Buffalo Sabres: Kevyn Adams offers incredible words of wisdom

By now, we all know Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams’ managing style, and he recently offered incredible words of wisdom.

Over the past three seasons, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has been the team’s most incredible asset. He’s taken an organization from a perpetual tailspin and turned it into one that became relevant for the first time in over 10 seasons, and he did it the right way.

As I write this, the NHL is in the thick of its offseason, with little going on except for the occasional blockbuster trade and the never-ending barrage of rumors, 99.9% of which will fade as the summer progresses. But we’ve seen teams make some big moves earlier in the offseason while Adams has stuck to his plan, adding a pair of solid blueliners to improve the unit, but little more.

And it fits perfectly with his wise philosophy in building the Blue and Gold. Here is what he said regarding the subject in a recent interview regarding his approach to free agency:

"“Free agency is a time where you want to round out your team and add to your team, as long as you’re doing it responsibly. But you have to be really careful trying to build your team that way and that’s why I always come back to drafting, developing, and retaining your players. I think he can make some massive mistakes on July 1.” – via Buffalo Hockey Now"

Buffalo Sabres general manager wise to continue his approach

As an executive for a hockey team that overachieved last season and came closer to making the playoffs than they had at any other point since 2011, it would be easy for Adams or any general manager to overreact. But Adams is right to continue his approach, as he’s shown that through retention of your own talent, you can and will build a winning culture not just for the here and now, but potentially for decades on end.

You can acquire and sign all the talent you want (Steve Yzerman, anyone?), but at the end of the day, do those players mesh well? If they do, then yeah, make blockbuster trades and sign your free agents. But if and when they don’t build the chemistry you expected, then you just set your team back at least a few seasons and spiraled them into perennial mediocrity.

You also run the risk of shortening the window of success in this way, while taking Adams’ approach, you’re always drafting a certain type of player to fit your system and culture. You’re also retaining those who fit, while letting the not-so-good fits walk, or you may just trade them away.

Overall, Adams is correct to be hesitant with getting aggressive in the free agency (and by extension, the trade) market. He’s done an incredible job building the Buffalo Sabres through the draft, and even keeping those from previous eras around if he feels they are good fits for the team. It resulted in the team’s first winning season in over a decade this past year, and it may evolve into something more in 2023-24.

Source: Are The Sabres Still Shopping In Free Agent Market? by Michael Augello, BuffaloHockeyNow.com