Jim Bob
RIP RJ
LeBrun: The Jack Eichel trade a year later, and how Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is building to 'compete every year'
With the Sabres off to a 7-3-0 start, GM Kevyn Adams discusses two turbulent years and how the team has emerged as a 2022-23 surprise.
theathletic.com
I liked how PLB wrapped up the article, too:It’s a fan base that deserves to be enjoying hockey again.
No one involved with the Sabres is getting carried away over a 7-3-0 start, but it is at least nice to see so many feeling good about what’s going on in Buffalo.
The Sabres are fun to watch, they’re playing for each other, and there’s an evident belief in the dressing room in what they’re about.
And to think, just 2 1/2 years ago when Kevyn Adams was named general manager, he was having to answer some pretty tough questions in his market about the direction of this team after what felt like a lost decade for the franchise.
Adams had a few of those media availabilities during the pandemic, to be sure. They weren’t easy. But he tried to be transparent about the road ahead. For a rookie GM at the time, one thing I remember is that he didn’t sugarcoat the reality of the moment after his hiring in June 2020.
Which makes the path he took to today that much more impressive.
“When I think back at the beginning, the most important thing, in my opinion, was to just be honest,” Adams told The Athletic on Thursday. “Just tell the truth about exactly where we were and why. I talked a lot about how we needed to learn from the past but we couldn’t live in the past. Just understanding where we were and just trying to be honest about how we have a vision, we have a plan, we’re going to stick to the plan, and we’re not going to get caught up in the emotion of it.
“In saying that, I totally understood from the fan base the perspective of frustration. So you just had to face it head-on and do your best.”
Veteran GM Don Waddell has known Adams for a long time and isn’t surprised by the overall work he’s seen from the young Sabres GM.
“I knew Kevyn as a player, I had him in the U.S. program,” the Hurricanes GM said Thursday. “The type of player he was, he wasn’t given anything. He had to work for everything he got. Same for him now as a GM. He won’t be granted anything. He’s going to have to work for it, but that’s what he’s doing. So far it’s worked out pretty good for him.”
Adams, meanwhile, was entering the final season of his contract as GM before signing an extension in September. It was during those conversations with ownership that he expressed a desire to also extend his head coach even though Don Granato still had this season and next left on his deal. The two-year extension recently signed by Granato means he’s signed through 2025-26. For a franchise that’s had a turnstile turnover at coach and GM in the past decade, that’s needed stability.
“When I was having discussions with Terry Pegula about my own personal situation, one thing I made very clear is that I want to be here, and I’m excited about the future and moving forward, but it was a No. 1 priority to align Donnie and extend his contract,” Adams said. “I just feel he’s been so important for the group in terms of the way he handles himself every day, the development mindset that he has with his background, his ability to understand and work with younger players, and really the influence he’s had on the players and the coaching staff.
“Just to push and continue to get better every day. Also understanding that you’re going to go through ups and downs, especially with younger players.”
There are indeed more ups and downs coming, but the overarching path seems evident. The Sabres are back.
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