It was reported that Rasmus Dahlin initiated a meeting with Kevyn Adams and wanted a clear plan on how they are moving forward as an organization. He was pleased with what he heard, and it sounds like it went over well in the locker room.
From what was said, it seems that the big move that Adams was referring to was the Dylan Cozens trade. I wouldn’t call that a “big move, " but I believe the Sabres could make another move during the summer as they try to clear some cap space. I had assumed dumping Dylan Cozens meant bringing in some good players on smaller deals.
However, they brought in Josh Norris who has a bigger contract, and it would not surprise me to see them make another move this summer. I am not taking Elias Pettersson out of the picture as Vancouver looks to shop him this offseason. This now leads us to the question of how Adams plans to end the Sabres playoff drought and make them a contender again.
Infrastructure for young talent
It seems the Sabres have struggled with developing their young talent over the years, and these players thrive with other organizations. Eichel, Reinhart, and Ullmark thrived elsewhere as they joined established winning cultures.
Former player Brandon Montour talked about the issues with game plans, and players not being able to find their footing in a recent ESPN article.
"When I was there, and I wasn't there long, they fired their coaches right away," said Montour, who played for three different coaches in Buffalo. Former Sabres GM Jason Botterill had maybe three years. “Was that enough time for a rebuild? You're firing a guy, and bringing a new guy in. It feels like every two or three years, you're bringing a new guy in." Montour proclaimed.
We have heard Adams talk about palm trees and taxes, but most teams that are up against the cap are contenders and not dead last. Those teams tend to overspend, and when you are as close to the playoffs as Buffalo was, you should overspend for the right talent.
Need to find the right coach
As Montour mentioned these Sabres coaches don’t last long as they tend to give them very little time to turn things around. Since Lindy Ruff left in 2013, the Sabres have had five coaches. Each one only lasting two years, with the exception of Don Granato who lasted three years.
Granato almost got them to the playoffs in 2022-2023, but after another season of no playoffs in 2023-2024 he was fired. The line for perfection is thin in Buffalo for these coaches, and sadly I think Lindy Ruff is next, again.
Ruff has struggled this year with a talented roster, and we have seen a number of players regress. With the exception of the 22-23 season, this is the best team Adams has put together. With the exception of some bad contracts, this team is extremely talented on paper, but Ruff has yet to put the pieces together.
If Ruff isn’t gone at the end of this year, it certainly seems like he will be gone at the end of next year if the Sabres can’t make the playoffs. The Sabres are looking at their 14th straight season without making the playoffs, and hopefully this meeting between GM and players is a good sign of things to come as the Sabres look towards next season.