Athletic: Sabres have the 7th most "Contract Efficient" roster

[Taro T]

13 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

And fans will accept it and defend it. Thorny is right. People loved the Jarmo hire for one reason. He has not delivered.

Job security dictates that JK will ride the success of KA's team for a year and half, two years under the cover of Sabres fan fever. Once that fades, under pressure, he'll make Jarmo Moves. And then get fired.

Until then Mrs. Jarmo is down at Raymour & Flanigan threatening to walk out if she doesn't get a free lamp.

Some will accept what he's doing; some will defend it; and some will hate and and not defend it.  When painting with broad strokes, you can readily paint a false picture.  @JohnC seems to be just about the only person "defending" Kekalainen's actions.  Most still would like to see more done.  (Hel-looooooo Hellebucyk!)

And people didn't "love" the Jarmo hire.  Most thought it was great that they were finally bringing in an experienced NHL front office guy to be assisting Adams.  But the opinion that his was the right outside voice to now be in the room was far from universal.  Yes, people loved his promotion for the obvious reason.  There was now an adult in charge. 

Is he the right man for the job?  Don't know.  Will give him the benefit of the doubt for now.  It's a results based job and so far the results (division winner from initially being far out of the playoffs (dead last in the conference?) and winning a playoff series and getting to OT of game 7 in the next round) are encouraging.  But we're in a new league year and everyone is starting with the same record.  If the Sabres repeat or get farther in the playoffs; will be happy with him being the GM.  If they take a step back, won't be happy and if they have a major step back, well, you get 1 mulligan but the leash becomes very short at that point.

Do appreciate that Jarmo does seem to be adding to the front office with well regarded folks (for the most part); also appreciate that he does seem to be able to change the course / strategy when conditions change (it seems that huge winning streak to start the Jarmo era saved Ruff's job; winning the division saved others jobs; and Thomas & Parayko were Plan A; he pivoted to a reasonable Plan B/Plan C at the deadline). 

But it is disappointing that to date he hasn't been able to make his Plan A for '26-'27 happen.  Like that he's keeping options open but would absolutely like to see some of those options get exercised.

And, will hope for his success regardless.  If that comes across as accepting anything; so be it.  Am not going to hedge just to make falling short seem less painful.

[TageMVP]

21 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

And fans will accept it and defend it. Thorny is right. People loved the Jarmo hire for one reason. He has not delivered.

Job security dictates that JK will ride the success of KA's team for a year and half, two years under the cover of Sabres fan fever. Once that fades, under pressure, he'll make Jarmo Moves. And then get fired.

Until then Mrs. Jarmo is down at Raymour & Flanigan threatening to walk out if she doesn't get a free lamp.

Wouldn't be surprised at all at this outcome loool but hopefully not 

Lol @ Jarmos wife 

Isn't it funny that people hated Kevyns idea of "not blocking anyone" but are perfectly okay with the Kulich Östlund will step up narrative? "We will be fine without Tuch and Byram" LOL. Those same people would have gone ballistic if Adams had acted like that. How does that make ANY sense? 

You're right. I think people only like Jarmo because he replaced Adams, that's it. 

I mean, what has he done? 

-Failed at the deadline multiple times, but oh, he's so smart for having a plan B! Meanwhile none of those scrubs are returning and Carricks dumbas gets hurt during the most crucial point of the season

-He didnt overpay for Tuch and Byram. WOW A GENIUS HE IS 

-Got Daxon Rudolph who wont play for 234543334533 years 

-Traded for Olen Zellweger who people are hoping can eventually replace Byram I guess. Not thrilled about this trade at all 

There is no other way to spin this. Jarmos done nothing 

[GASabresIUFAN]

41 minutes ago, TageMVP said:

Wouldn't be surprised at all at this outcome loool but hopefully not 

Lol @ Jarmos wife 

Isn't it funny that people hated Kevyns idea of "not blocking anyone" but are perfectly okay with the Kulich Östlund will step up narrative? "We will be fine without Tuch and Byram" LOL. Those same people would have gone ballistic if Adams had acted like that. How does that make ANY sense? 

You're right. I think people only like Jarmo because he replaced Adams, that's it. 

I mean, what has he done? 

-Failed at the deadline multiple times, but oh, he's so smart for having a plan B! Meanwhile none of those scrubs are returning and Carricks dumbas gets hurt during the most crucial point of the season

-He didnt overpay for Tuch and Byram. WOW A GENIUS HE IS 

-Got Daxon Rudolph who wont play for 234543334533 years 

-Traded for Olen Zellweger who people are hoping can eventually replace Byram I guess. Not thrilled about this trade at all 

There is no other way to spin this. Jarmos done nothing 

Somehow this is a ne

[#freejame]

Kevyn Adams sucked at being a leader of men and wore out his welcome with the fanbase. Pete Guelli came in and said “Terry, everyone hates this guy and you will make more money if you fire him.” Jarmo looked at the roster and said “hey, this team is actually pretty good” and watched as the team had tremendous success. Theres more to leading a franchise than bringing in the all right parts. I’ve been saying this since Adams was fired. Sure, Adams assembled a good roster (over a ridiculously long time that should have gotten him fired years earlier), that doesn’t mean he was fit to lead it. Also, Alex Tuch ain’t it and was never it. His point total this season will not be enough to be in the Sabres top five of point totals. He should have been packaged two deadlines ago for Jackson Blake. Good riddance to them both. 

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

Some will accept what he's doing; some will defend it; and some will hate and and not defend it.  When painting with broad strokes, you can readily paint a false picture.  @JohnC seems to be just about the only person "defending" Kekalainen's actions.  Most still would like to see more done.  (Hel-looooooo Hellebucyk!)

And people didn't "love" the Jarmo hire.  Most thought it was great that they were finally bringing in an experienced NHL front office guy to be assisting Adams.  But the opinion that his was the right outside voice to now be in the room was far from universal.  Yes, people loved his promotion for the obvious reason.  There was now an adult in charge. 

Is he the right man for the job?  Don't know.  Will give him the benefit of the doubt for now.  It's a results based job and so far the results (division winner from initially being far out of the playoffs (dead last in the conference?) and winning a playoff series and getting to OT of game 7 in the next round) are encouraging.  But we're in a new league year and everyone is starting with the same record.  If the Sabres repeat or get farther in the playoffs; will be happy with him being the GM.  If they take a step back, won't be happy and if they have a major step back, well, you get 1 mulligan but the leash becomes very short at that point.

Do appreciate that Jarmo does seem to be adding to the front office with well regarded folks (for the most part); also appreciate that he does seem to be able to change the course / strategy when conditions change (it seems that huge winning streak to start the Jarmo era saved Ruff's job; winning the division saved others jobs; and Thomas & Parayko were Plan A; he pivoted to a reasonable Plan B/Plan C at the deadline). 

But it is disappointing that to date he hasn't been able to make his Plan A for '26-'27 happen.  Like that he's keeping options open but would absolutely like to see some of those options get exercised.

And, will hope for his success regardless.  If that comes across as accepting anything; so be it.  Am not going to hedge just to make falling short seem less painful.

Excellent post. Let me just address your first paragraph that dealt with the Hellebucyk saga. There were many reports that he did have interest in dealing for this goalie. It was reported that he did make overtures for a deal. Our GM made a calculation as to what his value was and what he was willing to give in return. On the other side of the equation, Winnipeg was in a position that unless they got a significant return for him, they would simply keep this vital player because he was under contract with them for a number of years.  How Jarmo acted is how I want my GM to act. He wasn't pressured to make a deal for the sake of demonstrating to others that he was doing something to improve the roster. He made a toughminded judgment as to what was the best interest of this team. And he stood firm on his judgment. I'm glad he did. 

[triumph_communes]

Woo, some people just want to hate. We make the playoffs and go deep and now we hate the GM eh.  The kids were talking about played stellar in the playoffs what the hell else do you want them to do?  Stay miserable 

[TageMVP]

8 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Somehow this is a ne

What tf does this mean 

8 hours ago, #freejame said:

Kevyn Adams sucked at being a leader of men and wore out his welcome with the fanbase. Pete Guelli came in and said “Terry, everyone hates this guy and you will make more money if you fire him.” Jarmo looked at the roster and said “hey, this team is actually pretty good” and watched as the team had tremendous success. Theres more to leading a franchise than bringing in the all right parts. I’ve been saying this since Adams was fired. Sure, Adams assembled a good roster (over a ridiculously long time that should have gotten him fired years earlier), that doesn’t mean he was fit to lead it. Also, Alex Tuch ain’t it and was never it. His point total this season will not be enough to be in the Sabres top five of point totals. He should have been packaged two deadlines ago for Jackson Blake. Good riddance to them both. 

The parts you wrote about Tuch are insane lol 

[#freejame]

6 hours ago, TageMVP said:

What tf does this mean 

The parts you wrote about Tuch are insane lol 

Alex Tuch plays like the best player in a beer league. He floats around the ice then gives a burst of effort when he has a chance at the puck. His ability to do that is going to rapidly decline and when he can no longer play that way he will be completely ineffective. 

[Archie Lee]

21 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

And fans will accept it and defend it. Thorny is right. People loved the Jarmo hire for one reason. He has not delivered.

Job security dictates that JK will ride the success of KA's team for a year and half, two years under the cover of Sabres fan fever. Once that fades, under pressure, he'll make Jarmo Moves. And then get fired.

Until then Mrs. Jarmo is down at Raymour & Flanigan threatening to walk out if she doesn't get a free lamp.

Big Swinging Jarmo, was always a bit of an overstatement. Yes, he did make some big trades in Columbus.  More often than not, the trade deadline, the draft, and free agency passed without him doing anything that would be considered "big".  That's neither bad or good, in my view. 

People are free, obviously, to judge as they see fit. I think that for some fans, being critical is a bit of a defense mechanism. I'm probably not above this. It does allow for a degree of satisfaction with any outcome. The Sabres lose? I was right all along! The Sabres win? Nobody is happier to be wrong!

Being the fan of a team that follows the Vegas model of one big swing after another, would certainly be fun. The Carolina model of more patiently waiting for the right move, resonates more with me personally. Of course, Jarmo's reputation and persona belies the reality that, at nearly 60 years of age, and setting aside longevity, he has not been a particularly successful NHL GM (and Ruff is no Brind'Amour). The next time that Jarmo has a long-term stretch of regular season and post-season success, will be the first time. That was true when he was hired, regardless of reputation. 

[Hoss]

I think it’s incredibly weird for people to be making any form of big opinion on Jarmo already, to be honest. I feel like this offseason was a failure, because, as I’ve said a number of time, I love the moves he did make but the moves he didn’t make were all the moves I believe this team needed.

But, it’s one offseason where there were moves to like and his evaluation could be that the cap savings was well worth it to elevate younger players into bigger roles.

If they end up healthy and miss the playoffs this season, then I’ll be pretty livid with his evaluations, but I’m certainly not going to assume I absolutely know better or am definitively correct.

This offseason was a big moment for the franchise, and he might’ve blown it. But, I’m going to give it a chance.

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

Big Swinging Jarmo, was always a bit of an overstatement. Yes, he did make some big trades in Columbus.  More often than not, the trade deadline, the draft, and free agency passed without him doing anything that would be considered "big".  That's neither bad or good, in my view. 

People are free, obviously, to judge as they see fit. I think that for some fans, being critical is a bit of a defense mechanism. I'm probably not above this. It does allow for a degree of satisfaction with any outcome. The Sabres lose? I was right all along! The Sabres win? Nobody is happier to be wrong!

Being the fan of a team that follows the Vegas model of one big swing after another, would certainly be fun. The Carolina model of more patiently waiting for the right move, resonates more with me personally. Of course, Jarmo's reputation and persona belies the reality that, at nearly 60 years of age, and setting aside longevity, he has not been a particularly successful NHL GM (and Ruff is no Brind'Amour). The next time that Jarmo has a long-term stretch of regular season and post-season success, will be the first time. That was true when he was hired, regardless of reputation. 

I can't predict the long-term success of Jarmo. What I can say is that after he took over last year the Sabres had either the best or second-best record in the league. Some deals that he tried to make that season didn't work out due to players exercising their NMCs. Other than a few marginal transactions he stood pat with the KA built roster. As demonstrated by the 109-point playoff season, it's undebatable that it was a very successful season.

Jarmo had a reputation with Columbus of being an activist GM who was not afraid to make moves. What's evident is that the situation he was in Columbus was not the same situation he took over the reins here. To his credit, he has adapted well to the situation here and his judgment has been sound. It seems to me that this franchise is in a good situation now and in the near future. While others can complain about some imaginary fantasy deals that have not materialized, I'm not complaining about how prudently and responsibly he has handled his duties. 

[PASabreFan]

Raise the banner:

GOOD SITUATION

[#freejame]

Just now, PASabreFan said:

Raise the banner:

GOOD SITUATION

Maybe let’s raise the actual banner we earned last year before assuming we suck again 

[dudacek]

Subtracting Rosen, Bryson, Tuch, Byram, Kesselring, Wahlberg, Levi, Dunne and Greenway.

Adding Gilbert, Carrick, Zellweger, Crevier, Rudolph, Viltala and Sheary

Jarmo inherited a deep and talented roster, failed to put it over the top at the trade deadline and has made it worse this summer on paper.

I mean you can argue that he did well given the team’s contract situation, or that he has set it up for sustained long-term success, or that the team is going to be good regardless. But you can’t really argue with my previous paragraph.

[dudacek]

And, to be clear, I like the decision on Tuch, the return for Byram, the Zellweger move and the way Jarmo has rewarded and locked up an identity hustle piece for each line (Benson, Doan, Krebs, Malenstyn).

He’s taken control of the cap and has the team in good position to contend for years to come.

[dudacek]

28 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Raise the banner:

GOOD SITUATION

 

26 minutes ago, #freejame said:

Maybe let’s raise the actual banner we earned last year before assuming we suck again 

One of the better comebacks of the summer.

Fan in the way you see fit I guess, but it’s odd to me the choices people make.

Sure Im nervous about slipping back, but how could you not be more excited about the coming season than any in  15 years?

This is a good team: exciting to watch and easy to cheer for.

[PASabreFan]

29 minutes ago, dudacek said:

 

One of the better comebacks of the summer.

Fan in the way you see fit I guess, but it’s odd to me the choices people make.

Sure Im nervous about slipping back, but how could you not be more excited about the coming season than any in  15 years?

This is a good team: exciting to watch and easy to cheer for.

Who are you arguing with? I'm not assuming suckitude.

I just find it odd that the way one fan chose to fan is to be happy that Jarmo has us in a "good" situation. Nuts to that.

1 hour ago, #freejame said:

Maybe let’s raise the actual banner we earned last year before assuming we suck again 

I am not assuming anything. I think Jarmo is, though.

 

[PASabreFan]

52 minutes ago, dudacek said:

And, to be clear, I like the decision on Tuch, the return for Byram, the Zellweger move and the way Jarmo has rewarded and locked up an identity hustle piece for each line (Benson, Doan, Krebs, Malenstyn).

He’s taken control of the cap and has the team in good position to contend for years to come.

That's not the good position John is happy about, IMHO. John is happy about prudence and responsibility, young players on good contracts, not taking chances, etc.

Jarmo has to make a repeat performance happen. He can't be a spectator like the rest of us.

This does not feel like 98-99 to me. It feels like we have to hope lightning strikes in the same place twice.

Just got get CH, and overpay if you have to. Problem solved.

Edited August 1 by PASabreFan

[Archie Lee]

43 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

That's not the good position John is happy about, IMHO. John is happy about prudence and responsibility, young players on good contracts, not taking chances, etc.

Jarmo has to make a repeat performance happen. He can't be a spectator like the rest of us.

This does not feel like 98-99 to me. It feels like we have to hope lightning strikes in the same place twice.

Just got get CH, and overpay if you have to. Problem solved.

What is the overpay for Hellebuyck you propose as acceptable?

What if Jarmo believes such an overpay would, on balance, be more likely to set the franchise back than move it forward? Should he do it anyway because some fans think it would solve the problem (though, it is not clear that "the problem" has been in any way defined). 

If the grocery store has no good bananas this week, does that mean I will never eat a good one again?

[TageMVP]

7 hours ago, #freejame said:

Alex Tuch plays like the best player in a beer league. He floats around the ice then gives a burst of effort when he has a chance at the puck. His ability to do that is going to rapidly decline and when he can no longer play that way he will be completely ineffective. 

This is some next level coping lol 

Tuch is uniquely adept at being in the right place and using his smarts to find the easiest way to get the puck, hence why he got the puck and caused turnovers all the time 

Calling Tuch lazy because he burned us is a massive reach. I get it, youre upset he left and the manner in which it happened, but thats two posts in a row about Tuch that have frankly been insane 

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

And, to be clear, I like the decision on Tuch, the return for Byram, the Zellweger move and the way Jarmo has rewarded and locked up an identity hustle piece for each line (Benson, Doan, Krebs, Malenstyn).

He’s taken control of the cap and has the team in good position to contend for years to come.

... PROVIDED the goaltending doesn't torpedo the entire thing.

[dudacek]

22 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

What is the overpay for Hellebuyck you propose as acceptable?

What if Jarmo believes such an overpay would, on balance, be more likely to set the franchise back than move it forward? Should he do it anyway because some fans think it would solve the problem (though, it is not clear that "the problem" has been in any way defined). 

If the grocery store has no good bananas this week, does that mean I will never eat a good one again?

There seems to be a real anxiety out there among some that Jarmo has to make a move now.

Trade deadline is 6 months away. Team looks pretty good. Why force something?

[dudacek]

Just now, Taro T said:

... PROVIDED the goaltending doesn't torpedo the entire thing.

Goaltending is my biggest concern as well.

I'd trade places there with Boston and Tampa. Is our situation really obviously worse than any other team we're battling with?

[PASabreFan]

29 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

What is the overpay for Hellebuyck you propose as acceptable?

What if Jarmo believes such an overpay would, on balance, be more likely to set the franchise back than move it forward? Should he do it anyway because some fans think it would solve the problem (though, it is not clear that "the problem" has been in any way defined). 

If the grocery store has no good bananas this week, does that mean I will never eat a good one again?

I don't have a proposal. How would I know? I just think people are too afraid of losing a trade on paper.

No one is going to care if Hellebuyck takes us home.

Hell with an E, Buy Calvin Kleins.

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I don't have a proposal. How would I know?

Finally, we are in accord.  🙂