Terry is saving on salaries, he’s squandering in lost revenue opportunities.

So why?

Does Terry Pegula draw different lines around success and failure than other billionaire sports owners? If so, what are they?

Did Kevyn actually present him with an off-season play for success that he bought? If so, how?

Why?

Pegula is filthy rich. It’s probably out of spite. He wanted ROR traded because of a locker room comment. Do not overthink this that would be a massive mistake. It’s Terry Pegula. The minds of rich people. They do not deserve an iota of hockey analysis on this 

Edited 2 hours ago by Thorny

[HumanSlinky39]

7 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I realize this thread mostly exists to vent and crack jokes, but it is such a great question: why indeed?

By any objective pro sports results measure, Adams should be fired; the evidence is everywhere. I haven’t done the research myself, but I believe someone posted that he will be among just 2 or 3 GMs in NHL history to get a 6th season after 5 without playoffs.

And it can’t be for business reasons. Whatever the money Terry is saving on salaries, he’s squandering in lost revenue opportunities.

So why?

Does Terry Pegula draw different lines around success and failure than other billionaire sports owners? If so, what are they?

Did Kevyn actually present him with an off-season play for success that he bought? If so, how?

Why?

I try to analyze it, too; but the only thing I can come up with that makes any kind of sense is Terry just doesn't care about the Sabres. At all. As long as the brand isn't hemorrhaging money, whatever. There is not a single viable hockey excuse for KA to get another season, yet here we are. They spent all last summer harping on accountability, the season was a failure, yet here we are. The team has gone backwards two straight seasons under KA's guidance, yet here we are. KA dusted off Lindy to right his ship, he failed, yet here we are. The Sabres have been a punchline for years now, nobody takes the organization seriously, yet here we are.

Terry doesn't care. The owner is an absentee landlord. 

Edited 2 hours ago by HumanSlinky39

[darksabre]

8 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I realize this thread mostly exists to vent and crack jokes, but it is such a great question: why indeed?

By any objective pro sports results measure, Adams should be fired; the evidence is everywhere. I haven’t done the research myself, but I believe someone posted that he will be among just 2 or 3 GMs in NHL history to get a 6th season after 5 without playoffs.

And it can’t be for business reasons. Whatever the money Terry is saving on salaries, he’s squandering in lost revenue opportunities.

So why?

Does Terry Pegula draw different lines around success and failure than other billionaire sports owners? If so, what are they?

Did Kevyn actually present him with an off-season play for success that he bought? If so, how?

Why?

I'm just going to keep saying it until it sticks, but I don't think Pegula has any intention of deviating from the plan he and Adams have previously agreed on. He may want to know how it's going, what has worked, what hasn't, and what Adams intends to do about it.

But he's not going to pull the rip cord. He's not going to disrupt or interfere anymore.

Edited 2 hours ago by darksabre

[Thorny]

3 minutes ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

I try to analyze it, too; but the only thing I can come up with that makes any kind of sense is Terry just doesn't care about the Sabres. At all. As long as the brand isn't hemorrhaging money, whatever. There is not a single viable hockey excuse for KA to get another season, yet here we are. They spent all last summer harping on accountability, the season was a failure, yet here we are. The team has gone backwards two straight seasons under KA's guidance, yet here we are. KA dusted off Lindy to right his ship, he failed, yet here we are. The Sabres have been a punchline for years now, nobody takes the organization seriously, yet here we are.

Terry doesn't care.

The personal satisfaction he gets by simply refusing to engage with what everyone else is saying he HAS to do is the win. It’s Trumpian. 

don’t delete this post or whatever. That’s not political - it’s simply how he operates.

people get that this is what’s happening, right? This isn’t hockey anymore.

Edited 2 hours ago by Thorny

[GASabresIUFAN]

37 minutes ago, RangerDave said:

There is a lot of evidence to back this up.

But I have to ask why would Pegula prioritize yes men over competency?  He seems to not have that affliction with the Bills. I don't think the answer is that he is cheap.  One would think a winning team playing lots of playoff games would make him more money. 

Why, oh why, does he put up with this with the Sabres??

That’s the million $ question isn’t it.  Is it because he thinks he knows something about hockey?  It is because the NFL guarantees him a profit so he can afford to be more hands off? It is because the NHL lead him down the incorrect path to start and he feels the need to go it alone?  No idea.  I just know he has run this franchise into the ground.  

Edited 1 hour ago by GASabresIUFAN

[LabattBlue]

5 hours ago, Pimlach said:

I’m not going to pay for Sabres tickets or merchandise anymore.  

 

Glad some others are hopping on the bandwagon. 

[LabattBlue]

5 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Except for the Bills, Bandits and Amerks, all his teams stink.

You think Pegula has anything to do with his minor league teams succeeding or failing? I’d be surprised if he knows that he still owns them.  

[USMCSnyper]

Speechless. 
Apparently what I was told was 100% inaccurate. I got my hopes up. Dumbass!

I'm so checked out on this team.