Sounds like Adams made his Swan Song press conference...
Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams stepped to the lectern inside the media room and said accountability starts with him, which was why he was making himself available for questions after requests from reporters. But in the 24-minute back-and-forth, he struck a dismissive and defensive tone in the face of inquiries about the Sabres’ disappointing 11-12-3 start to the season.
While he said, “Nothing should be off the table,” when it comes to improving the Sabres’ roster, he also said he wasn’t going to “panic” and make a knee-jerk move as an overreaction to the team’s current five-game losing streak. He sounded like a general manager committed to the young core of players he has, some of which are already signed to long-term deals and others who are “the next round of guys” to get contracts. He said, “I’m going to war with these guys and I will not change. I will not back down from that.”
Ahead of Thanksgiving, the Sabres were in a playoff position after a three-game road trip. They’ve since collected two points in their last five games. They’re 23rd in the NHL in points percentage and have the exact same point total through 26 games as they did two seasons ago. But Adams said he sees progress. He said Buffalo is close to teams like the Stars, Kings and Devils in terms of expected goals for and expected goals against. He was presumably talking about private models, because that statement doesn’t mesh with public expected goals models. Either way, the Devils have a plus-23 goal differential, the Stars have a plus-20 goal differential and the Kings have a plus-nine goal differential. Buffalo’s is minus-three. The gap between the Sabres and those teams in the standings is significant.
On a few different occasions, Adams was openly dismissive of questions. Asked how he squares the fact that teams as young as the Sabres rarely make the playoffs with the idea that they are in a “win now” situation, Adams scoffed and said, “We should have signed Craig Anderson, he’s 40 that would have brought our average age up and you wouldn’t ask that question.”
Asked about Owen Power’s struggles in the defensive zone, Adams again looked annoyed and said, “You see some of the good things, too?” He was exasperated when he was asked about the team not spending to the salary cap and when asked about the Sabres not having as many pro scouts as other teams. The last time owner Terry Pegula took questions about the Sabres was in 2020 when Adams fired 22 people and Pegula spoke about being efficient, economic and effective. Since then, the Sabres haven’t spent to the salary cap and haven’t poured the same resources into the hockey department that other teams around the league do. But Adams meets every one of those questions by saying Pegula gives him every resource he needs to build a winning team.
But this is year five of Adams and the Sabres are staring down the possibility of extending their league-record playoff drought to 14 seasons. Criticism and questions are warranted. The Sabres brought in Lindy Ruff this season, but he hasn’t yet been able to change the on-ice results with the same group of core players the Sabres have stuck with the last three seasons. The team still looks like it is one top-six forward and one top-four defenseman away from getting over the hump and into the playoffs.
When asked about the possibility of changing things up, Adams again went on the defensive and said, “We’re not a destination city right now.”
That’s not entirely true. The Sabres are not a destination franchise. There’s a difference. And that has to do with a variety of factors, most of which have little to do with Adams’ statements that “we don’t have palm trees” and “we have taxes in New York.”
The Sabres aren’t a destination franchise because they haven’t been to the playoffs in 13 straight seasons. They’re not a destination franchise because a long list of players have left and become the best version of themselves with other teams. To make it about the city is missing the point and deflecting responsibility. Two days ago, Micah Hyde left his home in San Diego and signed back with the Bills. He chose people over palm trees.
Part of Adams’ job as general manager, one of the main voices and front-facing people in the organization, is to make Buffalo a destination city. Messaging is one component of that, and given the chance to do so on Friday, he didn’t exactly deliver an enthusiastic sales pitch for Western New York. He sounded defeated.
“Trust me, I’m in conversations every day and there are a lot of players in this league where we’re on their (no-trade) list,” he said. “We need to earn the respect and it starts with getting over the hump, getting in the playoffs and competing.”
He then went on to reference the Bills and how they became a destination for outside talent by winning.
“You have to earn it,” Adams said. “For me, it’s really simple. You become a perennial playoff team, you make the playoffs and have a chance to win the Stanley Cup year after year, you are on less no-trade lists.”
But it didn’t happen by accident for the Bills. Yes, they drafted a superstar quarterback in Josh Allen. But general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott also built a culture players wanted to be a part of. They took pride in Western New York and the fan base. And they didn’t hide from the playoff drought. They understood it was their responsibility when they took the job.
In 2019, Beane and the Bills explored a trade for disgruntled receiver Antonio Brown but didn’t do the deal. After reports surfaced that Brown didn’t want to play in Buffalo, Beane went on to passionately defend the city and push back against the idea that Buffalo isn’t a destination.
“That pissed me off to be candid because it was an ignorant comment or whatever,” Beane said. “And I’m not on social media but if you live in Buffalo or you know anything about Buffalo, don’t speak about Buffalo if you don’t know what this city, what this fan base is like. It really pissed me off. Because it’s not true.”
That’s a leader of an organization who was willing to defend not only his franchise but his adopted city and the people living there. Beane is from North Carolina but spoke about Western New York like he was from North Tonawanda. Not only was he not using Buffalo’s weather or market size as an excuse. He was pushing back against the idea that it wasn’t a great place to live.
It wouldn’t hurt Adams to strike a similar tone. More than 40 percent of the league is from Canada. Another 30 percent are from Sweden, Finland, Russia or Czechia. Those places don’t have a lot of palm trees, either. Winnipeg isn’t known for its beachfront and yet the Jets have attracted and retained enough talent to be near the top of the NHL standings. Earlier this week, Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs were both telling me how much the easy living in Buffalo reminded them of the small towns they are from in western Canada.
The lifestyle and tax situations in places like Vegas, South Florida and Tampa certainly help them attract talent, but not every player needs those perks. Selling Buffalo as a city wouldn’t be as hard if selling the Sabres as a franchise wasn’t such a heavy lift. But Adams is in year five. The team he’s built is part of that. His leadership and messaging also play a role. If he can’t turn this into a destination, Pegula, who was supposed to make Buffalo hockey heaven, should find someone who can.
Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams stepped to the lectern inside the media room and said accountability starts with him, which was why he was making himself available for questions after requests from reporters. But in the 24-minute back-and-forth, he struck a dismissive and defensive tone in the face of inquiries about the Sabres’ disappointing 11-12-3 start to the season.
While he said, “Nothing should be off the table,” when it comes to improving the Sabres’ roster, he also said he wasn’t going to “panic” and make a knee-jerk move as an overreaction to the team’s current five-game losing streak. He sounded like a general manager committed to the young core of players he has, some of which are already signed to long-term deals and others who are “the next round of guys” to get contracts. He said, “I’m going to war with these guys and I will not change. I will not back down from that.”
Ahead of Thanksgiving, the Sabres were in a playoff position after a three-game road trip. They’ve since collected two points in their last five games. They’re 23rd in the NHL in points percentage and have the exact same point total through 26 games as they did two seasons ago. But Adams said he sees progress. He said Buffalo is close to teams like the Stars, Kings and Devils in terms of expected goals for and expected goals against. He was presumably talking about private models, because that statement doesn’t mesh with public expected goals models. Either way, the Devils have a plus-23 goal differential, the Stars have a plus-20 goal differential and the Kings have a plus-nine goal differential. Buffalo’s is minus-three. The gap between the Sabres and those teams in the standings is significant.
On a few different occasions, Adams was openly dismissive of questions. Asked how he squares the fact that teams as young as the Sabres rarely make the playoffs with the idea that they are in a “win now” situation, Adams scoffed and said, “We should have signed Craig Anderson, he’s 40 that would have brought our average age up and you wouldn’t ask that question.”
Asked about Owen Power’s struggles in the defensive zone, Adams again looked annoyed and said, “You see some of the good things, too?” He was exasperated when he was asked about the team not spending to the salary cap and when asked about the Sabres not having as many pro scouts as other teams. The last time owner Terry Pegula took questions about the Sabres was in 2020 when Adams fired 22 people and Pegula spoke about being efficient, economic and effective. Since then, the Sabres haven’t spent to the salary cap and haven’t poured the same resources into the hockey department that other teams around the league do. But Adams meets every one of those questions by saying Pegula gives him every resource he needs to build a winning team.
But this is year five of Adams and the Sabres are staring down the possibility of extending their league-record playoff drought to 14 seasons. Criticism and questions are warranted. The Sabres brought in Lindy Ruff this season, but he hasn’t yet been able to change the on-ice results with the same group of core players the Sabres have stuck with the last three seasons. The team still looks like it is one top-six forward and one top-four defenseman away from getting over the hump and into the playoffs.
When asked about the possibility of changing things up, Adams again went on the defensive and said, “We’re not a destination city right now.”
That’s not entirely true. The Sabres are not a destination franchise. There’s a difference. And that has to do with a variety of factors, most of which have little to do with Adams’ statements that “we don’t have palm trees” and “we have taxes in New York.”
The Sabres aren’t a destination franchise because they haven’t been to the playoffs in 13 straight seasons. They’re not a destination franchise because a long list of players have left and become the best version of themselves with other teams. To make it about the city is missing the point and deflecting responsibility. Two days ago, Micah Hyde left his home in San Diego and signed back with the Bills. He chose people over palm trees.
Part of Adams’ job as general manager, one of the main voices and front-facing people in the organization, is to make Buffalo a destination city. Messaging is one component of that, and given the chance to do so on Friday, he didn’t exactly deliver an enthusiastic sales pitch for Western New York. He sounded defeated.
“Trust me, I’m in conversations every day and there are a lot of players in this league where we’re on their (no-trade) list,” he said. “We need to earn the respect and it starts with getting over the hump, getting in the playoffs and competing.”
He then went on to reference the Bills and how they became a destination for outside talent by winning.
“You have to earn it,” Adams said. “For me, it’s really simple. You become a perennial playoff team, you make the playoffs and have a chance to win the Stanley Cup year after year, you are on less no-trade lists.”
But it didn’t happen by accident for the Bills. Yes, they drafted a superstar quarterback in Josh Allen. But general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott also built a culture players wanted to be a part of. They took pride in Western New York and the fan base. And they didn’t hide from the playoff drought. They understood it was their responsibility when they took the job.
In 2019, Beane and the Bills explored a trade for disgruntled receiver Antonio Brown but didn’t do the deal. After reports surfaced that Brown didn’t want to play in Buffalo, Beane went on to passionately defend the city and push back against the idea that Buffalo isn’t a destination.
“That pissed me off to be candid because it was an ignorant comment or whatever,” Beane said. “And I’m not on social media but if you live in Buffalo or you know anything about Buffalo, don’t speak about Buffalo if you don’t know what this city, what this fan base is like. It really pissed me off. Because it’s not true.”
That’s a leader of an organization who was willing to defend not only his franchise but his adopted city and the people living there. Beane is from North Carolina but spoke about Western New York like he was from North Tonawanda. Not only was he not using Buffalo’s weather or market size as an excuse. He was pushing back against the idea that it wasn’t a great place to live.
It wouldn’t hurt Adams to strike a similar tone. More than 40 percent of the league is from Canada. Another 30 percent are from Sweden, Finland, Russia or Czechia. Those places don’t have a lot of palm trees, either. Winnipeg isn’t known for its beachfront and yet the Jets have attracted and retained enough talent to be near the top of the NHL standings. Earlier this week, Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs were both telling me how much the easy living in Buffalo reminded them of the small towns they are from in western Canada.
The lifestyle and tax situations in places like Vegas, South Florida and Tampa certainly help them attract talent, but not every player needs those perks. Selling Buffalo as a city wouldn’t be as hard if selling the Sabres as a franchise wasn’t such a heavy lift. But Adams is in year five. The team he’s built is part of that. His leadership and messaging also play a role. If he can’t turn this into a destination, Pegula, who was supposed to make Buffalo hockey heaven, should find someone who can.
