Rumor: Tim Graham “Sources He has are strongly hinting this is the end for Kevyn Adams”

[K-9]

8 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Have you watched the Podcast with Rhett Warrener?  

They think Rob Ray would make a great POHO a person who can set culture, hire good GM, hire good coaches.  

To borrow a quote by Razor, “That’s luderous.”

[SabreFinn]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

Sorry. RUOTSALAINEN.

Former Sabre Arttu Ruotsalainen has a decent year in Frölunda in SHL,  playing on the same line as Ivar Stenberg, top 5 name in 2026 draft.

[inkman]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

No one reported that Adams had been fired or would be fired on the trip, just that he was going to be fired. If he is, those parties were not only right, but among the first to be right. It would be good reporting.

So what’s the point of telling the entire fanbase essentially a week before it happens? So we can all speculate? It just leaves too much time for the fans to fabricate what the think is going to happen which inevitably will skew the actual facts because people have already made their own assumptions.  My number one job at work is to control information.  If I don’t do that, our customers and employees will insert their own narrative, whatever that may be. Maybe more fault needs to be directed toward the leak. 

[Stads]

31 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Have you watched the Podcast with Rhett Warrener?  

They think Rob Ray would make a great POHO a person who can set culture, hire good GM, hire good coaches.  

So let's talk about Matt Ellis' reign as GM. He and Rayzor would be wearing matching outfits every day (portrait of the other one on a shirt). All of our lines are a 4th line. Slowest team in the league by far. By the fourth game of the year, the fans campaign outside Kevyn's house to beg him to come back

[PASabreFan]

56 minutes ago, Thorny said:

And if we can’t get all that we should just do nothing, agree

That's a straw man.

KA is the gangrenous toe. Terry is the uncontrolled diabetus.

[Thorny]

1 minute ago, PASabreFan said:

That's a straw man.

KA is the gangrenous toe. Terry is the uncontrolled diabetus.

No it’s not. It’s literally been suggested there’s no point in canning the GM if nothing else changes. I’ve explained why I disagree both practically for how and why it could help the team and also personally 

Adams isn’t just a symptom. He’s also cause 

[PromoTheRobot]

50 minutes ago, inkman said:

So what’s the point of telling the entire fanbase essentially a week before it happens? So we can all speculate? It just leaves too much time for the fans to fabricate what the think is going to happen which inevitably will skew the actual facts because people have already made their own assumptions.  My number one job at work is to control information.  If I don’t do that, our customers and employees will insert their own narrative, whatever that may be. Maybe more fault needs to be directed toward the leak. 

I didn't think this was a concern. 90% of the "facts" about the Sabres are just things people speculate.

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

It’s futile to predict what this unreachable owner will do. My opinion/ suspicion is that there will be a change sometime soon. It seems to me that having Jarmo hovering in the system makes it possible if not probable. Just my guess?????

Unreachable by you and me, sure. I thought he was joined to Kevyn's hip?

[PromoTheRobot]

2 hours ago, Trettioåtta said:

Even the potential firing of Adams feels like its being handled in a blundering manner. Rumours days ahead of any activity; the Sabres going on a mini-win streak over the timeframe; Christmas just around the corner, so the new GM will struggle to get their feet under the table quickly; probably too late to really make a difference in the season etc.

LOL, seriously??? 

 

[krakensabr56390]

Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

LOL, seriously??? 

 

Exactly - I am as mad as anybody about this team but leaks happen all the time before a firing or hiring - their entire team is out of town and no one this to happen til they are back. Thats not a bungle …

[Doohickie]

2 hours ago, R_Dudley said:

Is that the restaurant that is now La Belle Sicilia on Genesee St. in Cheektowaga?

I still go there on a periodic road trip basis as the food is still excellent for the price..

No, Bella Sicilia was there before Roma's even existed.  Roma's Restaurant was in the building that is now 33 Speakeasy at 3455 Genesee in Cheektowaga.  My parents lived a few blocks south of there.

[Trettioåtta]

11 minutes ago, krakensabr56390 said:

Exactly - I am as mad as anybody about this team but leaks happen all the time before a firing or hiring - their entire team is out of town and no one this to happen til they are back. Thats not a bungle …

The leak is not the bungle. I have never seen rumours a GM is to be fired and 36 hours later they are still actively GM. The bungle is the entire way and timing this is being handled. By timing I mean, 36 hours, time in season, nearing Christmas (when trades don't happen).

[JP51]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

So what’s the point of telling the entire fanbase essentially a week before it happens? So we can all speculate? It just leaves too much time for the fans to fabricate what the think is going to happen which inevitably will skew the actual facts because people have already made their own assumptions.  My number one job at work is to control information.  If I don’t do that, our customers and employees will insert their own narrative, whatever that may be. Maybe more fault needs to be directed toward the leak. 

Or even worse... its BS ... can you imagine the melt down on this board if nothing happens...  it would almost be worth it to see ... ok maybe not... but can you imagine the absolute loss of $hit ... I mean a billboard would definitely be in play lol 

[French Collection]

1 minute ago, Trettioåtta said:

nearing Christmas (when trades don't happen).

When I think about this it may make sense in that the new GM gets a short time to evaluate what he has and what is available before he pulls the trigger on a move.

I have been so upset at this organization and its face (KA) that I cannot find any empathy for him to lose his job at Christmas. He is well off and has been paid way above his skill set for 5+ years.

[JohnC]

13 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

I didn't think this was a concern. 90% of the "facts" about the Sabres are just things people speculate.

Unreachable by you and me, sure. I thought he was joined to Kevyn's hip?

I have no clue what the owner will do regarding the staffing issue. He doesn't publicly express his thoughts. What I do know as an indisputable fact is that the current GM, who has guided a rebuild for the past six years, has this team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and in the lower 20% for overall. That's not a record of a successful rebuild; it is a record of abject failure. It's a disgrace and an embarrassment for this mocked franchise to be here at what should be a completed or near completed stage of a rebuild. Your record is your record and can't be ignored. If the owner is not going to hold his employees to a reasonable standard, then who is? 

[nfreeman]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

if Adams is shown the door and is out, and Jarmo takes over, then Jarmo should be free to bring in whatever assistants, advisors, and coaches that he wants.   If he is not then he should not even consider the job.  

If Adams is moved to another position within Hockey Ops, and Jarmo is the GM, then I do not think that very much will change.  

I've been thinking about Jarmo's perspective on this.  He got canned by CBJ in February of 2024, which gave him 1.5 seasons, and 2 off-seasons, to get a GM job.  When he didn't get one, he took the Sabres' gig at the end of May of 2025.

He almost certainly still wants to be a GM somewhere, which is why he took this job -- i.e. it was pretty obvious that KA was running out of chances, and this job would put him in the on-deck circle if KA were to be fired.

But still:  he has to know that if the only change is KA out, Jarmo in -- he is doomed to fail, and probably won't ever get another shot at a GM job.  So, would he take the job under those conditions, because it's a bird in the hand, albeit a crippled and decrepit bird?  Or would he say thanks but no thanks and go home to cool his heels and wash off the Sabres stink until a better opportunity comes along?

Or:  is he perhaps negotiating, even as we speak, the terms -- salary cap spend, front office turnover, coaching staff turnover -- under which he will agree to take the job?  And if so, does TP maybe want no part of a GM search, and does he maybe want Jarmo to take this mess off his hands and restore his good name in the NHL enough, to give Jarmo enough of what he needs to get Jarmo to take the job?

I'm guessing this is what is going on -- TP wants Jarmo to take the job and they are negotiating the terms.  Jarmo knows he can't overplay his hand, but at the same time he doesn't want to step into an unworkable situation.

Please give him what he wants Terry.  We're still here on your team's message board after a ridiculous number of terrible years.  At this point you kinda owe us a real GM with a real budget.

[JohnC]

25 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

I've been thinking about Jarmo's perspective on this.  He got canned by CBJ in February of 2024, which gave him 1.5 seasons, and 2 off-seasons, to get a GM job.  When he didn't get one, he took the Sabres' gig at the end of May of 2025.

He almost certainly still wants to be a GM somewhere, which is why he took this job -- i.e. it was pretty obvious that KA was running out of chances, and this job would put him in the on-deck circle if KA were to be fired.

But still:  he has to know that if the only change is KA out, Jarmo in -- he is doomed to fail, and probably won't ever get another shot at a GM job.  So, would he take the job under those conditions, because it's a bird in the hand, albeit a crippled and decrepit bird?  Or would he say thanks but no thanks and go home to cool his heels and wash off the Sabres stink until a better opportunity comes along?

Or:  is he perhaps negotiating, even as we speak, the terms -- salary cap spend, front office turnover, coaching staff turnover -- under which he will agree to take the job?  And if so, does TP maybe want no part of a GM search, and does he maybe want Jarmo to take this mess off his hands and restore his good name in the NHL enough, to give Jarmo enough of what he needs to get Jarmo to take the job?

I'm guessing this is what is going on -- TP wants Jarmo to take the job and they are negotiating the terms.  Jarmo knows he can't overplay his hand, but at the same time he doesn't want to step into an unworkable situation.

Please give him what he wants Terry.  We're still here on your team's message board after a ridiculous number of terrible years.  At this point you kinda owe us a real GM with a real budget.

Is Pegula's budget so much less than most teams' budgets that it makes it nearly impossible to compete? @Pimlach and others have cited the lack of financial resources as one of the primary reasons that inhibit the Sabres from being a serious team. I'm aware that during covid that TP dramatically retrenched with his hospitality businesses, but is that still the case as the financial situation has stabilized after the covid economic trauma? 

My view is that even with a more restrictive budget compared to other franchises, it is more of an imperative to hire competent and creative staff in order to overcome (to a degree) the more financially restrictive environment to work under. 

[Pimlach]

26 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

I've been thinking about Jarmo's perspective on this.  He got canned by CBJ in February of 2024, which gave him 1.5 seasons, and 2 off-seasons, to get a GM job.  When he didn't get one, he took the Sabres' gig at the end of May of 2025.

He almost certainly still wants to be a GM somewhere, which is why he took this job -- i.e. it was pretty obvious that KA was running out of chances, and this job would put him in the on-deck circle if KA were to be fired.

But still:  he has to know that if the only change is KA out, Jarmo in -- he is doomed to fail, and probably won't ever get another shot at a GM job.  So, would he take the job under those conditions, because it's a bird in the hand, albeit a crippled and decrepit bird?  Or would he say thanks but no thanks and go home to cool his heels and wash off the Sabres stink until a better opportunity comes along?

Or:  is he perhaps negotiating, even as we speak, the terms -- salary cap spend, front office turnover, coaching staff turnover -- under which he will agree to take the job?  And if so, does TP maybe want no part of a GM search, and does he maybe want Jarmo to take this mess off his hands and restore his good name in the NHL enough, to give Jarmo enough of what he needs to get Jarmo to take the job?

I'm guessing this is what is going on -- TP wants Jarmo to take the job and they are negotiating the terms.  Jarmo knows he can't overplay his hand, but at the same time he doesn't want to step into an unworkable situation.

Please give him what he wants Terry.  We're still here on your team's message board after a ridiculous number of terrible years.  At this point you kinda owe us a real GM with a real budget.

Well Rico I do agree with most of this.   Some interesting things are at work here.

Adams hired Jarmo, and he has a prior relationship with him.  Why would KA hire his own replacement unless there was a plan for Adams to move into another role?   I think both of these things will happen but have no clue what Adams role will be.  I just cannot see Pegula firing him.   If Adams is the new POHO I will be start out unhappy about it.  

Now, why would Jarmo take the job if he is under constraints that he cannot succeed with?  Could be that he thinks this is his last chance in the NHL?   Could be he has been working through the roles and responsibilities all along and has agreed to something?  Could be both.  

It all seems strange that this leaked out a week prior while the team is out of town.  Very Pegulian.  

I will be upset if Appert is the next HC, especially with DeBoer out there.  

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, krakensabr56390 said:

Exactly - I am as mad as anybody about this team but leaks happen all the time before a firing or hiring - their entire team is out of town and no one this to happen til they are back. Thats not a bungle …

I thought you were upset because the Sabres didn't follow through on rumors.