Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550/WBEN) – Before Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams joined Brian Koziol and myself on the pregame show on WGR.
The NHL Trade Deadline is fast approaching this Friday at 3 p.m. EST across the league.
Trades can happen at the drop of a hat in the NHL, but generally, there’s more that goes into that process.
"A lot of the legwork has been done, and for me, it usually starts six weeks before where you talk to every team in the league, you explain where you are, and they’ll talk about where they are. But strategies change, so this week is more narrowing your focus," said Adams on WGR.
Adams reiterated on Sunday the rumors about the team shopping forward Casey Mittelstadt couldn’t be further from the truth. However, he did acknowledge he takes any phone calls that come his way, and that he takes a look at everything.
Adams says he’s made it known to the league they have picks and prospects, and they’re open to using them to make their team better. He did note, though, those trades are rarely made at the deadline. That's because the deadline is usually about rental players being moved to good teams looking to make that push in the playoffs.
"Both teams are getting something they like, but at that point in the season, is it the right thing to do for your team?," Adams said. "Sometimes it’s 'I like that concept, but I’m not ready to make that deal now' and money is a massive challenge. And teams are, 'I really like this idea, but I’m going to end up taking on a million dollars, and you’re right up against the cap.' It squashes the deal, unless you can find an extra team in get involved."
Buffalo has a few veteran pieces that are set to be unrestricted free agents this offseason in Kyle Okposo, Zemgus Girgensons and Erik Johnson.
"I’ve had the conversations with those guys, and I sat down face-to-face with all of them, just to make sure we’re all on the same page," Adams noted.
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Many have wondered if it’ll be hard for Adams to part with some of these players. Adams, himself, doesn't believe that will be the case.
"In this job, you have to make difficult decisions. I’ve talked to the players about this, and I tell them that I care about them and I’ll get to know you as people. But at the end of the day, I have to do my job, and what’s best for the Buffalo Sabres. If that means making a tough decision and moving on from a player, then that’s what I have to do," the Sabres general manager said. "I think the players trust me and know that I’m being honest with them, and they know I’m coming from the right place.
"As we move forward, part of the next phase of this is being willing to move a pick or prospects to get solid NHL players that can help you today. But that’s tricky this time of year, because if I’m talking to a team about a 27-year-old established veteran hockey player that’s got term on a contract for a top prospect, they might be open to that in the summer, but not as much now because they don’t want to lose that player off the roster."
Last summer, Adams talked about agents calling him, telling him their clients want to come to Buffalo. With the regression of this season, that has changed back to the way it used to be.
"Teams that have highly publicized players that have been traded or are going to be traded, some of them have trade protection, and they haven’t been willing to come here. Candidly, that’s on us, because our record isn’t good enough," Adams said. "You have to be at the top of the standings to get good players that want to come to a Stanley Cup contender. That's the stuff that we need to get better and improve on."
Devon Levi started the 2023-24 season with the Sabres, playing in 20 games with a 9-7-2 record, a 3.30 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage.
After making a start in Los Angeles against the Kings on Jan. 24, Adams sent Levi back to the Rochester Americans in the AHL, where he has remained. In 15 games in Rochester this season, Levi has played admirably with a 7-5-3 record, a 2.53 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage.
"When I met with Devon after the Los Angeles game, we didn’t send him to Rochester, it wasn’t performance based. I looked at the calendar, and they had 12 games in 23 days, and we had a stretch where we didn’t have a lot of back-to-back games. We felt Luukkonen could take the ball here the way he was playing, and we felt we could get a lot of starts and minutes for Devon," Adams explained. "I love the fact that he’s in a tight playoff race, so every game feels like a playoff game in Rochester."
After Buffalo's 9-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets back on Dec. 19, some of the players said in interviews they were extremely upset with the fans for chanting that they wanted head coach Don Granato fired. They were so upset about that and the excessive booing, they didn’t acknowledge the fans after a few of the wins.
That has since ended, as the fans have been great in the last two wins and the team did acknowledge them. Adams says he did talk to the team about it, but what was said would remain behind closed doors.
"What’s important for fans to know is we understand we have a very passionate fan base, and we understand there’s frustration that dates back quite a number of years. We get all that, and what we also understand is we have to hold up our end of the bargain and play well at home, and win hockey games," Adams said. "What I love is the last two games have been the best two games of the year.
"The Carolina game was awesome. They were into the game, they were mad at the refs when there were tough calls, they were getting the guys excited. Yesterday was another when it went from 2-0 to 2-2, and there wasn’t one fan booing, because they knew they needed to push the guys. That is such a critical home ice advantage that I know we’re capable of having here, and that’s’ what players want. So I want to have a team that our fans love, and I want to have the players that love playing at home, as it goes hand-in-hand."
Adams also reflected on his younger years when he was a part of the fan base, watching players like Gil Perreault and others.
"I have such an appreciation for this city and this fan base, this organization. It pains me to not have our players feel that love and the energy from the crowd that I know that can happen here," Adams said. "I’m having the feeling that I know our players need to deliver, so it goes both ways. I know this place can be pretty special."
Adams says he will go to Toronto for the game against the Maple Leafs, but won’t go to Nashville, as he wants to be at the home base with his staff on the day before the trade deadline.
