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

[Archie Lee]

1 minute ago, PASabreFan said:

I'm starting to get a little queasy about all this. I never wanted KA and won't miss him. But Terry has to be delighted by all the scorn directed at his GM.

Seriously, all we're going to do is send KA over the Falls with Thurman's helmet and expect both curses to lift?

It has to go much deeper than that.

I'm almost ready to root for a win tonight to officially save KA's job.

Another thing: let's say KA does get shitcanned. The team comes alive and makes the playoffs. How much credit does KA deserve?

Shrooms.

Just my view, but I believe you are over analyzing. Adams is the GM. He, like any Sabre GM, past and future, has been and will be handcuffed to a degree by geography, financials, history. It’s far from impossible to have success in the role though. Adams was simply not up to the task. The next GM may or may not be. There is no guarantee that the next GM will succeed, but that is not a reason to keep Adams, who has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the job is bigger than his talent for it. 

[sabremike]

6 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

Just my view, but I believe you are over analyzing. Adams is the GM. He, like any Sabre GM, past and future, has been and will be handcuffed to a degree by geography, financials, history. It’s far from impossible to have success in the role though. Adams was simply not up to the task. The next GM may or may not be. There is no guarantee that the next GM will succeed, but that is not a reason to keep Adams, who has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the job is bigger than his talent for it. 

What's the better situation:

A hospital run by a clueless moron that has an experienced chief surgeon.

Or:

A hospital run by a clueless moron that promoted the receptionist at the front desk to chief surgeon.

[mjd1001]

21 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I'm starting to get a little queasy about all this. I never wanted KA and won't miss him. But Terry has to be delighted by all the scorn directed at his GM.

Seriously, all we're going to do is send KA over the Falls with Thurman's helmet and expect both curses to lift?

It has to go much deeper than that.

I'm almost ready to root for a win tonight to officially save KA's job.

Another thing: let's say KA does get shitcanned. The team comes alive and makes the playoffs. How much credit does KA deserve?

Shrooms.

I agree with the point I think you are making.  I don't want Pegula to simply fire Adams without any other moves and think that is enough.

Its a start, but more moves need to be done than just that one.

[Archie Lee]

Just now, mjd1001 said:

I agree with the point I think you are making.  I don't want Pegula to simply fire Adams without any other moves and think that is enough.

Its a start, but more moves need to be done than just that one.

December is not the time for a full blood-letting though.  There is work to be done and you need people to do it and you're not going to find good people to fill multiple lower-level roles mid-season.

I think the idea that the rot goes much deeper than Adams and into all of the people who work for him, is generally misguided. I'm certainly not saying that there should not be deeper cuts or that everyone under Adams has done a fine job, but it is possible that Adams is simply not up to being the leader. The general notion that every underling is just a yes-man who would do nothing different than Adams, is not in keeping with the reality of my experience.  Assistants have a role of helping the GM see through the GM's vision.  A new GM who is capable, will evaluate the work and talents of the assistants and underlings and make appropriate decisions about who stays and who goes. 

Now, if people are worried that the new GM will just keep everyone because Pegula says so, then indeed that would be an issue.  At some point though, that isn't something for me to worry about, but rather is a reason for me to find better things to do with my time.   

[mjd1001]

13 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

 

I think the idea that the rot goes much deeper than Adams and into all of the people who work for him, is generally misguided. I'm certainly not saying that there should not be deeper cuts or that everyone under Adams has done a fine job, but it is possible that Adams is simply not up to being the leader. The general notion that every underling is just a yes-man who would do nothing different than Adams, is not in keeping with the reality of my experience.  Assistants have a role of helping the GM see through the GM's vision.  A new GM who is capable, will evaluate the work and talents of the assistants and underlings and make appropriate decisions about who stays and who goes. 

I disagree with the above bolded.

We have seen many 'behind the scene' videos and We have heard and read from reporters around the team.  What is it we can get from that? That Adams is not the 'dictator' making every decision.  The people who work form him have input, a LOT of input as to the direction of the team, roster composition, etc. 

Now, what percentage of that is Adams, vs Pegula himself, vs the scouting dept, vs the coach, vs other members of the front office, I don't know. But what I do think is true is that this team is what it is not because of Adams alone, but the people around him have lots of input into trades/draft/roster.

[SabresBillsFan]

I know I’m in the minority here but I’m not sold on Jarmo, tell me again what he accomplished in Columbus?

I think the Sabres organization needs to fire the entire front office including the coaching staff, the entire scouting department and the strength and conditioning staff. All need to go and spend some money Terry and hire the best of the best.

Edited 23 hours ago by SabresBillsFan

[PASabreFan]

FTR I am not in favor of Adams staying on much longer. I just think it would be kinda fun and interesting if the team kept winning, preventing his firing. #entertainmentstarved

[Thorny]

4 hours ago, JohnC said:

Yes. It didn’t take long to recognize that he didn’t know what he was doing. The confusion in the organization started right away with the Lafontaine saga that ended with a settlement that included a non-disclosure clause.

The Pegula franchise has always been known for its instability and foolishness. The inexplicable hiring of KA to be the GM was odd, reckless and jaw dropping stupid. 
 

It really doesn’t take much talent to recognize stupendous incompetence. It’s there for everyone to see.

 

Everyone knows that I am a harsh critic of KA. However, that doesn’t mean 😪  I don’t have some empathy for the public flogging he is getting. He should never have been placed in the position that he was manifestly unqualified for. The worst part of his hiring is that it has been going on for so long. He never should have been hired for the position and he never should have accepted it when offered.

What a crock. “He should never have been placed in the position.” 

Adams is a grown freaking man fully aware of the situation he was willingly walking into.

He literally took the job under the stipulation of firing a bunch of people in the name of EEE that Botts wouldn’t. He was aware of and understood the assignment and took a job he was handsomely well paid for knowing the ins and outs of the situation. He absolutely deserves eveything he’s getting here 

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Terry could have just said I want to approve all moves.  There was no need to extend him for these reasons. 

The extension was an act of good faith by Terry that Adams will have a job after this shakeup, or at a minimum, have one year of severance pay in the form of the extension.  

I lowered the bar. 

It could have even just been an extension under the premise he’d still be GM 

[Thorny]

2 hours ago, Rhyno716 said:

Kevyn got that job because he fired tons of employees during the pandemic on the Pegulas behalf after Botterill stood his ground. So no I don't have much compassion for him.

Exactly. What are we doing here. He took the job under nefarious terms and he’s been nothing but a condescending a**hole to the fanbase since 

bye Felicia 

(Also on the 2006 Carolina team. Like, just get out of my sight you yokel) 

[#freejame]

9 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Exactly. What are we doing here. He took the job under nefarious terms and he’s been nothing but a condescending a**hole to the fanbase since 

bye Felicia 

(Also on the 2006 Carolina team. Like, just get out of my sight you yokel) 

Can’t blame Terry for the Canes part, not like he was actually following the Sabres then 

[Spoonman]

On 12/13/2025 at 9:30 AM, JohnC said:

You may not be aware of it but the mushrooms you are consuming are hallucinogenic. Your level of fantasy is beyond imagination. 

What will the owner do? I don't know what this aloof owner will do. What I do know is that a tail end three game winning streak against lesser opponents will not come close to offsetting KA's six-year dismal record. 

 

The world is one man….colors make me warm & sound tastes like chicken….wow…

 

Immediately sober - back to reality. 
FIRE KA! 

[Thorny]

2 hours ago, JohnC said:

I was never on board with KA. I've had scathing criticisms for him since he was bizarrely hired. And once he assumed the reins he had a publicly stated rebuild strategy to go mostly with their own drafted and develop approach. I'm not against emphasizing young players once that approach is established as policy. However, his execution has been dismal because he doesn't have the imagination and ability to successfully carry it out. 

I hope this clears up your misconception about my position. 

 

On 9/21/2022 at 7:49 PM, JohnC said:

The context is different with Adams compared to the other GMs you cited. KA essentially rebuilt the roster by jettisoning the old core and replacing it with a new core and futures. Not only did he reconstitute the roster in relatively short order, he also dramatically overhauled the organization by bringing in a new staff. Adams has done a marvelous job in remaking the roster in short order. But in my view his biggest accomplishment is rebuilding the organization so that this franchise is now coherently and smartly being run. 

[Thorny]

1 hour ago, Archie Lee said:

December is not the time for a full blood-letting though.  There is work to be done and you need people to do it and you're not going to find good people to fill multiple lower-level roles mid-season.

I think the idea that the rot goes much deeper than Adams and into all of the people who work for him, is generally misguided. I'm certainly not saying that there should not be deeper cuts or that everyone under Adams has done a fine job, but it is possible that Adams is simply not up to being the leader. The general notion that every underling is just a yes-man who would do nothing different than Adams, is not in keeping with the reality of my experience.  Assistants have a role of helping the GM see through the GM's vision.  A new GM who is capable, will evaluate the work and talents of the assistants and underlings and make appropriate decisions about who stays and who goes. 

Now, if people are worried that the new GM will just keep everyone because Pegula says so, then indeed that would be an issue.  At some point though, that isn't something for me to worry about, but rather is a reason for me to find better things to do with my time.   

Excellent post

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

 

Everything he did wasn’t wrong. But he didn’t do enough to get the job done. He didn’t support the new core adequately enough with experienced players. An incomplete job resulted in a failed job. 
 

 

[Flashsabre]

Jarmo is the best option the Sabres have in house.

Everyone knows the best option is cleaning house and doing a proper search with a seasoned NHL guy leading the search.

Everyone also knows that is not how Pegula operates. He will remove one guy and replace him with someone in house already on the payroll.

[Thorny]

1 minute ago, JohnC said:

Everything he did wasn’t wrong. But he didn’t do enough to get the job done. He didn’t support the new core adequately enough with experienced players. An incomplete job resulted in a failed job. 
 

 

Just sayin’

even a ship merely passing in the night might remember conversations of long past 

[SabresBillsFan]

2 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Jarmo is the best option the Sabres have in house.

Everyone knows the best option is cleaning house and doing a proper search with a seasoned NHL guy leading the search.

Everyone also knows that is not how Pegula operates. He will remove one guy and replace him with someone in house already on the payroll.

And it will continue, tell me again what did Jarmo accomplish in Columbus?

[Thorny]

3 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Jarmo is the best option the Sabres have in house.

Everyone knows the best option is cleaning house and doing a proper search with a seasoned NHL guy leading the search.

Everyone also knows that is not how Pegula operates. He will remove one guy and replace him with someone in house already on the payroll.

I’d actually count Jarmo as a legitimate search. They brought in a legit candidate for the position to wait in the wings. Not saying he’ll succeed but on the surface he’s a much better hire than KA and looking below the surface, where we can, ie with KA and his tenure, we already have confirmation that what Jarmo needs to do to eclipse him is to essentially put his shoes on the correct feet 

Edited 22 hours ago by Thorny

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, SabresBillsFan said:

And it will continue, tell me again what did Jarmo accomplish in Columbus?

Most of their current team is because of him. Signed Gudreau.

[Flashsabre]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

I’d actually count Jarmo as a legitimate search. They brought in a legit candidate for the position to wait in the wings. Not saying he’ll succeed but on the surface he’s a much better hire than KA and looking below the surface, where we can, ie with KA and his tenure, we already have confirmation that what Jarmo needs to do to eclipse him is to essentially put his shoes on the correct feet 

Yeah without Jarmo here I think Forton gets the job which would be brutal. 
 

My biggest hope if it is Jarmo is that he gets free reign and is not told by Oegula that everyone else needs to stay and Appert is the next head coach.

[Thorny]

3 minutes ago, SabresBillsFan said:

And it will continue, tell me again what did Jarmo accomplish in Columbus?

He made the playoffs as many years as Adams has been fully employed (5). He won as many playoff rounds (2) as we’ve won in the last 19 years. He made the playoffs 50% of his 10 years, Adams made the playoffs 0% of his 6 years 

[Thorny]

2 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Another thing: let's say KA does get shitcanned. The team comes alive and makes the playoffs. How much credit does KA deserve?

Shrooms.

About as much credit as Botterill gets for assembling all of Adams’ actually good players to this day 

[DarthEbriate]

28 minutes ago, Thorny said:

He made the playoffs as many years as Adams has been fully employed (5). He won as many playoff rounds (2) as we’ve won in the last 19 years. He made the playoffs 50% of his 10 years, Adams made the playoffs 0% of his 6 years 

He made a non-good expansion team into a wild card-capable roster. It’s a low bar here for the Sabres now, but he could do worse than to start with Dahlin in the fold and a 40-goal scorer on a cheap 2nd line contract for 5 more seasons. Some good pieces in the RFAs. And maybe, maybe just maybe Bobrovsky loves him?

[DarthEbriate]

31 minutes ago, Thorny said:

About as much credit as Botterill gets for assembling all of Adams’ actually good players to this day 

To piggyback on this response: none. 

I said it in the summer. Adams gets no credit for anything. He took a blossoming roster with Eichel-TNT as two centers, Dahlin, Reinhart, and Ullmark and made it worse year over year except for one blip. He’s the curse and needs to be exorcised. ##### him with a light saber except the pain wouldn’t be bad enough because he wouldn’t suffer enough before passing out. He convinced Pegula to rebuild instead of building around good players who had the high-end talent required to go deep in the playoffs.

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, SabresBillsFan said:

I know I’m in the minority here but I’m not sold on Jarmo, tell me again what he accomplished in Columbus?

I think the Sabres organization needs to fire the entire front office including the coaching staff, the entire scouting department and the strength and conditioning staff. All need to go and spend some money Terry and hire the best of the best.

How can Jarmo be worse than Adams?