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Adams Press Conference Carries Ominous Overtone

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On Monday, several Buffalo Sabres veterans sat behind the microphone to address the media on locker room cleanout day. The most dominant storyline that emerged came from star players Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart.

Eichel’s message was that of a disgruntled player who had grown irreparably frustrated with the team’s medical staff. Reinhart on the other hand, just sounded like he was sick of losing, which is understandable, especially as a pending RFA. In the 48 hours since fan speculation has run rampant.

Will the Sabres really trade their top two centers in the same offseason? Are we headed for yet another full rebuild? These are fair questions.

Today, Don Granato and Kevyn Adams took to the stage for their end-of-season remarks. Fans waited with anticipation, hoping for a morsel of information that could help them get some clarity on what appears to be a quickly evolving situation.

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Granato Hits Lead-Off Home Run

To say that Don Granato did an excellent job fielding questions today would be an understatement. The Sabres’ interim head coach faced inquiries ranging from the future handling of the team’s disgruntled superstars, to how he approached a very young and depleted roster to end the 2020-21 season.

Going in front of the microphone before Kevyn Adams was a difficult position, given the circumstances. Still, Granato handled each question with eloquence, candor, and most importantly, intelligence. Right out of the gate, he was hit with questions about Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and what to make of their disgruntled soundbites from locker room cleanout day.

Granato aptly advised that those questions should be asked of the general manager while doing his part in extinguishing the situation. In doing so, he also communicated his support for his players and their desire to succeed.

Thankfully, the questions then focused on what he did with a Sabres team that showed marked improvement under his guidance to end the season. This is where Granato truly shined and continued making a strong case that the “interim” label should be dropped from his current title.

Though he confirmed the idea that the Sabres would move forward with a thorough coaching search, he reaffirmed his interest in coming back as the team’s bench boss next year.

Fans are somewhat accustomed to Granato saying favorable things about the state of the team. From his very first postgame press conference, his answers all sounded correct and honest. Today was no different. His confidence in the Sabres’ young core was emphasized, and it became increasingly obvious how he extracted motivation from his players, despite a slate of meaningless games down the stretch.

If Buffalo ultimately ends up trading one of both of Eichel and Reinhart this offseason, Granato’s words were those of a man who is excited about the challenge. It’s tough to imagine a better person to handle a developing roster. For that reason, he hit an absolute home run by exuding positivity and confidence on the heels of a very dreary (to put it lightly) press event that took place just two days prior.

It’s not surprising that his approach with young assets was so effective this year.

An Ominous Adams

For as genuine as Granato sounded, Adams remarks today came off as somewhat rehearsed. As was expected, Adams had to immediately field questions about Eichel’s health, and future with the club. The first-year GM was quick to catalog the situation of the herniated disc in Eichel’s, neck. His sentiment painted a different picture from Eichel’s in terms of team-to-player communication on the issue.

Obviously, Eichel didn’t feel as pleased with how the Sabres’ medical team advised him during his injury, but Adams remained steadfast that the organization handled the situation properly.

Though he went on to state that the Sabres’ captain has not made a “formal” trade request, that’s where things got a bit more… ominous. When asked about the young assets who stepped up at the end of the season (and spoke with positivity in their respective interviews yesterday), Adams expressed excitement but added an interesting caveat.

https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1392506197345984520

There is a reason he added the last bit. He actually went on to reiterate it later in the interview. Adams clearly feels that there are veteran players on the roster who haven’t “bought-in” to an acceptable degree. Though his statement about Eichel not making a “formal” trade request is probably true, it lends to reason that the GM would have to say something like that so as not to hurt a potential trade return.

The same goes for Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen, players whom the following quote seemed to be directly pointed at.

Both expressed a degree of uncertainty about their desire to remain in Buffalo moving forward. On Monday, Ristolainen specifically cited that he would be fine with the Sabres electing to trade him this summer. Adams’ wording certainly came off as a direct reply to Ristolainen’s sentiment.

All of this is speculative of course, but nothing he said today should give fans a warm and fuzzy feeling. The tension of the situation was still pretty palpable, and it remains to be seen how this all plays out. Overall, it sure sounded like Adams wasn’t thrilled with how the team’s veterans handled their media availability.

On the coaching front, Adams echoed Granato’s statement that a thorough search would take place. In saying that, he was quick to praise the job Granato did under difficult circumstances.

Closing Thoughts

There’s a lot to unpack here. I’ll start with what I found to be “positive” responses from Adams.

First and foremost, Adams’ sentiment about “players who want to be here” makes sense to a degree. It’s unclear if he feels that Eichel and Reinhart fall into that camp, but if nothing else, that statement was most directly pointed at Ristolainen. Though fans have spent years pounding the table to send the Finnish defenseman out of town, given Adams’ words today, it would be shocking to see him skate in blue-and-gold next season. This, in and of itself, is a positive thing.

The lack of clarity about Eichel and Reinhart was to be expected. If Adams plans to trade either of them, expressing it now would only hurt the market. Nothing was ever going to be divulged in that regard, at least not today. Regardless, it is interesting that while Adams did make a generic “Jack is the captain of this team” comment, he certainly didn’t say anything resembling a commitment to keeping their franchise player in the fold moving forward.

Overall, Adams largely provided company lines about players who “want to be here” and “trusting his medical staff”. The most interesting part of his interview was what he chose not to say. His decision not to confirm the team’s commitment to working things out with Eichel (and Reinhart) could be construed as very telling.

In addition, the Sabres’ GM seemed to push a culture narrative, citing “buy-in”, or lack thereof as what has plagued the team for so long. His opinion that the organization had had enough talent to be successful is pretty misguided, if genuine. Culture is cured by winning, and winning comes via talent acquisition. That process doesn’t work in reverse, as Adams seems to indicate here.

Truthfully, Granato did a better job in “sedating” the situation that arose on Monday. He exuded optimism and support for his players, while Adams was largely non-committal and guarded in his responses. That said, there are a lot of moving parts here, and there remains a distinct lack of clarity as to how it will all play out.

Whether Eichel is back or not, Adams sure seems like someone gearing up to make some significant changes this summer. If I were a betting man, the Sabres GM sounded like someone ready to start from ground zero with a very young core.

In closing, Adams mentioned that the organization’s greatest “disconnect” was not with the players, but instead with its fans. Expecting that group to sign up for another tear-down is an ambitious and frankly audacious ask.

Stay tuned.

Photo Credit: Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images

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