All things Pegula 1

[sabremike]

I for one, have never understood the small and constantly vocal group of Buffalonians who want to run the Pegulas out of town.

There are no white knights in the wings. There are no billionaire plan B. If you like the Buffalo Sabres or Buffalo Bills, this is all there is.

I'm not saying you have to be constantly deferential and treat them like royalty. But as a Buffalo sports fan who lives far outside of New York State three things have become clear.

• A. The sexism around Kim is ugly and pervasive in Pegula/Buffalo sports ownership commentary.
  
• B. The sports media in Buffalo is the least professional of any even vaguely major league city. To say its blogger level is unfair to bloggers who have professionalized in the last 15 years.
  
• C. There's a group of Buffalo sports fans (group A) and journalists (group B) who are the most committed to running their ownership group out of town (and unlike other cities where the ownership group is suspect) they seem to be the least aware that no one is coming to save their teams or jobs.

In short, you do you. But it breaks my heart how toxic the sports culture around the teams I love has become.

After finishing in dead last next season the Pegula Sabres will officially become the single worst least successful team in hockey history. They are killing this team and market to the point where it will soon become unsalvagable at which point relocation becomes inevitable. They show no ability whatsoever to learn from their mistakes. And here's a question for you: if the Pegulas were the owners of the Habs, Flyers, Leafs or really almost any market where hockey is relevant do you think they'd be getting treated better by the media in those places than they are here? Hell no, they'd be getting torn to shreds far far worse.

 

[Sabre Dance]

A lot of hate for the Pegulas going around social media. I don't fully understand it. I guess it's normal since Ralph, Rigas, and Golisano got their fair share of hate as well. Social media pretty much shapes everyone's opinion in today's society. Those guys would've faced twice the criticism today.

Anyways I wanted to know why you hate the Pegulas. There's a catch though. Your reason can't include Sabres results. Meaning no mention of their win/loss record.

I can't think of a single reasons to dislike them.

 

[Sabre Dance]

After finishing in dead last next season the Pegula Sabres will officially become the single worst least successful team in hockey history. They are killing this team and market to the point where it will soon become unsalvagable at which point relocation becomes inevitable. They show no ability whatsoever to learn from their mistakes. And here's a question for you: if the Pegulas were the owners of the Habs, Flyers, Leafs or really almost any market where hockey is relevant do you think they'd be getting treated better by the media in those places than they are here? Hell no, they'd be getting torn to shreds far far worse.

It's quite possible Eichel, Reinhart, Ristolainen, and the rest of the core whoever that may be just weren't the right mix of players. I know it's crazy to think but they might all be sidekicks.

If you have the wrong mix of core players it doesn't matter what the bottom of the roster does. It's just reality. There were a lot of productive players that came through Buffalo and are now gone or soon to be gone, but that doesn't mean they make a good core when together.

 

[TehDoak]

A lot of hate for the Pegulas going around social media. I don't fully understand it. I guess it's normal since Ralph, Rigas, and Golisano got their fair share of hate as well. Social media pretty much shapes everyone's opinion in today's society. Those guys would've faced twice the criticism today.

Anyways I wanted to know why you hate the Pegulas. There's a catch though. Your reason can't include Sabres results. Meaning no mention of their win/loss record.

I can't think of a single reasons to dislike them.

Sure. So, i was a very ardent Pegula supporter him post buying the team. But over the years, I've soured significantly over the past few years.

I'll speak specifically to the Sabres

#1. Refusing to get help running the team. He has consistently hired first time GMs and had a significant hand in running player personnel decisions. And while I certainly understand he wants some say in how his money is spent, he has consistently made bad decisions. Separating himself from all but the biggest decisions will help the team

#2. The cheapness in the last two season. Terry bought the Sabres proclaiming there was no salary cap on front office and if he wanted to make the money, he would drill more wells. And while I certainly understand the pandemic hit the Pegula's directly in the pocket book, the reality of the situation is, the Pegula's make enough money off of the Bills to offset any and all losses they experience from the Sabres. The Pegula's ran a skeleton front office/team staff crew and will be icing a team that is just above the cap floor.

#3. Kevyn Adams. This was probably the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Adams has zero NHL, AHL, NCAA, OHL, WHL, ECHL hockey management experience. Zero. And he was given control over the Sabres with no help other than the Pegula's and Krueger for an entire season. Imagine in any business, you hire a manager to take over a struggling store with little or not experience, he has zero experienced help, and the results are the store does as worse as it possibly can do. And all your best employees want out. Yet, here he is still, putting together a team that will likely finish dead last....again.

So, in short, The Pegula's have had terrible results with the Sabres and refuse to get the proper help they need and step away from day to day decisions. They promised unlimited spending on Sabres and money was no object. They are now running things, quite literally, as cheaply as they can. First time GM with zero experience, first time coach, cap floor team, reduced front office staff. Arena is disrepair. You couldn't run a NHL team for less than next years team if you tried.

 

[Sabre Dance]

Sure. So, i was a very ardent Pegula supporter him post buying the team. But over the years, I've soured significantly over the past few years.

I'll speak specifically to the Sabres

#1. Refusing to get help running the team. He has consistently hired first time GMs and had a significant hand in running player personnel decisions. And while I certainly understand he wants some say in how his money is spent, he has consistently made bad decisions. Separating himself from all but the biggest decisions will help the team

#2. The cheapness in the last two season. Terry bought the Sabres proclaiming there was no salary cap on front office and if he wanted to make the money, he would drill more wells. And while I certainly understand the pandemic hit the Pegula's directly in the pocket book, the reality of the situation is, the Pegula's make enough money off of the Bills to offset any and all losses they experience from the Sabres. The Pegula's ran a skeleton front office/team staff crew and will be icing a team that is just above the cap floor.

#3. Kevyn Adams. This was probably the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Adams has zero NHL, AHL, NCAA, OHL, WHL, ECHL hockey management experience. Zero. And he was given control over the Sabres with no help other than the Pegula's and Krueger for an entire season. Imagine in any business, you hire a manager to take over a struggling store with little or not experience, he has zero experienced help, and the results are the store does as worse as it possibly can do. And all your best employees want out. Yet, here he is still, putting together a team that will likely finish dead last....again.

So, in short, The Pegula's have had terrible results with the Sabres and refuse to get the proper help they need and step away from day to day decisions. They promised unlimited spending on Sabres and money was no object. They are now running things, quite literally, as cheaply as they can. First time GM with zero experience, first time coach, cap floor team, reduced front office staff. Arena is disrepair. You couldn't run a NHL team for less than next years team if you tried.

Have teams had success with 1st time GMs? Yes. 1st time coaches? Yes. I don't think that's something to hate the Pegulas for. They've hired the wrong people.

Organizational spending the last couple years has dropped. That's alarming. Is it the pandemic? Is it a planned rebuild? Is it a combination of both? We'll see.

It's hard for me right now to look at results and say the Pegulas are definitely the problem. It's possible. We'll see what happens with the next core. As I said earlier sometimes it's the wrong group of core players. I think the biggest mistakes the Pegulas have made are all the the long-term contracts and big agent signings. I think they did push GM's to make splashes.

I'll definitely change my mind about the Pegulas if we see similar issues pop up with this new core. Remember when they took over it was the end of the "Rochester core" and then they started the "tank core". They've only been through 1 core group so far.

I do agree they should've brought in someone that's been through rebuilds and knows how to build up winning teams. They definitely failed there. I don't dislike or hate them for going with 1st time management and coaches but I understand the frustration. They wasted the tank core IMO. I'm always going to wonder what if they did it differently.

 

[Jeremy2020]

#1. Refusing to get help running the team. He has consistently hired first time GMs and had a significant hand in running player personnel decisions. And while I certainly understand he wants some say in how his money is spent, he has consistently made bad decisions. Separating himself from all but the biggest decisions will help the team

The Pegulas used recommended consulting firms from the NHL in making hires. Their hires were considered very solid candidates, if not, one of the top at the time. I'm curious to hear more about how you think the process played out and why it was wrong. The owner *has* to make a decision whether they hire a GM or hire a guy to hire the GM.

 

[sabremike]

The record speaks for itself: they are the least successful owners from an on ice perspective in the modern history of the sport. The other two teams in the 10 year club had seasons where they at least came close, the Pegula Sabres have to have the record for consecutive seasons without playing a single meaningful game. Off ice has been every bit a third rate bush league clown show with the most obvious examples being botching the 50th anniversary celebrations that not even a trained chimpanzee should've been able to screw up and seeing the team's hall of fame essentially go out of business (which has to be unprecedented in sports history. They also get bonus points for removing the Buffalo Sports HOF from their decrepit arena to expand the team store).

 

[SackTastic]

A lot of hate for the Pegulas going around social media. I don't fully understand it. I guess it's normal since Ralph, Rigas, and Golisano got their fair share of hate as well. Social media pretty much shapes everyone's opinion in today's society. Those guys would've faced twice the criticism today.

Anyways I wanted to know why you hate the Pegulas. There's a catch though. Your reason can't include Sabres results. Meaning no mention of their win/loss record.

I can't think of a single reasons to dislike them.

Under their ownership, the Sabres are going to go from having to cap season ticket sales and institute a multiple year waiting list to being lucky if they sell the equivalent of 10k this year. That's not something you can pin on COVID either ; the only reason a 'waiting list' exists today is because you had to pay a non-refundable deposit to get on it. That alone is plenty of grounds to dislike them.

When you manage to convert our rabid fan base into people who would prefer to do almost anything else besides go downtown for a hockey game, you deserve all the hate that comes your way.

 

[p0nchik]

After finishing in dead last next season the Pegula Sabres will officially become the single worst least successful team in hockey history. They are killing this team and market to the point where it will soon become unsalvagable at which point relocation becomes inevitable. They show no ability whatsoever to learn from their mistakes. And here's a question for you: if the Pegulas were the owners of the Habs, Flyers, Leafs or really almost any market where hockey is relevant do you think they'd be getting treated better by the media in those places than they are here? Hell no, they'd be getting torn to shreds far far worse.

I get the hate. The Sabres are not successful and Pegula is the man at the top. However, it's not for a lack of effort. That's where I will put my foot down.

Sure, they have poor skills in finding a true leader at the GM spot who can steer us in the right direction. That's on them. However, they at least understand the problem are continuously try to rectify it, even if the next guy is always just as bad. I'm talking Botterill, Murrary, etc.

I always see the "cheap" comments, which again baffle me. They're still paying coaches and GM who are not even employed. Still paying players who have long since left the league. The most prominent talking point about them being "cheap" was the lack of a scouting department. But, people fail to understand the situation.

When Pegula fired Botterill, they didn't just fire Botterill, it was everything Botterill, including his scouts. Adams didn't even have a full off-season to rectify the situation. And now that he has, we already see him building it back up to where it was before (middle of the pack in terms of the total number of scouts).

Another talking point was him firing employees during the lockdown. I don't really understand this sentiment, as they weren't working, and many other owners followed suit.

He has consistently spent to the cap on terrible teams.

If anything, his problem is not spending too little, it's spending too recklessly. Cheap owners to overpay for Leino, Ehrhoff, Okposo, Skinner, and hand out 10m contracts to their star players. They go dumpster diving and trade off their top end talent, like Arizona, for futures.

We are lucky to have someone in such a minuscule market (Buffalonians truly don't grasp this), who spends their money.

It's unfortunate, he hasn't struck lightning as he has with the Bills in lucking his way into McBeane.

Our time will come. I'm grateful for everything Pegula has done. I understand that if Pegula was not here that the Sabres wouldn't be either. I'm not sure what else we could want from an owner other than to just hope and pray they find the right guys in management.

So far, I really like what I've seen from Adams. The ability to draft from the entire pool of players instead of rashly shunning countries like Russia or perilously focusing on one country or region . I like that he has been steadfast in his approach with Eichel. He seems like a guy who won't roll over, which is one of the traits I admired about Darcy. He was able to get a king's ransom for Risto and I hope that he found the same value in the Reinhart trade, though, I'm not a fan of trading for goalies.

To summarize, he's not cheap, in fact, he spends money recklessly. He is poor at finding the right GM to steer the ship. Without Pegula there is no Buffalo Sabres team. We are lucky to have, not only a team but an owner willing to spend big bucks in a minuscule market.

I believe it's just a matter of time. How much time? I don't know. There was a time for the Bills where fans were hopeless and believed no free agent would go there. The culture changed almost instantly. Hopefully, Adams is the guy. We will see. Adam's future is 100% tied to the Eichel return.

 

[Jim Bob]

I believe it's just a matter of time. How much time? I don't know. There was a time for the Bills where fans were hopeless and believed no free agent would go there. The culture changed almost instantly. Hopefully, Adams is the guy. We will see. Adam's future is 100% tied to the Eichel return.

Here is an interesting prop bet:

Who wins a title first, WFT under Snyder or the Sabres under the Pegulas?

 

[kirby11]

A lot of hate for the Pegulas going around social media. I don't fully understand it. I guess it's normal since Ralph, Rigas, and Golisano got their fair share of hate as well. Social media pretty much shapes everyone's opinion in today's society. Those guys would've faced twice the criticism today.

Anyways I wanted to know why you hate the Pegulas. There's a catch though. Your reason can't include Sabres results. Meaning no mention of their win/loss record.

I can't think of a single reasons to dislike them.

Putting aside the Sabres' results, they were the last team in the NHL to pay their arena staff last year and laid off a ton of people in their various businesses to save what amounts to pocket change for them.

 

[p0nchik]

Here is an interesting prop bet:

Who wins a title first, WFT under Snyder or the Sabres under the Pegulas?

It's a very strange comparison. They're not similar in any way, except being reckless spenders. Washington literally made the playoffs last year, too...

Too many variables involved in both. Washington could stumble upon a Mahomes-type QB and it won't matter how bad Snyder is.

 

[TehDoak]

Have teams had success with 1st time GMs? Yes. 1st time coaches? Yes. I don't think that's something to hate the Pegulas for. They've hired the wrong people.

Organizational spending the last couple years has dropped. That's alarming. Is it the pandemic? Is it a planned rebuild? Is it a combination of both? We'll see.

It's hard for me right now to look at results and say the Pegulas are definitely the problem. It's possible. We'll see what happens with the next core. As I said earlier sometimes it's the wrong group of core players. I think the biggest mistakes the Pegulas have made are all the the long-term contracts and big agent signings. I think they did push GM's to make splashes.

I'll definitely change my mind about the Pegulas if we see similar issues pop up with this new core. Remember when they took over it was the end of the "Rochester core" and then they started the "tank core". They've only been through 1 core group so far.

I do agree they should've brought in someone that's been through rebuilds and knows how to build up winning teams. They definitely failed there. I don't dislike or hate them for going with 1st time management and coaches but I understand the frustration. They wasted the tank core IMO. I'm always going to wonder what if they did it differently.

I'm very curious of teams with first time GMs, if there was a layer of experienced management between the 1st time GM and the owner. A team president, CEO, etc. Buffalo has a very flat structure where both the coach and GM report directly to the Pegula's. Have there been other examples of this that have worked?

 

[Jim Bob]

It's a very strange comparison. They're not similar in any way, except being reckless spenders. Washington literally made the playoffs last year, too...

Too many variables involved in both. Washington could stumble upon a Mahomes-type QB and it won't matter how bad Snyder is.

Snyder has owned WFT for over 20 years. And his ownership has been highlighted by impatience, poor spending, and Snyder being too involved in football decisions.

There will never be a perfect comparison. But, as a former WFT fan, I see a tone of parallels between the things that WFT has struggled with under Snyder and how the Sabres have struggled under the Pegulas.

 

[sabremike]

I get the hate. The Sabres are not successful and Pegula is the man at the top. However, it's not for a lack of effort. That's where I will put my foot down.

Sure, they have poor skills in finding a true leader at the GM spot who can steer us in the right direction. That's on them. However, they at least understand the problem are continuously try to rectify it, even if the next guy is always just as bad. I'm talking Botterill, Murrary, etc.

I always see the "cheap" comments, which again baffle me. They're still paying coaches and GM who are not even employed. Still paying players who have long since left the league. The most prominent talking point about them being "cheap" was the lack of a scouting department. But, people fail to understand the situation.

When Pegula fired Botterill, they didn't just fire Botterill, it was everything Botterill, including his scouts. Adams didn't even have a full off-season to rectify the situation. And now that he has, we already see him building it back up to where it was before (middle of the pack in terms of the total number of scouts).

Another talking point was him firing employees during the lockdown. I don't really understand this sentiment, as they weren't working, and many other owners followed suit.

He has consistently spent to the cap on terrible teams.

If anything, his problem is not spending too little, it's spending too recklessly. Cheap owners to overpay for Leino, Ehrhoff, Okposo, Skinner, and hand out 10m contracts to their star players. They go dumpster diving and trade off their top end talent, like Arizona, for futures.

We are lucky to have someone in such a minuscule market (Buffalonians truly don't grasp this), who spends their money.

It's unfortunate, he hasn't struck lightning as he has with the Bills in lucking his way into McBeane.

Our time will come. I'm grateful for everything Pegula has done. I understand that if Pegula was not here that the Sabres wouldn't be either. I'm not sure what else we could want from an owner other than to just hope and pray they find the right guys in management.

So far, I really like what I've seen from Adams. The ability to draft from the entire pool of players instead of rashly shunning countries like Russia or perilously focusing on one country or region . I like that he has been steadfast in his approach with Eichel. He seems like a guy who won't roll over, which is one of the traits I admired about Darcy. He was able to get a king's ransom for Risto and I hope that he found the same value in the Reinhart trade, though, I'm not a fan of trading for goalies.

To summarize, he's not cheap, in fact, he spends money recklessly. He is poor at finding the right GM to steer the ship. Without Pegula there is no Buffalo Sabres team. We are lucky to have, not only a team but an owner willing to spend big bucks in a minuscule market.

I believe it's just a matter of time. How much time? I don't know. There was a time for the Bills where fans were hopeless and believed no free agent would go there. The culture changed almost instantly. Hopefully, Adams is the guy. We will see. Adam's future is 100% tied to the Eichel return.

They absolutely saved the Bills, THEY DID NOT SAVE THE SABRES. Why do people keep saying this when it's quite easy to disprove. And the Pegulas took a team that was the 4th most winningest of all time with a huge waiting list to biggest laughingstock in all of pro sports that will easily be bottom 5 in attendance next season.

 

[SackTastic]

I get the hate. The Sabres are not successful and Pegula is the man at the top. However, it's not for a lack of effort. That's where I will put my foot down.

Sure, they have poor skills in finding a true leader at the GM spot who can steer us in the right direction. That's on them. However, they at least understand the problem are continuously try to rectify it, even if the next guy is always just as bad. I'm talking Botterill, Murrary, etc.

I always see the "cheap" comments, which again baffle me. They're still paying coaches and GM who are not even employed. Still paying players who have long since left the league. The most prominent talking point about them being "cheap" was the lack of a scouting department. But, people fail to understand the situation.

When Pegula fired Botterill, they didn't just fire Botterill, it was everything Botterill, including his scouts. Adams didn't even have a full off-season to rectify the situation. And now that he has, we already see him building it back up to where it was before (middle of the pack in terms of the total number of scouts).

Another talking point was him firing employees during the lockdown. I don't really understand this sentiment, as they weren't working, and many other owners followed suit.

He has consistently spent to the cap on terrible teams.

If anything, his problem is not spending too little, it's spending too recklessly. Cheap owners to overpay for Leino, Ehrhoff, Okposo, Skinner, and hand out 10m contracts to their star players. They go dumpster diving and trade off their top end talent, like Arizona, for futures.

We are lucky to have someone in such a minuscule market (Buffalonians truly don't grasp this), who spends their money.

It's unfortunate, he hasn't struck lightning as he has with the Bills in lucking his way into McBeane.

Our time will come. I'm grateful for everything Pegula has done. I understand that if Pegula was not here that the Sabres wouldn't be either. I'm not sure what else we could want from an owner other than to just hope and pray they find the right guys in management.

So far, I really like what I've seen from Adams. The ability to draft from the entire pool of players instead of rashly shunning countries like Russia or perilously focusing on one country or region . I like that he has been steadfast in his approach with Eichel. He seems like a guy who won't roll over, which is one of the traits I admired about Darcy. He was able to get a king's ransom for Risto and I hope that he found the same value in the Reinhart trade, though, I'm not a fan of trading for goalies.

To summarize, he's not cheap, in fact, he spends money recklessly. He is poor at finding the right GM to steer the ship. Without Pegula there is no Buffalo Sabres team. We are lucky to have, not only a team but an owner willing to spend big bucks in a minuscule market.

I believe it's just a matter of time. How much time? I don't know. There was a time for the Bills where fans were hopeless and believed no free agent would go there. The culture changed almost instantly. Hopefully, Adams is the guy. We will see. Adam's future is 100% tied to the Eichel return.

Agree that he's not 'cheap', and has spent very recklessly. However:
1. It doesn't matter that he fired "Botterill and everyone else." Only a small handful of those individuals had contracts that had to be paid out, everyone else was at-will.
2. Buffalo is not a 'minuscule market'. This was covered in the stadium thread, but Buffalo + Rochester + the closer parts of Southern Ontario is over 3M people. There are plenty of people and money to support an NHL team comfortably.
3. I'm not sure he gets 'credit' for spending to the cap ; it's always been in his personal financial interests to do so, even if the dollars are poorly spent.
4. The Sabres are still in town because of B. Thomas Golisano. Period. Pegula doesn't get credit for that.

 

[SackTastic]

Snyder has owned WFT for over 20 years. And his ownership has been highlighted by impatience, poor spending, and Snyder being too involved in football decisions.

There will never be a perfect comparison. But, as a former WFT fan, I see a tone of parallels between the things that WFT has struggled with under Snyder and how the Sabres have struggled under the Pegulas.

I mean you can make the same argument about the Cowboys I think. Rich owner who meddles in player decisions, and because they had success once, they think they know everything and will never do anything differently.

 

[Jim Bob]

I mean you can make the same argument about the Cowboys I think. Rich owner who meddles in player decisions, and because they had success once, they think they know everything and will never do anything differently.

The Cowboys are a completely different beast because Jerry Jones has made himself the GM while also having way more football experience prior to buying the Cowboys than Snyder had prior to buying WFT or hockey experience in the case of the Pegulas buying the Sabres

 

[p0nchik]

They absolutely saved the Bills, THEY DID NOT SAVE THE SABRES. Why do people keep saying this when it's quite easy to disprove. And the Pegulas took a team that was the 4th most winningest of all time with a huge waiting list to biggest laughingstock in all of pro sports that will easily be bottom 5 in attendance next season.

Because they aren't really responsible for either.

They hired the right guys with the Bills and the wrong with the Sabres. It's pretty simple. Maybe they were fortunate with the Bills or maybe they were lucky. Who knows.

They bought this team at the very start of its downtrend. We were expected to lose more. Looking at it as if they're the cause is a matter of lacking perspective. If you want to blame them for hiring the wrong guys, go for it.

Not sure what the point is in blaming them. I get we're angry. But it's them or no team.

 

[p0nchik]

I mean you can make the same argument about the Cowboys I think. Rich owner who meddles in player decisions, and because they had success once, they think they know everything and will never do anything differently.

Is there actually any proof Pegulas meddle with the Sabres or Bills? I know there have been unsubstantive rumors, but nothing concrete. Just whispers, which have usually been wrong in other instances regarding the Sabres. So, I don't really get the comparison to Jerry or Snyder other than them being rich owners of NFL teams.

 

[SackTastic]

Is there actually any proof Pegulas meddle with the Sabres or Bills? I know there have been unsubstantive rumors, but nothing concrete. Just whispers, which have usually been wrong in other instances regarding the Sabres. So, I don't really get the comparison to Jerry or Snyder other than them being rich owners of NFL teams.

How many videos produced by the Sabres , showing Terry Pegula in the room and participating in conversations about 'should we or shouldn't we' . do you need to see?

 

[SackTastic]

The Cowboys are a completely different beast because Jerry Jones has made himself the GM while also having way more football experience prior to buying the Cowboys than Snyder had prior to buying WFT or hockey experience in the case of the Pegulas buying the Sabres

It's a fair point, although personally I think that Jones' college experience is actually to his detriment in the NFL.

 

[TehDoak]

Because they aren't really responsible for either.

They hired the right guys with the Bills and the wrong with the Sabres. It's pretty simple. Maybe they were fortunate with the Bills or maybe they were lucky. Who knows.

They bought this team at the very start of its downtrend. We were expected to lose more. Looking at it as if they're the cause is a matter of lacking perspective. If you want to blame them for hiring the wrong guys, go for it.

Not sure what the point is in blaming them. I get we're angry. But it's them or no team.

So, let's review the hirings:

They come on, they immediately make the playoffs. Hurrah, keep the same guys.

Regier does a lot of out of character things (Ehrhoff, Regehr, Leino)....it plain doesn't work. Team does worse and worse, they start the rebuild with the Pominville and Gaustaud trades. Ruff is fired. Developmental coach hired. Regier kept along with Ron Rolston, who is a developmental coach.

Still doesn't work. More are sold off, things are actually going about "rebuildy" but the Pegula's aren't happy with the effort, Regier and Rolston are fired, Lafontaine and Nolan are brought in. (front office shakeup #1). Pat Lafontaine has minimal front office experience at this point. Tim Murray is hired. Lafontaine abruptly resigns. Nolan is kept on for an additional season after. Bylsma is hired. (GM 2, and coach 3)

2015 there is good improvement. However, 2016-17 is pretty stale and there is some drama (someone leaks Eichel won't extend with Bylsma as a coach). The Pegula's fire both and hire Housley (coach 4) and Botterill (GM 3). Housley finishes dead last and then well out of the playoffs, fired. Pegula's hires Krueger (Coach 5). JB is fired a season later, Adams is brought on (GM 4) and Krueger is fired (eventually) and Granato is brought on. (coach 6)

So, let's stop and take a tally. Of 5 coaches hired under Pegula, 3 of them had less than a full season NHL experience, 2 of them with none, and 1 with a lockout season worth. Of the 3 GMs hired, all 3 had zero NHL GM experience. Murray and Botterill had the traditional AGM credentials and Adams, had, well nothing.

This isn't one mistake. This is a pattern. You would think after being dissatisfied with the performance of 2 GMs with no actual NHL GM experience, the response would be to go the opposite way and hire a seasoned team builder, but the Pegula's doubled down and went with loyalty over resume. This isn't one 'well we hired the wrong guy'., this is 'we keep making the same dumb mistake over and over again'

 

[Jim Bob]

This isn't one mistake. This is a pattern. You would think after being dissatisfied with the performance of 2 GMs with no actual NHL GM experience, the response would be to go the opposite way and hire a seasoned team builder, but the Pegula's doubled down and went with loyalty over resume. This isn't one 'well we hired the wrong guy'., this is 'we keep making the same dumb mistake over and over again'

It has been interesting to see the Pegulas have bad experiences with two rookie GMs and then go with a an even rookier rookie GM this time around.

Although, I do like some of what I have seen from Adams since he's been the GM.

 

[SackTastic]

It has been interesting to see the Pegulas have bad experiences with two rookie GMs and then go with a an even rookier rookie GM this time around.

Although, I do like some of what I have seen from Adams since he's been the GM.

I would say that the only bad experience they had with the first two GMs was they got push back and didn't know how to handle that. They should have plenty of time before KA gets there.

It's 100% the way they run their businesses. How many others billionaires take a kid who was doing marketing for Rite Aid and put him in charge of business development?