Owning/ending the drought: say it out loud, Sabres

[PASabreFan]

The old saying, Ain't Momma happy, ain't nobody happy comes to mind. Until the Sabres end the drought, ain't nobody happy. Ain't nothin' gonna change.

Why another Pegula owned team wouldn't take the same approach his football team took... owning its drought... is beyond me.

There's still time for the Sabres to openly make it Mission One. (Of course there's more than just talking about it. No one should want Adams to mortgage the future to make one playoff appearance, but he has lots of room to move on the spectrum of GM moves.)

As for talk, they missed an opportunity to set the tone off the opening faceoff of the offseason. In Staal's statement, certainly written by some staffer but OKed by KA I would think, the new assistant wrote, "Throughout my career I was fortunate to be on so many successful teams and I hope I can lean on some of those experiences to help the organization moving forward."

How bland. Help? Moving forward? As opposed to backward?

Why not:

Throughout my career I was fortunate to be on so many successful teams and I hope I can lean on some of those experiences to make the Sabres a similarly successful team and not only end the playoff drought here but do what we did in Carolina: win a Stanley Cup."

Edited May 8 by PASabreFan

[MattPie]

There's nothing the Sabres can say at this point that will make me care about next season. The Miss Buffalo has sailed.

[Wyldnwoody44]

Lazy player says lazy statement. Towing the SS Pegula Yach PC line. 

If Pegula was a flavor, he would be great value, sugar free, lactose free Vanilla. 

[JP51]

1 hour ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Lazy player says lazy statement. Towing the SS Pegula Yach PC line. 

If Pegula was a flavor, he would be great value, sugar free, lactose free Vanilla. 

If Pegula was a flavor it would be.... "alas... earwax" IYKYK

[Thorny]

19 minutes ago, JP51 said:

If Pegula was a flavor it would be.... "alas... earwax" IYKYK

should be in azkaban 

[CallawaySabres]

The team is not good enough

Players don't want to come here

Respectable GMs and up and coming coaches don't want to come here

They are at LEAST 3 solid players away from competing for 8th, and that does not even include goaltending.

They're screwed, so I have just come to accept that this team may never be good again. If they luck into the playoffs here and there, great, but that is pretty much all I am expecting over the next few years,

[JP51]

36 minutes ago, Thorny said:

should be in azkaban 

Ding ding ding ... Winna!!!!! 

[Demoted]

17 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

The team is not good enough

Players don't want to come here

Respectable GMs and up and coming coaches don't want to come here

They are at LEAST 3 solid players away from competing for 8th, and that does not even include goaltending.

They're screwed, so I have just come to accept that this team may never be good again. If they luck into the playoffs here and there, great, but that is pretty much all I am expecting over the next few years,

TBH respectable GMs would jump at the opportunity to turn a franchise around. It's just Pegula.

[Pimlach]

On 5/8/2025 at 8:33 AM, PASabreFan said:

The old saying, Ain't Momma happy, ain't nobody happy comes to mind. Until the Sabres end the drought, ain't nobody happy. Ain't nothin' gonna change.

Why another Pegula owned team wouldn't take the same approach his football team took... owning its drought... is beyond me.

There's still time for the Sabres to openly make it Mission One. (Of course there's more than just talking about it. No one should want Adams to mortgage the future to make one playoff appearance, but he has lots of room to move on the spectrum of GM moves.)

As for talk, they missed an opportunity to set the tone off the opening faceoff of the offseason. In Staal's statement, certainly written by some staffer but OKed by KA I would think, the new assistant wrote, "Throughout my career I was fortunate to be on so many successful teams and I hope I can lean on some of those experiences to help the organization moving forward."

How bland. Help? Moving forward? As opposed to backward?

Why not:

Throughout my career I was fortunate to be on so many successful teams and I hope I can lean on some of those experiences to make the Sabres a similarly successful team and not only end the playoff drought here but do what we did in Carolina: win a Stanley Cup."

I have been saying this for quite awhile. 

To the bold, it comes down to the vast differences between Adams/Granato and Beane/McDermott.  

I heard Adams in an interview years ago defiantly not own the Sabres drought.  I totally disagree with his approach.  

Sean McDermott on the other hand owned the Bills drought.  He said that although he wasn't here for it, he has to own it and so do the players if they are going to change it.  Priority 1 for McDermott was to change it and make the playoffs, make the team "Playoff Caliber".  McD put signs up everywhere and set the tone for better work and better preparation.   Remember his saying about hard work and good preparation during the week was  "earning the right to win".   

The leadership contrast between the two teams is polar opposite and I do not understand why Terry does not see it and fix it.  

The two sports may not have a lot in common operationally, but the things that winning organizations consistently do are very common.  

 

Edited Friday at 03:46 PM by Pimlach

[Cranky old man]

On 5/9/2025 at 10:50 AM, Pimlach said:

I have been saying this for quite awhile. 

To the bold, it comes down to the vast differences between Adams/Granato and Beane/McDermott.  

I heard Adams in an interview years ago defiantly not own the Sabres drought.  I totally disagree with his approach.  

Sean McDermott on the other hand owned the Bills drought.  He said that although he wasn't here for it, he has to own it and so do the players if they are going to change it.  Priority 1 for McDermott was to change it and make the playoffs, make the team "Playoff Caliber".  McD put signs up everywhere and set the tone for better work and better preparation.   Remember his saying about hard work and good preparation during the week was  "earning the right to win".   

The leadership contrast between the two teams is polar opposite and I do not understand why Terry does not see it and fix it.  

The two sports may not have a lot in common operationally, but the things that winning organizations consistently do are very common.  

 

Adams remains unskilled with the public and media. He has done a poor job throughout his career, and has not improved. Whereas Beane arrived as a very complete and polished executive. If you compared the drafting skill they aren’t that far off from each other. But that is where any similarity ends. Beane understands team building and Adams does not. I get your point Pimlach, but isn’t Pegula’s personal involvement with the Sabres——the real problem. His distance from the day to day management of the Bills is a large contributor to their success. Actual football professionals seem to make all the big decisions. 

[Taro T]

45 minutes ago, Cranky old man said:

Adams remains unskilled with the public and media. He has done a poor job throughout his career, and has not improved. Whereas Beane arrived as a very complete and polished executive. If you compared the drafting skill they aren’t that far off from each other. But that is where any similarity ends. Beane understands team building and Adams does not. I get your point Pimlach, but isn’t Pegula’s personal involvement with the Sabres——the real problem. His distance from the day to day management of the Bills is a large contributor to their success. Actual football professionals seem to make all the big decisions. 

Beane also has surrounded himself with a lot of people that have significant experience in FO roles, some even having been GMs before.  (The names keep changing every year, so not positive if there are currently any former GMs under him, but there oftentimes are.)  And McDermott has not been afraid to hire people like Frazier who have HCing experience in the past (and others like Kromer and Brady who are very highly regarded).

Adams has Karmanos who has Ventura (but he also has Forton and Nightengale) and now Ruff at coach, but Ruff has a merry band of misfits under him as well.  Nowhere near the same level of support.  Always thought that was a byproduct of EEE.  If it isn't (and it's now sounding increasingly like it isn't) well, Houston, we have a problem.

Edited 22 hours ago by Taro T

[Pimlach]

17 hours ago, Cranky old man said:

Adams remains unskilled with the public and media. He has done a poor job throughout his career, and has not improved. Whereas Beane arrived as a very complete and polished executive. If you compared the drafting skill they aren’t that far off from each other. But that is where any similarity ends. Beane understands team building and Adams does not. I get your point Pimlach, but isn’t Pegula’s personal involvement with the Sabres——the real problem. His distance from the day to day management of the Bills is a large contributor to their success. Actual football professionals seem to make all the big decisions. 

I think Pegula’s personal involvement with the Sabres is a problem, and it was the EEE structure that stagnated the team, and the Bills did not have that nor would Beane be a party to it.  
 

Adams has not improved the team and he shows no signs of being capable to build a winning culture.  

[SwampD]

Well, I would think that Kevy has to own it now. He is responsible for the largest portion of it.

[LGR4GM]

10 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I think Pegula’s personal involvement with the Sabres is a problem, and it was the EEE structure that stagnated the team, and the Bills did not have that nor would Beane be a party to it.  
 

Adams has not improved the team and he shows no signs of being capable to build a winning culture.  

You can't build a winning culture when you're Eeyore. 

[That Aud Smell]

9 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

You can't build a winning culture when you're Eeyore. 

An Eeyore, for sure.

In the A.A. Milne dual paradigm, Adams as GM is probably an Eeyore/Piglet.  Possibly an Eeyore/Owl.

Not great combinations for an NHL GM.

I used to identify as a Tigger/Owl. But I was younger then. I'm not so sure that fits anymore. I'm probably more an Owl/Rabbit now. (Sigh.)

[Weave]

38 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

An Eeyore, for sure.

In the A.A. Milne dual paradigm, Adams as GM is probably an Eeyore/Piglet.  Possibly an Eeyore/Owl.

Not great combinations for an NHL GM.

I used to identify as a Tigger/Owl. But I was younger then. I'm not so sure that fits anymore. I'm probably more an Owl/Rabbit now. (Sigh.)

[That Aud Smell]

1 minute ago, Weave said:

Dig it, man. We had a dude in our crew back in the day who we said was the coveted Pooh Bear/Kanga duality. Our man was just super chill, and was always at the ready with what others needed/wanted (beer, pizza, a roll of paper towels, etc.).

[Demoted]

On 5/8/2025 at 9:33 AM, PASabreFan said:

Why another Pegula owned team wouldn't take the same approach his football team took... owning its drought... is beyond me.

Where did they not own the drought?

[PASabreFan]

2 hours ago, Weave said:

You should see the conventions. Wild stuff.

1 hour ago, Demoted said:

Where did they not own the drought?

Has the D word passed the lips of KA or the owner or the captain?