Kevyn Adams Words or Lack Thereof Are Hurting the Buffalo Sabres
Is Kevyn Adams Part of the Problem in Buffalo?
The Buffalo Sabres have a culture problem, and it starts at the top with the club's general manager, Kevyn Adams.
Words are powerful not only in life but also in sports. It is the job of the General Manager to project confidence in his team and not come off as a whiner. He needs to relay a message to the fan base that allows them to believe he is making the best decisions for the organization to succeed. Whether they agree with them or not is a different story.
However, a clear message is needed. The best organizations have a guy delivering that message. In Buffalo, they don’t have that with Kevyn Adams. He just does not come across as confident in his statements. Not to mention, he is looking to lash out at the media when they ask legitimate questions about players and the club's direction.
Just this week, before Adams traded J.J. Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan, he held a pre-NHL Draft press conference where he did not even address Peterka.
"I don’t think it’s productive or beneficial for me to get into specifics about our players, because this is the time of year where there’s so much going on, and there’s probably a lot of misinformation out there. I’ll leave it at that," said Adams at the start of his Tuesday press conference.
However, he doubled down on the misinformation comment when asked about Mattias Samuelsson and the rumours that he could be brought out or traded.
“I feel bad for our fans, the stuff that’s out there. There’s so much misinformation and so much of it is nonsense,” Adams continued on Tuesday. “I mean, someone who has no idea what they’re talking about reporting that we were going to buy 'Sammy' [Mattias Samuelsson] out when we’ve never had that conversation once. It’s ridiculous. I don’t think it’s worth me getting into it."
Most people in the NHL feel bad for the Buffalo Sabres and their fans, too, because they have not made the playoffs in 14 years. The last time the Buffalo Sabres made the playoffs was in 2011. Therefore, the use of the misinformation line suggests that a lack of knowledge is required to be a GM in the NHL.
As one person told Full Press Media, “When a team publicly denies something, it usually means discussions were had about doing.”
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Just because Mattias Samuelson was not bought out doesn’t mean it wasn’t discussed as a possible option. Samuelson is in year four of a seven-year deal that pays $4,285,714 a season, and being under 26, he would be eligible for a one-third buyout instead of the normal two-thirds.
However, it is telling when Adams does not mention Peterka in a press release after he has just been traded. Not even thanking him for his time in Buffalo.
“One of our priorities as we work through this offseason is making our team more competitive and tougher to play against," Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. "The additions of Michael and Josh will help us tremendously in both of those categories and I am excited to see them in a Sabres uniform soon.
"Michael fits the mold of the right-handed defensemen we have been looking for, and we are thrilled he brings both size and compete. We believe he will help add balance to our blue line while elevating the rest of the D corps. Josh is a player that has shown the ability to win at multiple levels and brings great leadership pedigree to our organization. He’s a strong two-way player who we believe will be able to provide versatility to our group.”
This is a bad look, and other players notice it, and so do other teams. Meanwhile, the Utah Mammoth are thrilled to have acquired and signed a young player like Peterka.
But this isn’t the first time Adams has something he might regret later on.
During a press conference in December 2024, Adams talked about how Buffalo was not a destination for players to sign.
"We’re not a destination city right now," Adams said, "Where you’re going to be able to go out and UFAs that are key guys. And I just don't think that's a way to build a sustainable winner."
But what he said was eye-opening when asked about what the team could do to change it.
"We don't have palm trees, we have taxes in New York, those are real and those are things you deal with. And trust me I'm in conversation every day and there's a lot of players in this league we need to earn their respect,” Adams continued.
At the time, the Sabres had not made the playoffs for 13 seasons. As previously mentioned, that number is up to 14 years, and next year could well be 15 seasons of not making the playoffs. That is bad business for the NHL and makes the Sabres look terrible and irrelevant in the eyes of the fan base.
Having a culture where losing is acceptable will not attract players. Adams was right that players will come to Buffalo if they show sustained success. However, it is challenging to persuade players to go there when they know the Sabres are on their no-trade list.
The culture of losing is acceptable, starting at the general manager’s position. While they might draft and develop, they don’t allow their young players to shine. And you can argue the developing part is up for debate because they have rushed many prospects in their development, only to find success elsewhere.
Again, words are a powerful weapon. When used correctly, they get players to buy into what a team is building. They also have the power to destroy a team and make players want to leave because they lack confidence in what the general manager is building.
Until the message changes from the general manager and Adams presents himself more effectively, the Sabres will continue to have these issues.
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