Kevyn Adams - New GM

[joshjull]

The issue is historically Eakin gets out-shot/out-chanced, even in an offensive slanted deployment. It certainly isn’t the same role because at the end of the day he has been on the ice for more given up than Larsson, while Eakin has been on considerably better teams. If Eakin plays how he usually does, that is not an improvement.

Do you want the guy with better counting stats who gave up more than his points in GA or the guy with lesser counting stats who was a net positive even in ridiculous use?

The closest Larsson came to the underlined was this year. He broke even (xGF- 51%) was a net positive (GF% - 55%) but it wasn’t in a ridiculous deployment. His deployment was tough but not ridiculously so (OZS% - 41%) Like in previous years.


The rest of his career he averaged

GF% -41%
XGF% -44%
OZS% - 32%

He certainly played ridiculously tough minutes prior to this season but he didn’t come near being a net positive in them. His legend seems to grow beyond what he actually was as a player.

Eakin wasn’t brought in to replace Larsson’s role/usage. If I had to guess based on his career OZS% of 54%. He will be tasked with the role they were hoping Mitts could handle last season (bottom six/secondary scoring center).

Eakin’s career numbers (GF% - 49%/xGF% - 49%) are nothing special nor horrible. His effectiveness IMO will largely rest of the quality of his linemates.

 

[Beerz]

He was one of the better forecheckers. I thought he slipped badly in that department last season.

Really? I never saw that. But honestly even last season seems forever ago

 

[TehDoak]

So, I'm all about building a winning culture with the Sabres, but I think the emphasis should be focused on the winning part.

I'll give Adams props for getting Staal and Hall while only moving one player in the process.

That's A+ asset management.

However, that circles back to his 3 "Bad" moves, which was:

A) Letting Kahun walk
B) Girgensons to a deal almost double of what the market dictated
C) Cody Eakin, for the same as Wennberg and double the term.

Given, the 2 "good" moves were major moves, and the 3 "bad" moves were relatively minor

My biggest issue so far is the core issues still remain:

a defensive or two way center
a top 4 LHD
Resolve the RHD glut
Resolving the goalie issue

So far, the only issue that appears to have any traction with the front office is the goalie issue.

I think the salary cap has gummed up the works, but after LV resolves its cap issue(s), I think we'll see a general unclogging of the system.

 

[Fjordy]

Great GM, happy with him

 

[brian_griffin]

None of us knows what Adams’ plan is. Or what he’s still trying to do. Give it a week or two and get a holistic picture, then opine.

and...

It’s pretty obvious at this point that Krueger has a huge impact on who gets brought in.

I wonder about comments in other threads about wanting to be a faster team. If the Sabres can spread speed over 3 lines and draw penalties from poor matchups, they certainly have enough forwards to run 2 good PP units.

Ok, calling VO similar to sammy watkins or dareus is a bit irresponsible..He busted his a off to arrive last year.. Hes more than one dimensional.. Reinhart has played w more grit and does such subtle things.. To not see them at least half the year w a good team on their proper matchups..

We would be stupid to part w either and Sam will capitulate on a contract well under Hall 8m. Unless you all know he's a problem.. I see these guys maturing and now playing w eric staal and hall.. I see no bs under Krueger..what a great situation for dahlin to be around.. Reminds me of signing Dale H or Mogilny..

Great adds for us but mainly the right situation around eichel anf crew fir staal , hall and eakin to rejuvenate their careers.. With cozens mitts our 8 and tage knocking on the doors w the grit and example of lazar to surpass .

Agreed. both Dareus and Watkins were more serious about smoking pot than football. Not a good comparison.

 

[Chainshot]

Winning fixes culture.

 

[StlSwedes]

The longer Kahun goes unsigned the better the case for GMKA making a shrewd and heady move with Kahun. At first it looked like a clear mistake. Sabres twitter cesspool would have made you think that not extending Kahun was akin to the ROR trade.

Perhaps instead it was a bit of both. A slight mistake but at the same time given previous arbitration awards and the state of the NHL with COVID and cap space it makes sense not leaving the $$ up to chance.

 

[SabresFan26]

Winning fixes culture.

Negative. Winning is a by product of a positive culture.

Teams beat talent when talent isn't a team.

 

[Jim Bob]

Negative. Winning is a by product of a positive culture.

Teams beat talent when talent isn't a team.

There isn't a more positive coach out there than Krueger. Like so many things in life, this isn't an either/or thing but a yes/and thing.

You need the right blend of talent and coaching AND you need a culture of positivity and hard work. It's not just one thing.

And Krueger's positive attitude may not be enough to overcome things like how he's bad at line construction and player usage.

 

[BloFan4Life]

Are people really still complaining about Adams?

Getting Hall is a game changer people!!! He and Kreuger are clearly working together on one vision. Why are people complaining??

They want to build a big, fast team. A guy like Eakin and Grigs are more important to that than Larsson and Kahun. It's that simple.

 

[Jim Bob]

Are people really still complaining about Adams?

Getting Hall is a game changer people!!! He and Kreuger are clearly working together on one vision. Why are people complaining??

They want to build a big, fast team. A guy like Eakin and Grigs are more important to that than Larsson and Kahun. It's that simple.

Who's complaining?

Judging all the moves individually is like a teacher grading every paper written by a student separately. The final grade is made up from all the individual moves.

People have questions about some of the moves that Adams and company have made so far this off season. I think it is fair to have a variety of opinions on the variety of moves.

 

[TehDoak]

Are people really still complaining about Adams?

Getting Hall is a game changer people!!! He and Kreuger are clearly working together on one vision. Why are people complaining??

They want to build a big, fast team. A guy like Eakin and Grigs are more important to that than Larsson and Kahun. It's that simple.

You don't get to take a victory lap when the team hasn't played a single game. The proof will be in the results on the ice.

Despite the good (Hall, Staal), there's bad as well.

The question is, do the "big" moves are overcome the underlying issues. Are we a playoff team? Time will tell. Also, all of Adams "fixes" are bandaids at this point. Both Hall and Staal can be gone next summer and we're back to square 1.

 

[Sabre the Win]

They want to build a big, fast team. A guy like Eakin and Grigs are more important to that than Larsson and Kahun. It's that simple.

No

 

[BloFan4Life]

Who's complaining?

Judging all the moves individually is like a teacher grading every paper written by a student separately. The final grade is made up from all the individual moves.

People have questions about some of the moves that Adams and company have made so far this off season. I think it is fair to have a variety of opinions on the variety of moves.

That's a horrible comparison and doesn't even make sense.

All the moves were made in conjunction with the HC that have one vision. Also, how do you judge anything before any players play? You going to give a grade to a paper before it is written?

EICHEL,JACK - REINHART,SAM - SKINNER,JEFF
GIRGENSONS,ZEMGUS - LARSSON,JOHAN - OKPOSO,KYLE
LAZAR,CURTIS - SIMMONDS,WAYNE - VESEY,JIMMY
JOHANSSON,MARCUS - KAHUN,DOMINIK - OLOFSSON,VICTOR

These were literally the lines on the last game played. Compare that to now.

Last Game Lines - Frozen Tools

 

[Jim Bob]

That's a horrible comparison and doesn't even make sense.

All the moves were made in conjunction with the HC that have one vision. Also, how do you judge anything before any players play? You going to give a grade to a paper before it is written?

EICHEL,JACK - REINHART,SAM - SKINNER,JEFF
GIRGENSONS,ZEMGUS - LARSSON,JOHAN - OKPOSO,KYLE
LAZAR,CURTIS - SIMMONDS,WAYNE - VESEY,JIMMY
JOHANSSON,MARCUS - KAHUN,DOMINIK - OLOFSSON,VICTOR

These were literally the lines on the last game played. Compare that to now.

Last Game Lines - Frozen Tools

So, you don't believe that anyone should have any reaction at all to any off season moves until games are played?

I mean, if people can't be critical because games haven't been played, then they can't be optimistic either. They need to be completely neutral until games are played.

That makes for a really boring message board if that is the case.

And as far as the vision being there, sure. But, Botts had a plan. Murray had a plan. Darcy had a plan. And we know what Mike Tyson said about plans...

 

[BloFan4Life]

So, you don't believe that anyone should have any reaction at all to any off season moves until games are played?

I mean, if people can't be critical because games haven't been played, then they can't be optimistic either. They need to be completely neutral until games are played.

That makes for a really boring message board if that is the case.

And as far as the vision being there, sure. But, Botts had a plan. Murray had a plan. Darcy had a plan. And we know what Mike Tyson said about plans...

Please go ahead and be constantly negative. Not sure why anyone wouldn't want to view change with an optimistic perspective, but you do you.

And no, the connection between Adams and Kreuger is nothing like previous GM/HC combo.

 

[Jim Bob]

Please go ahead and be constantly negative. Not sure why anyone wouldn't want to view change with an optimistic perspective, but you do you.

And no, the connection between Adams and Kreuger is nothing like previous GM/HC combo.

I am not constantly negative.

I liked the Staal trade. I liked the Hall signing. I liked getting JJP in the second round of the draft.

I just don't buy into every move being a good one. And time will prove that not every move was the right one. Just like not every move is a bad one, either.

Sorry if being realistic is offensive to you.

 

[enthusiast]

I don't think it's unreasonable to say there's a faction of sports fans that revel in pervasive negativity and self-loathing, but that doesn't mean that everything they object to is actually good. Adams has made some great moves on paper and some head scratchers on paper

 

[OkimLom]

Are people really still complaining about Adams?

Yes, because there are areas of the team to be concerned about. Getting a good piece on the team is a win on paper. Let's see how much this is different to when Skinner, a more prolific scorer, was brought in via trade. Or when MaJo (who was loved by most fans as a positive move, only to come up as a dud of a move; Re: Staal). Let's continue to ice a defense that is laughably bad at creating offense from the blueline, where Ralph created the system to be used. Let's continue to ice a goaltending tandem that is below average.

Getting Hall is a game changer people!!! He and Kreuger are clearly working together on one vision. Why are people complaining??

And for the other times that Eichel and Hall aren't on the ice? What's so enticing about those guys? Right now Adams and Krueger's vision is a top 6 heavy forward group, and a bottom 6 without rhyme or reason. Most teams in the league are 3 lines deep at the very least. I'm sure teams have no problem playing the matchup games. People are complaining because there is a lot to be done, with the Sabres looking like they are close to being done.

They want to build a big, fast team. A guy like Eakin and Grigs are more important to that than Larsson and Kahun. It's that simple.

Are they now (won't be too hung up on it, but it's Girgs, not Grigs) Saying they want to build a big, fast team, is one thing, but being an effective big fast team is another. Your big fast team means nothing when you can't possess the puck, or retrieve the puck. Eakin is weak at possession and retrieval, and Girgensons is made for forechecking, and not much "keeping the puck". Kahun is a very good puck retriever and is capable of moving the puck efficiently (was the one move I liked of Botterill's), with his SPEED and his style of play, and Larsson was key to possessing the puck.

 

[Dubi Doo]

Yes, because there are areas of the team to be concerned about. Getting a good piece on the team is a win on paper. Let's see how much this is different to when Skinner, a more prolific scorer, was brought in via trade. Or when MaJo (who was loved by most fans as a positive move, only to come up as a dud of a move; Re: Staal). Let's continue to ice a defense that is laughably bad at creating offense from the blueline, where Ralph created the system to be used. Let's continue to ice a goaltending tandem that is below average.

And for the other times that Eichel and Hall aren't on the ice? What's so enticing about those guys? Right now Adams and Krueger's vision is a top 6 heavy forward group, and a bottom 6 without rhyme or reason. Most teams in the league are 3 lines deep at the very least. I'm sure teams have no problem playing the matchup games. People are complaining because there is a lot to be done, with the Sabres looking like they are close to being done.

Are they now (won't be too hung up on it, but it's Girgs, not Grigs) Saying they want to build a big, fast team, is one thing, but being an effective big fast team is another. Your big fast team means nothing when you can't possess the puck, or retrieve the puck. Eakin is weak at possession and retrieval, and Girgensons is made for forechecking, and not much "keeping the puck". Kahun is a very good puck retriever and is capable of moving the puck efficiently (was the one move I liked of Botterill's), with his SPEED and his style of play, and Larsson was key to possessing the puck.

I have to agree with a ton of this. Hall is a great addition, but if no other moves are made- then I won't be happy with this offseason. The defense MUST be addressed this offseason. I agree with the bottom 6 lacking any real rhyme of reason, but if Adams can fix the defense and address goaltending, then I'll be a happy camper.

 

[Fjordy]

Genius

 

[Buffaloed]

The closest Larsson came to the underlined was this year. He broke even (xGF- 51%) was a net positive (GF% - 55%) but it wasn’t in a ridiculous deployment. His deployment was tough but not ridiculously so (OZS% - 41%) Like in previous years.


The rest of his career he averaged

GF% -41%
XGF% -44%
OZS% - 32%

He certainly played ridiculously tough minutes prior to this season but he didn’t come near being a net positive in them. His legend seems to grow beyond what he actually was as a player.

Eakin wasn’t brought in to replace Larsson’s role/usage. If I had to guess based on his career OZS% of 54%. He will be tasked with the role they were hoping Mitts could handle last season (bottom six/secondary scoring center).

Eakin’s career numbers (GF% - 49%/xGF% - 49%) are nothing special nor horrible. His effectiveness IMO will largely rest of the quality of his linemates.

The most significant number on Larsson is $1.2 millon. Every GM in the NHL had a chance to sign him.

 

[Der Jaeger]

The most significant number on Larsson is $1.2 millon. Every GM in the NHL had a chance to sign him.

what we don’t know is the locker room interaction and influence, and off ice stuff. I wonder if there was something about Larsson that Krueger didn’t like.

 

[Team Cozens]

You don't get to take a victory lap when the team hasn't played a single game. The proof will be in the results on the ice.

Despite the good (Hall, Staal), there's bad as well.

The question is, do the "big" moves are overcome the underlying issues. Are we a playoff team? Time will tell. Also, all of Adams "fixes" are bandaids at this point. Both Hall and Staal can be gone next summer and we're back to square 1.

What were the bad and why are they bad?

 

[TunaBoss44]

What were the bad and why are they bad?

Eakin and Girgensons both signed over the market rate. Girgensons is justifiable because he's been here and you know what he can do. Eakin is hard to justify when you compare him to guys like Larsson, Wennberg, Wallmark who signed for less.

You can also argue Rossi, Perfetti over Quinn but the draft is always a bit of a crapshoot and Quinn has grown on me since I've taken a deeper dive on him