Matthew Fairburn Latest Article regarding Terry Pegula and Adams

[BMWR100RT]

18 hours ago, Gatorman0519 said:

Your record is who you are. The Sabres are the worst organization in sports right now besides maybe the NYJ in the NFL. This is an outlier of everything you could do wrong running a franchise in the worst possible way. Hopefully the new guy will bring some sanity.

Watching the cup Finals first game in a small market took me back to some brief moments like that as a Sabres fan. My kids are in there 20's and could care less about how far away we are, but I'm just sad about my broken franchise. 

Edited June 6 by BMWR100RT

[JP51]

12 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

The Colorado Rockies would like a word.

Gonna take another 5 or 6 years of misery to enter the Sabres/Jets relm imo LOL... but good call 

[Thorny]

22 hours ago, Gatorman0519 said:

Your record is who you are. The Sabres are the worst organization in sports right now besides maybe the NYJ in the NFL. This is an outlier of everything you could do wrong running a franchise in the worst possible way. Hopefully the new guy will bring some sanity.

They’ve eclipsed the jets 

[That Aud Smell]

There is no reason to think that this isn’t true. Even so. Yowza.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sabres/s/nEffSAFN1F

 

[kas23]

5 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

There is no reason to think that this isn’t true. Even so. Yowza.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sabres/s/nEffSAFN1F

 

There’s nothing to suggest this is even remotely untrue. Just look at the results and decisions. 

[PromoTheRobot]

11 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

There is no reason to think that this isn’t true. Even so. Yowza.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sabres/s/nEffSAFN1F

 

I listened to that episode today. Just a side note, both Petey and Craig started the show saying they had a bunch of stuff to talk about on the Sabres. They talked about how Petey went to a July 4th party and someone related to Shanny told him this. Then they didn't say anything else. I guess they have trouble remembering what they tease. 🤣

[TheAud]

10 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 I guess they have trouble remembering what they tease. 🤣

It's not so much this, as it is that they are idiots. 

[That Aud Smell]

18 minutes ago, kas23 said:

There’s nothing to suggest this is even remotely untrue. Just look at the results and decisions. 

what was that anonymous sourced quote a while back? “If I have to call you to get clearance to trade Jokiharu (sp) for a 4th - what are we even doing here?”

[shrader]

I still have no idea what a president of hockey ops even is and how many teams even have one.  The blurred lines between a more business oriented president and this position are hard to sort out from team to team.  The Sabres need a GM, but I'm not sure they need this.

[kas23]

9 minutes ago, shrader said:

I still have no idea what a president of hockey ops even is and how many teams even have one.  The blurred lines between a more business oriented president and this position are hard to sort out from team to team.  The Sabres need a GM, but I'm not sure they need this.

I see them as a more of a quality control guy. They are there to give advice and to veto an idea when they think it would cause irreparable harm to the team. Sort of like the parent of a teenager or young adult. That said, Terry is not qualified for this role. Not even remotely. More like, block a decision that would cause harm to his lifestyle. 

[Eleven]

42 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

There is no reason to think that this isn’t true. Even so. Yowza.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sabres/s/nEffSAFN1F

 

There's also no reason to believe that it IS true--or that it matters at all.  The latter point is more important.  The guy is the owner.  As I've said before, you can put a ridiculous amount of layers between Adams and Pegula: president of hockey operations; vice presidents of forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders; plenipotentiary in charge of scouting; duke of power play development; whatever:  The owner is still the ultimate decision maker in any organization including this one.   

For example, it's evident from the pattern of negotiations that the Houston Texans' GM wanted to keep DeShaun Watson.  But Janice and Cal McNair didn't, so he was gone.  

Whether Pegula meddles with management of the team is up for reasonable debate.  Whether he is entitled to do so isn't.

[kas23]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

There's also no reason to believe that it IS true--or that it matters at all.  The latter point is more important.  The guy is the owner.  As I've said before, you can put a ridiculous amount of layers between Adams and Pegula: president of hockey operations; vice presidents of forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders; plenipotentiary in charge of scouting; duke of power play development; whatever:  The owner is still the ultimate decision maker in any organization including this one.   

For example, it's evident from the pattern of negotiations that the Houston Texans' GM wanted to keep DeShaun Watson.  But Janice and Cal McNair didn't, so he was gone.  

Whether Pegula meddles with management of the team is up for reasonable debate.  Whether he is entitled to do so isn't.

You are arguing that he has every right to act this way. I don’t think anyone is suggesting otherwise. He owns the team. Just like Jerry Jones has made himself the Cowboys GM. He has every right. That said, this doesn’t mean it is the correct thing to do when you are looking to have a successful team. Jerry holds his own, but the Browns are an embarrassment. The Sabres record speaks for how well Terry has (or has not) done as POHO. 

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, kas23 said:

I see them as a more of a quality control guy. They are there to give advice and to veto an idea when they think it would cause irreparable harm to the team. Sort of like the parent of a teenager or young adult. That said, Terry is not qualified for this role. Not even remotely. More like, block a decision that would cause harm to his lifestyle. 

 

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

There's also no reason to believe that it IS true--or that it matters at all.  The latter point is more important.  The guy is the owner.  As I've said before, you can put a ridiculous amount of layers between Adams and Pegula: president of hockey operations; vice presidents of forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders; plenipotentiary in charge of scouting; duke of power play development; whatever:  The owner is still the ultimate decision maker in any organization including this one.   

For example, it's evident from the pattern of negotiations that the Houston Texans' GM wanted to keep DeShaun Watson.  But Janice and Cal McNair didn't, so he was gone.  

Whether Pegula meddles with management of the team is up for reasonable debate.  Whether he is entitled to do so isn't.

Could it also mean "we have a PoHo in the building?" As in Lindy, Kevy, or Jarmo in the future?

[PerreaultForever]

6 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

There is no reason to think that this isn’t true. Even so. Yowza.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sabres/s/nEffSAFN1F

 

It certainly feels true doesn't it? Confirmation that Terry is the de facto Director of Hockey Ops really wouldn't surprise anyone here. It's also confirmation of the problem. 

[SwampD]

I don’t buy it.

[That Aud Smell]

9 hours ago, Eleven said:

Whether Pegula meddles with management of the team is up for reasonable debate. 

Sir! Sir!

This is absofreakinlutely not up for debate anymore.

The other reality here: Terry’s actually more the GM than POHO. Adams is essentially executive assistant to and spox for the GM.

Edited 19 hours ago by That Aud Smell

[Weave]

30 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

Sir! Sir!

This is absofreakinlutely not up for debate anymore.

The other reality here: Terry’s actually more the GM than POHO. Adams is essentially executive assistant to and spox for the GM.

So they have an executive assistant, and a senior advisor to the executive assistant. 🤦‍♂️

[LTS]

It doesn't matter to me if it's true or not true.

The only indisputable fact we have is that Admiral Pegula has yet to assemble a front office or team that can make the playoffs. He's managed to set a record of playoff misses in league that is effectively a coin flip probability to make it.  He's chosen the wrong side of the coin each time for 14 consecutive flips.  Of course it's not really how it works but does it really matter?

All the semantics of who said or did what all roll up to that one very simple fact. He's failed as an owner of this team.

 

Edited 7 hours ago by LTS

[Pimlach]

22 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

There is no reason to think that this isn’t true. Even so. Yowza.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sabres/s/nEffSAFN1F

 

I was just told this past week by some people close to the Sabres that Adams runs the hockey operations and the "run it by Terry" stuff is pretty much always met with an "ok" and that this practice is not so unusual in todays NHL.   

The draft picks, the "no blockers", ignoring of the goaltending, the lack of big trades, the poor roster construction  - its all Adams, even the cap situation is Adams saving cap space for his prospects/trades.  That is what I am hearing right now.  

The insiders were making it clear that Adams record is on him and if he were better at his job the team would have improved by now.   Terry is not stopping the notion of improvement, but he wants to be informed of what is happening, same as he is with the Bills.  Adams keeps him in the loop and listens to him, therefore he can fulfill his contract and then we shall see what happens.  

Terry has McBeane with the Bills, and they are quite good at their job, and keep him informed too.  Terry just cannot figure out the NHL.   If he really said this to Shanny, and if he closed that  door so quickly, it confirms that he is lost in the NHL world.   

 

[JoeSchmoe]

22 hours ago, TheAud said:

It's not so much this, as it is that they are idiots. 

Despite the bluster I find deep down, Rivet is actually sincere, humble guy and I like listening to him. Peters on the other hand thinks he's the smartest guy in the room, which (as per your post) is very far from the truth.

I'm still a regular listener, but if Rivet left, there's no chance I'm listening to Peters.

[dudacek]

24 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I was just told this past week by some people close to the Sabres that Adams runs the hockey operations and the "run it by Terry" stuff is pretty much always met with an "ok" and that this practice is not so unusual in todays NHL.   

The draft picks, the "no blockers", ignoring of the goaltending, the lack of big trades, the poor roster construction  - its all Adams, even the cap situation is Adams saving cap space for his prospects/trades.  That is what I am hearing right now.  

The insiders were making it clear that Adams record is on him and if he were better at his job the team would have improved by now.   Terry is not stopping the notion of improvement, but he wants to be informed of what is happening, same as he is with the Bills.  Adams keeps him in the loop and listens to him, therefore he can fulfill his contract and then we shall see what happens.  

Terry has McBeane with the Bills, and they are quite good at their job, and keep him informed too.  Terry just cannot figure out the NHL.   If he really said this to Shanny, and if he closed that  door so quickly, it confirms that he is lost in the NHL world.   

 

Thanks for this.

It matches my impression of how Terry has operated the Sabres under Adams.

It always seemed to me that Murray got fired mostly for runny a sloppy organization that embarrassed Terry, and Botterill for running a bloated operation that he refused to prune. Their results played a role, but were secondary.

Adams steers the ship in a way Terry feels comfortable with and results have been secondary. And that is a failure that is fully on Terry.

All the other stuff we complain about — culture, interference, spending — probably has some basis in fact, but it doesn't matter as much as we think.

What matters is Kevyn Adams hasn't identified, acquired and developed a good enough team. Period. Full stop.

Kevyn thinks he's smarter than he is.

Edited 5 hours ago by dudacek

[GoPuckYourself]

I don’t listen to them but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it’s most likely true, I mean the results speak for themself.

[Thorny]

3 hours ago, LTS said:

It doesn't matter to me if it's true or not true.

The only indisputable fact we have is that Admiral Pegula has yet to assemble a front office or team that can make the playoffs. He's managed to set a record of playoff misses in league that is effectively a coin flip probability to make it.  He's chosen the wrong side of the coin each time for 14 consecutive flips.  Of course it's not really how it works but does it really matter?

All the semantics of who said or did what all roll up to that one very simple fact. He's failed as an owner of this team.

 

ADMIRAL Pegula?!!!!

Admiral…..

[Thorny]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

I was just told this past week by some people close to the Sabres that Adams runs the hockey operations and the "run it by Terry" stuff is pretty much always met with an "ok" and that this practice is not so unusual in todays NHL.   

The draft picks, the "no blockers", ignoring of the goaltending, the lack of big trades, the poor roster construction  - its all Adams, even the cap situation is Adams saving cap space for his prospects/trades.  That is what I am hearing right now.  

The insiders were making it clear that Adams record is on him and if he were better at his job the team would have improved by now.   Terry is not stopping the notion of improvement, but he wants to be informed of what is happening, same as he is with the Bills.  Adams keeps him in the loop and listens to him, therefore he can fulfill his contract and then we shall see what happens.  

Terry has McBeane with the Bills, and they are quite good at their job, and keep him informed too.  Terry just cannot figure out the NHL.   If he really said this to Shanny, and if he closed that  door so quickly, it confirms that he is lost in the NHL world.   

 

I’ve only been saying it…forever lol 

It’s Adams’s show

And boy does that guy suck 

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

I was just told this past week by some people close to the Sabres that Adams runs the hockey operations and the "run it by Terry" stuff is pretty much always met with an "ok" and that this practice is not so unusual in todays NHL.   

The draft picks, the "no blockers", ignoring of the goaltending, the lack of big trades, the poor roster construction  - its all Adams, even the cap situation is Adams saving cap space for his prospects/trades.  That is what I am hearing right now.  

The insiders were making it clear that Adams record is on him and if he were better at his job the team would have improved by now.   Terry is not stopping the notion of improvement, but he wants to be informed of what is happening, same as he is with the Bills.  Adams keeps him in the loop and listens to him, therefore he can fulfill his contract and then we shall see what happens.  

Terry has McBeane with the Bills, and they are quite good at their job, and keep him informed too.  Terry just cannot figure out the NHL.   If he really said this to Shanny, and if he closed that  door so quickly, it confirms that he is lost in the NHL world.   

 

It's not a surprise that the hockey decisions are made by the GM. As you note, that's a standard NHL setup. What's different about this situation is the selection of KA to be the GM with the paltry credentials and experience to do such a challenging job. Sometimes a surprising and out of the box pick for a key job turns out to be a home run that surprises the conventional thinkers in the business. But in this case, after a five-year run, his personal selection to head his hockey operation has a record that is not very distinguished. So the owner made an unexpected selection that didn't work out, it happens. The bigger mistake is in his retention after a five-year middling stint. And that's on the owner. 

Closing the door on Shanny doesn't bother me at all. The owner has the ability to talk to a lot of people in the business from analysts, people formerly associated with other teams, media people etc. It can be done on an informal basis or more formal basis. How many people tuned into the NHL do you think would tell the owner that his current GM is doing a stellar job? I doubt any would. Even I, with a rudimentary knowledge of the sport, recognizes someone who is inadequate to manage a hockey operation. I blame the owner for this longstanding stagnant franchise.