Sabres looking for Senior Advisor for Adams and Hockey Department

[DarthEbriate]

58 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

One big lesson in the Sabres failed rebuilds is the loss of the players (leaders) that had success wearing the Sabres sweater.   Watch Boston rebuild with Pastrnak and McAvoy.   They will build around them, they won't tear it down to studs.   

Not only success... as it could be argued Eichel/Reinhart/ROR had no success with the Sabres. But, they were far and away the best forward talents on the team and in the two #2s, getting better year-after-year as well. Boston won't make that mistake with McA/Pasta, and they won't move Swayman except to go get a #1 goalie immediately thereafter.

I do think Boston would happily have one more down year, get a lottery pick which they'll miraculously win up to get #2 overall (Pitt is in full tank mode and is going 1st with McKenna). And then, maaaaybe, they add Eichel to pair with 2026 #2, 2025 #7, and they're right back into 3rd in the division.

[LGR4GM]

6 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Not only success... as it could be argued Eichel/Reinhart/ROR had no success with the Sabres. But, they were far and away the best forward talents on the team and in the two #2s, getting better year-after-year as well. Boston won't make that mistake with McA/Pasta, and they won't move Swayman except to go get a #1 goalie immediately thereafter.

I do think Boston would happily have one more down year, get a lottery pick which they'll miraculously win up to get #2 overall (Pitt is in full tank mode and is going 1st with McKenna). And then, maaaaybe, they add Eichel to pair with 2026 #2, 2025 #7, and they're right back into 3rd in the division.

They won't. That team is a patchwork of players. They'll need 3-4yrs to fix it. 

[Thorny]

Papacy made more significant changes 

[DarthEbriate]

17 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

They won't. That team is a patchwork of players. They'll need 3-4yrs to fix it. 

It is, and I hope it takes them 20 years to get back. But, they also don't have Adams as their GM nor are they EEE, and they have $34M to fill a couple of the major holes in their lineup this offseason while still being a lottery team.

I can see a path for them to revive quickly, depending on a handful of key things:

• McAvoy/Lindholm return as 1st-pair capable D-men
• Swayman regains himself
• Buyout or trade/retain on Korpisalo and Mittelstadt
• Hit on their first this year (and 2 firsts next)
• Then, add an Eichel.

I admit, that's a ton -- but it's no more far-fetched than any rebuild on the fly. Pastrnak gives them a legitimate point-per-game guy with seemingly any linemates and a one-line team can do damage in the regular season. The D-corps returning and Swayman returning to his potential track is the key.

[LGR4GM]

16 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

It is, and I hope it takes them 20 years to get back. But, they also don't have Adams as their GM nor are they EEE, and they have $34M to fill a couple of the major holes in their lineup this offseason while still being a lottery team.

I can see a path for them to revive quickly, depending on a handful of key things:

• McAvoy/Lindholm return as 1st-pair capable D-men
• Swayman regains himself
• Buyout or trade/retain on Korpisalo and Mittelstadt
• Hit on their first this year (and 2 firsts next)
• Then, add an Eichel.

I admit, that's a ton -- but it's no more far-fetched than any rebuild on the fly. Pastrnak gives them a legitimate point-per-game guy with seemingly any linemates and a one-line team can do damage in the regular season. The D-corps returning and Swayman returning to his potential track is the key.

It's just so unlikely to work that smoothly. 

Also Tage is a ppg guy and Buffalo wasn't near the playoffs. Those picks you're counting on will be 18, 19yr olds. We already know that one is probably 2-3yrs away from nhl games and the other unless they win the lottery, is the same.

I'm not convinced Eichel signs there just like Kane never signed here.

[Flashsabre]

Meanwhile what is this lunacy in NJ? Standards, not accepting failure. Are you allowed to do that with an NHL team.😝

[Brawndo]

Darren Dreger was on Sabres Live and said the message he got was Sabres Front Office will remain status quo

[LGR4GM]

30 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Meanwhile what is this lunacy in NJ? Standards, not accepting failure. Are you allowed to do that with an NHL team.😝

NJ has extra RHDs

[DarthEbriate]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

I'm not convinced Eichel signs there just like Kane never signed here.

Me either. I think he'll extend in Vegas as one of the guys going after a Cup rather than try to go home and have to be the savior (granted, with Pasta) on a rebuild on the fly. I'm just saying I can envision a path where Boston could flip it around fast, as the Kings and ... even the Habs...??? have.

[inkman]

7 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Darren Dreger was on Sabres Live and said the message he got was Sabres Front Office will remain status quo

So no Senior Advisor hire then?

[Brawndo]

36 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

NJ has extra RHDs

And a competent GM

And a owner that invests in his team

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

So no Senior Advisor hire then?

Nope.  Put the Dudley headband back on the hockey bag.  

[krakensabr56390]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

Darren Dreger was on Sabres Live and said the message he got was Sabres Front Office will remain status quo

Dreger rarely has actual info correct on the Sabres and often is just speculating 

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, krakensabr56390 said:

Dreger rarely has actual info correct on the Sabres and often is just speculating 

He didn’t phrase it that way.

He said something to the effect of “I’ve heard all the chatter too, but when I talked to my Buffalo people as recently as yesterday, they say it will be status quo.”

He didn’t clarify how broad that status quo was (By that, I mostly mean Karmanos) but the implication to me was “no special advisor”.

Edited 9 hours ago by dudacek

[JohnC]

An interesting question is will Karmanos remain with the organization and will his role and influence change? I don’t know how much influence he has had in making prior deals or whether it will increase or decrease if he stays with the organization?

I would appreciate it if someone can tell me who was most responsible for bringing him in to the organization.

[dudacek]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

An interesting question is will Karmanos remain with the organization and will his role and influence change? I don’t know how much influence he has had in making prior deals or whether it will increase or decrease if he stays with the organization?

I would appreciate it if someone can tell me who was most responsible for bringing him in to the organization.

Karmanos was brought in by Adams and is (or at least has been) the #2 man in the hockey department.

His future is entirely speculative, based - I believe entirely - on this paragraph in a Buffalo News story by Lance Lysowski.

The Sabres have needed experienced advisers around Adams since he started, and associate general manager Jason Karmanos may not return to the organization in 2025-26, sources told The Buffalo News. He wasn’t involved in exit interviews

[Pimlach]

34 minutes ago, JohnC said:

An interesting question is will Karmanos remain with the organization and will his role and influence change? I don’t know how much influence he has had in making prior deals or whether it will increase or decrease if he stays with the organization?

I would appreciate it if someone can tell me who was most responsible for bringing him in to the organization.

I believe Adams brought him in himself.  That helped to get Ventura as well.  As AGM Karmanos serves as the GM for Rochester.  If he brought in Leone that is a good sign.  No one really knows what the true dynamics are of the Sabres leadership collaboration that Adams says is part of their process.  

Edited 9 hours ago by Pimlach

[Brawndo]

8 minutes ago, JohnC said:

An interesting question is will Karmanos remain with the organization and will his role and influence change? I don’t know how much influence he has had in making prior deals or whether it will increase or decrease if he stays with the organization?

I would appreciate it if someone can tell me who was most responsible for bringing him in to the organization.

 

3 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Karmanos was brought in by Adams and is (or at least has been) the #2 man in the hockey department.

His future is entirely speculative, based - I believe entirely - on this paragraph in a Buffalo News story by Lance Lysowski.

The Sabres have needed experienced advisers around Adams since he started, and associate general manager Jason Karmanos may not return to the organization in 2025-26, sources told The Buffalo News. He wasn’t involved in exit interviews

Karmanos was one of Adams first hires. He helped convince Pegula to expand the analytics department which lead to the hiring of Sam Ventura. 
 

Karmanos is also in charge of the only successful portion of the organization the Amerks and when the team was looking at a player in a trade he was the principal scout eyeballing the player. Now that will probably fall to Forton and Jeremiah Crowe. 
 

The concern for me is the fact the analytics department was a reason why the Sabres drafting has improved. Zach Benson was not on the scouting staff’s radar until the analytics department “pounded the table” for him. Without their influence the team could easily slip back to drafting poorly. 
 

Brendan Lemieux, Eric Cornel, Vaclav Karabacek, Jonas Johansson and Brycen Martin were the Sabres five selections in the second and third round  in 2014. Tim Murray wanted to use one of the selections on Brayden Point, someone on the Sabres Staff convinced him to take Point off their draft board due to his size. That person is still employed by the team. 

All the old philosophies that lead to ***** drafting have a strong possibility to return.

 

Hopefully they will promote Sam Ventura to Asst GM and let him take over Rochester in addition to the analytics department.

 

 

[Brawndo]

4 hours ago, inkman said:

So no Senior Advisor hire then?

Another way to look at the situation is what hockey person worth his salt would voluntarily decide to work in a position where you have to report to, check notes, ***** Kevyn Adams. 

[LGR4GM]

32 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

 

Karmanos was one of Adams first hires. He helped convince Pegula to expand the analytics department which lead to the hiring of Sam Ventura. 
 

Karmanos is also in charge of the only successful portion of the organization the Amerks and when the team was looking at a player in a trade he was the principal scout eyeballing the player. Now that will probably fall to Forton and Jeremiah Crowe. 
 

The concern for me is the fact the analytics department was a reason why the Sabres drafting has improved. Zach Benson was not on the scouting staff’s radar until the analytics department “pounded the table” for him. Without their influence the team could easily slip back to drafting poorly. 
 

Brendan Lemieux, Eric Cornel, Vaclav Karabacek, Jonas Johansson and Brycen Martin were the Sabres five selections in the second and third round  in 2014. Tim Murray wanted to use one of the selections on Brayden Point, someone on the Sabres Staff convinced him to take Point off their draft board due to his size. That person is still employed by the team. 

All the old philosophies that lead to ***** drafting have a strong possibility to return.

 

Hopefully they will promote Sam Ventura to Asst GM and let him take over Rochester in addition to the analytics department.

 

 

Any scouting staff that didn't value Zach Benson, was stupid, is stupid, and shall forever be stupid. 

[shrader]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

Karmanos was brought in by Adams and is (or at least has been) the #2 man in the hockey department.

His future is entirely speculative, based - I believe entirely - on this paragraph in a Buffalo News story by Lance Lysowski.

The Sabres have needed experienced advisers around Adams since he started, and associate general manager Jason Karmanos may not return to the organization in 2025-26, sources told The Buffalo News. He wasn’t involved in exit interviews

It’s hard to be involved in exit interviews when you don’t live there. So did he do them previous years?