Things still look bleak for the Buffalo Sabres. But general manager Kevyn Adams is building a sound nucleus through the NHL Entry Draft and acquiring young talent.
Adams, who the Buffalo Sabres named general manager in June 2020, has been a resounding success in both continuing the work former boss Jason Botterill put in and taking it upon himself to find young talent. Under Adams, the Sabres have drafted Jack Quinn, pulled off a blockbuster deal for early-round picks, plus Alex Tuch, and Peyton Krebs in the Jack Eichel trade. He also drafted hot prospects like J.J. Peterka (Rochester Americans) and Owen Power (Michigan Wolverines).
General manager Adams succeeding in Sabres’ rebuild
Adams is also responsible for netting another first-round pick in 2022 in his trade of Sam Reinhart with the Florida Panthers that also brought over prospect Devon Levi. The wheeling and dealing has given the Sabres three first-round draft picks in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft as of February 8th.
It’s the second season in a row the Sabres will have multiple picks in the first round. But it goes far beyond generating early draft picks. Adams needed them to produce, and so far he was seen positive returns on Quinn, Peterka, and Power. Quinn and Peterka have already made their NHL debuts and have played stand out hockey with the Rochester Americans.
Power has become a force with the Wolverines and secured a spot on the Canadian National Team. Tuch returned from injury and has been one of the team’s bright spots on offense with 13 points in 13 games. Krebs has developed well and will only see his ice time increase.
Keeping the Sabres’ young nucleus, Adams signed Tage Thompson to a contract extension in October 2020. He has also hung onto holdovers from the Botterill regime such as Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens, and Casey Mittelstadt. It’s a clear sign Adams is building this program through the draft, allowing both holdovers and newbies to work their way through the system in hopes they will transform the Sabres into a force in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.