Worst of GMKA

[Porous Five Hole]

With his time rumored to be coming to a close, what was GMKA’s worst of the worst? There’s a lot to choose from.  

Edited 4 hours ago by Porous Five Hole

[Ctaeth]

Handling of the goalie situation on a yearly basis.

[Thorny]

Eichel.

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

Eichel.

Would clarify that further by adding it was his wanting Eichel out even before he took over as the GM.  

[Doohickie]

Putting Reino on a second bridge deal (of only one year) was the beginning of the end of the Eichel era.  We were all frustrated and blamed it on Eichel wanting out but I'm not sure that happens if Reino is signed long term.  That was the beginning of the unraveling of the first post-tank rebuild.

[Porous Five Hole]

1 minute ago, Taro T said:

Would clarify that further by adding it was his wanting Eichel out even before he took over as the GM.  

Is this really true?

I remember GMKA signing Hall & trading for Staal in an effort to please Eichel so he would withdraw his trade request when he didn’t want to go through a rebuild. 
 

So to me, those were not moves a guy trying to move on from Jack. 
 

I think KA’s hard feelings come from how Jack forced his hand into trading him, and how Jack refused the organization’s medical advice. The public stripping of Jack’s Captaincy was so petty in hindsight. They could have just traded the guy and named a new captain after the season. 
 

My new hot take is Jack knew GMKA wasn’t up for the job & EEE was a long-term problem long before everyone else did. 

[Thorny]

6 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Is this really true?

I remember GMKA signing Hall & trading for Staal in an effort to please Eichel so he would withdraw his trade request when he didn’t want to go through a rebuild. 
 

So to me, those were not moves a guy trying to move on from Jack. 
 

I think KA’s hard feelings come from how Jack forced his hand into trading him, and how Jack refused the organization’s medical advice. The public stripping of Jack’s Captaincy was so petty in hindsight. They could have just traded the guy and named a new captain after the season. 
 

My new hot take is Jack knew GMKA wasn’t up for the job & EEE was a long-term problem long before everyone else did. 

Eichel only asked for a trade upon learning that Adams’ desired course of action was a long form rebuild.

- - - 

The Hall year was indeed an attempt at going the non-rebuild route. I have argued their decision to take a Covid crazed, crazy scheduled, short season where Eichel started the year injured and only played *21 games* as some sort of confirmation they needed to turn the whole thing over is completely batshit.

They reverted back to Adams’ rebuild plan after that anomaly of a season. And Eichel reverted back to his trade request, this time via “surgery dispute”.

Edited 6 hours ago by Thorny

[pi2000]

goaltending

[EM88]

I am going with other, something that has somewhat been remedied.

The handling of Dylan Cozens overall. From signing him to the extension he got, to how the team used him.

 

Edited 6 hours ago by EM88

[Mr Peabody]

 Voted other.  IMO biggest failure was not addressing team needs after Granato’s 91 point season.  Team was young and physically vulnerable and easy prey for physical teams.   Did little to nothing to improve the team in that off season. 

[SabreFinn]

How he has not solved the goalie situation is absolutely the worst. Take a look at every team in a rebuild, the first thing they do when the tank is over is to get a goalie that win them games. Except Sabres. 

[Taro T]

12 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Is this really true?

I remember GMKA signing Hall & trading for Staal in an effort to please Eichel so he would withdraw his trade request when he didn’t want to go through a rebuild. 
 

So to me, those were not moves a guy trying to move on from Jack. 
 

I think KA’s hard feelings come from how Jack forced his hand into trading him, and how Jack refused the organization’s medical advice. The public stripping of Jack’s Captaincy was so petty in hindsight. They could have just traded the guy and named a new captain after the season. 
 

My new hot take is Jack knew GMKA wasn’t up for the job & EEE was a long-term problem long before everyone else did. 

Adams brought in Hall & Staal because Krueger and Pegula wanted one more go with an Eichel-centric team.  Adams did not want that.  He wanted to alter the direction from day one.  @Thorny explains it pretty well in his reply.

[Porous Five Hole]

7 minutes ago, EM88 said:

I am going with other, something that has somewhat been remedied.

The handling of Dylan Cozens overall. From signing him to the extension he got, to how the team used him.

 

I almost put that as an option and am happy to add it. Ultimately I didn’t because the extension was applauded at the time. He was dragging two rookies in his wings to a 36 goal season.  
 

I think Cozens was let down by coaching and his inability to manage pressure and expectations.  

4 minutes ago, Mr Peabody said:

 Voted other.  IMO biggest failure was not addressing team needs after Granato’s 91 point season.  Team was young and physically vulnerable and easy prey for physical teams.   Did little to nothing to improve the team in that off season. 

I’m adding this to the poll. Good call. 

[Thorny]

2 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

I almost put that as an option and am happy to add it. Ultimately I didn’t because the extension was applauded at the time. He was dragging two rookies in his wings to a 36 goal season.  
 

I think Cozens was let down by coaching and his inability to manage pressure and expectations.  

I’m adding this to the poll. Good call. 

You could add “desire to rebuild” as that’s really his original sin and mandate (fix the culture! Only want guys who want to be here!”) but for me that is all synonymous with “Eichel”

Edited 5 hours ago by Thorny

[Porous Five Hole]

6 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Adams brought in Hall & Staal because Krueger and Pegula wanted one more go with an Eichel-centric team.  Adams did not want that.  He wanted to alter the direction from day one.  @Thorny explains it pretty well in his reply.

Ok but wanting a long form rebuild and wanting to trade Eichel are two different things. 

[Doohickie]

21 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

I remember GMKA signing Hall & trading for Staal in an effort to please Eichel so he would withdraw his trade request when he didn’t want to go through a rebuild. 

The way I read that looking back from the Eichel trade is KA wanted Eichel out but TPegs wasn't ready to let go of him yet and told him to make it work with Eichel, so bringing in some so-called help for Eich was an honest attempt to make the Eichel build work and make his boss happy.  The reason I don't think KA didn't want Eichel was that he signed Reinhart to a one year bridge deal instead of locking him up long term, with indicated to me that Kevyn was preparing for a rebuild.

Edited 5 hours ago by Doohickie

[Doohickie]

2 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Ok but wanting a long form rebuild and wanting to trade Eichel are two different things. 

Supposedly once Eichel heard another rebuild was coming he wanted out, so no... trading Eichel was integral with the rebuild.

[Porous Five Hole]

1 minute ago, Doohickie said:

The way I read that at the time is KA wanted Eichel out but TPegs wasn't ready to let go of him yet and told him to make it work with Eichel, so bringing in some so-called help for Eich was an honest attempt to make the Eichel build work and make his boss happy.  The reason I don't think KA didn't want Eichel was that he signed Reinhart to a one year bridge deal instead of locking him up long term, with indicated to me that Kevyn was preparing for a rebuild.

Gonna need a source on this one from you or Taro. GMKA wanting Eichel out on day one during Covid is not how I remember it at all. Now, GMKA wanting to rebuild with the “want to be here” mantra like Thorny said, that I 100% remember.  

[PromoTheRobot]

The Eichel trade was an unwinnable situation. Remember EVERYONE wanted a deal done yesterday for anything, "Gotta get Jack outta here," remember? (Naw, probably not.) He did as well as anyone could.

His most egregious (non) move was standing pat after the 91 point almost playoff season, followed by sitting on his hands during the 13-game losing streak.

[Thorny]

1 minute ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Ok but wanting a long form rebuild and wanting to trade Eichel are two different things. 

Given where Jack was in his career, both age and development curve wise, (and what he demonstrably went on to do in Vegas) I think Jack’s trade request upon learning of the idea to long form rebuild was a decision, if not praised by the team’s fans, was nonetheless one that was, at least in hindsight, understandably likely upon presenting such a scenario to Mr. Eichel himself.

he might not have “wanted” to trade Eichel but he knowingly made salvaging the relationship a non priority when electing his course of action: which is essentially the same thing 

 

[Doohickie]

1 minute ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Gonna need a source on this one

My source was probably Sabrespace.  😉 

[Thorny]

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

The Eichel trade was an unwinnable situation. Remember EVERYONE wanted a deal done yesterday for anything, "Gotta get Jack outta here," remember? (Naw, probably not.) He did as well as anyone could.

His most egregious (non) move was standing pat after the 91 point almost playoff season, followed by sitting on his hands during the 13-game losing streak.

Not everyone 

[quill]

His worst move was a non move, never making a move to get us the missing ingredient this team desperately needed when he was hired and still needs 6 years later. If he landed us even an average NHL goalie way back when, who knows how far Granato would have gone with the team.

[Thorny]

8 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Gonna need a source on this one from you or Taro. GMKA wanting Eichel out on day one during Covid is not how I remember it at all. Now, GMKA wanting to rebuild with the “want to be here” mantra like Thorny said, that I 100% remember.  

“In an exclusive interview with Elliotte Friedman, Jack Eichel lays out his timeline for when it went completely sideways for him in Buffalo, not wanting to be part of another Sabres’ rebuild.”

the horse’s mouth:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/jack-eichel-explains-things-went-sideways-buffalo/

He explains in the very first answer of the segment that they made a GM change and things were headed towards a period where they “weren’t trying to win.” 

it’s factually clear that the decision to rebuild is what cost us Eichel. I think it’s fair to consider trading Eichel and rebuilding as synonymous re: this poll 

judges? 

Edited 5 hours ago by Thorny

[Porous Five Hole]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

“In an exclusive interview with Elliotte Friedman, Jack Eichel lays out his timeline for when it went completely sideways for him in Buffalo, not wanting to be part of another Sabres’ rebuild.”

the horse’s mouth:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/jack-eichel-explains-things-went-sideways-buffalo/

He explains in the very first answer of the segment that they made a GM change and things were headed towards a period where they “weren’t trying to win.” 

I’m going to let it go, but the point I took issue with was a poster saying GMKA wanted Eichel gone the day he took the job. Wanting a rebuild doesn’t prove KA wanted Eichel gone.
 

You’ve made the best case, which is KA is using the “want to be here” as his rebuild mantra and Jack didn’t want that. But there’s truly no way KA says to Terry, “I want to trade Jack Eichel” and he still gets the job. There is some revisionist history going on.