Reliving the evolution of the Buffalo Sabres under Kevyn Adams
It’s clear that the Buffalo Sabres have turned a corner under general manager Kevyn Adams, and that should mean the playoffs in 2024.
Three years and one week ago, the Buffalo Sabres named Kevyn Adams their latest general manager. It was a job that held little value at the time, given the sheer turnover associated with it.
But, here we are in June 2023, and Adams is still firmly in charge of the Blue and Gold. And better yet, he’s still in the Queen City while we’re talking playoffs for the 2023-24 season. Yeah, funny how things change in the span of three short seasons.
You may remember, though, that Year 1 was anything but kind to Adams’ Sabres. Despite a solid draft that saw Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka join the system, the Blue and Gold plummeted to a 15-34-7 record, good for just 37 points.
If there was any solace in the season, it came on two fronts. For one, Adams found his head coach in Don Granato. and for another, he parlayed the first overall pick into Owen Power, who would see ice time in the NHL toward the end of the 2021-22 season.
Buffalo Sabres evolved into a playoff contender under Kevyn Adams
Speaking of 2021-22, it was a year when Adams completely dismantled the roster, trading away notable players like Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and Rasmus Ristolainen. From the trade came assets like Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, Noah Ostlund, Isak Rosen, Jiri Kulich, Devon Levi, and indirectly, Jordan Greenway. Technically, Robert Hagg was also part of the Ristolainen deal, but no one really says much about him…
Adams also proved he hired the right coach in Don Granato, who since taking over the job, practically saved Tage Thompson’s career, turned around that of Jeff Skinner’s, and removed the underachiever label from Rasmus Dahlin. Today, all three players are among the most productive at their respective positions.
This past season, we saw Casey Mittelstadt exceed even the most outrageous expectations under Granato, removing the bust label for at least a year. The only question fans ask these days is, “Who’s career will Granato turn around next?”
Adams respected his predecessors
So many times in sports, you will see a new general manager take a job and just change everything, and that could include slowly replacing prospects and players from previous regimes with either homegrown talent, or talent acquired from other teams. Adams, however, realized his predecessors left him with some young talent that included the following select young players and prospects:
- Dylan Cozens
- Ryan Johnson
- Filip Cederqvist
- Lukas Rousek
- Mattias Samuelsson
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Cozens and Samuelsson have since signed long-term deals to be with the Buffalo Sabres for at least the next seven seasons. Ryan Johnson signed this year and will be in Rochester, joining Filip Cederqvist, and perhaps Lukas Rousek. But Rousek may be on his way to snagging a spot on the main roster, even as Adams brought back leaders like Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons.
He also could have written off Tage, Dahlin, and Mittelstadt as lost causes, and most executives probably would have done so, and sent them elsewhere for either prospects or mid-to-late round draft picks to teams willing to take a chance on them. But he didn’t, and as mentioned, they’re all pivotal pieces to the Sabres roster.
Looking ahead
It’s wild to think that in 2020-21, the Buffalo Sabres garnered just 37 points in 56 games, which equals a measly 54 points in 82 contests at the same pace. One season later, and the rebuild led the Blue and Gold to finish 2021-22 off with 75 points.
Nothing to brag about, but it was light years better than what we had grown accustomed to. The latter portion of the season was also when the team started foreshadowing what they would become in 2022-23, a high-octane team that had potential to at least contend for the playoffs.
And although the NHL universe saw it differently, the Sabres, with many of the players listed above that now included Quinn, Peterka, and Power as full-time members of the youngest lineup in hockey, finished the season with 91 points, 42 wins, and one point and a lost tiebreaker shy of earning a playoff berth.
Related Story. Adams is right about the Buffalo Sabres goaltenders. light
Looking ahead to 2023-24, and Kevyn Adams has built this team into a unit that will contend for the playoffs. And one that’s only one, two puzzle pieces tops, from doing more than merely competing for a playoff spot. It’s going to be a fun ride.
Source: Mike Harrington: This draft marks the start of new stage for Kevyn Adams’ career as Sabres GM, BuffaloNews.com
(Historical and draft data provided by Hockey-Reference)