Terry Pegula

Jarmo Kekäläinen Marks A Merciful End to the Adams Era

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

The Kevyn Adams era came to a much anticipated end on Monday when the Buffalo Sabres relieved him of his duties as general manager and named Jarmo Kekäläinen as his replacement. 

Adams’ tenure should have ended at least eight months earlier, though a case could be made that he shouldn’t have seen the summer of 2024, either. Regardless, the Sabres finally moved on from their deeply unpopular GM in favor of a candidate whose resume is probably the strongest the Sabres have had at the position since (minimally) Darcy Regier. Adams’ lack of experience became a major talking point as the Sabres floundered, particularly over the last two seasons as the team languished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. 

Continue reading →

Two in the Mailbox: Tuch, Byram and Would You Take a New Owner?

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

The mailbag is back for the dog days of summer. This version runs down a host of topics ranging from an arena update to the sustainability of the roster. As this is a longer one, I’ll spare you any sort of protracted introduction and get right to the questions.

Continue reading →

How Will the Increasing Cap Affect the Sabres?

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

The salary cap is going up. Way up. 

The NHL has confirmed salary cap figures for the next three seasons, including a caveat that the numbers could be adjusted further (up or down) if necessary. But as it stands, the salary cap figures for the next three seasons will be as follows:

2025-26

Upper Limit: $95.5m

Lower Limit: $70.6m

2026-27

Upper: $104m

Lower: $76.9m

2027-28

Upper: $113.5m

Lower: $83.9m

That’s about $7 million in growth this summer and about $9 million in the following two years. Notably, the cap floor in 2027-28 will be just $5 million lower than this year’s cap. It’s also $2 million more than the Sabres have committed to the cap this season. 

The rapid cap growth will have implications throughout the league, especially for teams that typically operate on an internal budget. The possibility of a widening gulf between big and small spenders and what it could mean for the league’s competitive balance shouldn’t be overlooked. Whether or not Terry Pegula finds another oil well to drill, the increase to the cap creates new opportunities and flexibility for the Sabres. 

Continue reading →

The Question of Cap Space Remains After Kevyn Adams’ Presser

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

Don’t get distracted by the palm trees. That’s not why you should be frustrated with Kevyn Adams’ press conference. 

He’s right, after all. 

Buffalo is not a destination city in the NHL. It hasn’t been for a while. All you need to do is check on the NHLPA player polls over the last 10-plus years to know how NHL players feel about Buffalo. The tax issue has been a favored topic for the league’s talking heads for well over 18 months and it doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon. It’s become such a hot button issue that there were discussions at the GM meetings about adjusting the cap to account for different tax situations. It should be no surprise that Buffalo is not a favored destination for much of the NHL and therefore, is placed on most, if not all, no trade clauses. 

Adams’ larger point about drawing players was correct as well. Buffalo will once again become an attractive landing spot if the Sabres become a perennial contender. He was even right to reference the Bills in that regard. Players won’t care where the team plays if it’s good. Perhaps Kevyn and Terry need to take a long hard look in the mirror in that regard. 

Continue reading →

Sabres Recent Cap Spending Doesn’t Paint a Pretty Picture

Chris Ostrander1 Comment

The Buffalo Sabres are inching closer to their season opening games with nearly $7 million in open cap space to work with. The remaining cap space has been a point of contention within the fan base, as the Sabres are poised to open their fourth-straight season with a significant gulf in cap expenditure against the NHL’s cap ceiling. 

Buffalo opened their prior three seasons with $8,826,430 (2023-24), $18,648,333 (2022-23) and $16,435,864 (2021-22) in cap space. Barring an 11th hour acquisition, the 2024-25 season will follow suit. (Figures compiled from CapFriendly.)

Some context is required when evaluating Buffalo’s recent cap expenditures. The Sabres had jumped headfirst into a rebuild in the summer of 2021, shedding core players with large cap hits and they weren’t a year removed from trading Jack Eichel and his $10 million cap hit when they hit the ice with over $18 million in space in 2022. Still, over the past 10 seasons, the Sabres have only spent within $3 million of the cap on four occasions. Certainly a reflection of the on-ice results and direction of the front office, but also well out of line with Terry Pegula’s infamous oil well line from his introductory press conference. 

The team’s current cap situation has been well documented. Jeff Skinner’s buyout is largely responsible for the available space and Adams has been on record noting his desire to maintain flexibility for future extensions by not taking on long term commitments via free agency or trade. That does run counter to some of the team’s rumored activity in the summer when they were linked to the likes of Martin Necas, but taking it at face value, it’s fair enough to say that much of the future savings from Skinner’s buyout will be eaten up by extensions to the likes of JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn and others. But don’t forget that the greatest cap benefit to buying out Skinner, comes this season. The decision to buy him out is understandable, logical even given how Lindy Ruff has said he hopes the team will play. To not fully capitalize on those savings is questionable, if not downright reckless in a season as pivotal as this one.

Continue reading →

The Instigator Podcast 12.1 – PSE Dissolved and what Comes Next

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

Monday was a big news day as it was announced that Pegula Sports and Entertainment has been dissolved and, most notably, the Bills and Sabres will be operating as separate entities moving forward. Pegula will also now serve as president of the Sabres, a title he also holds for the Bills and at PSE prior to its dissolution. We talk about the news, what it means for the Bills and Sabres and how it has helped to fuel rumors surrounding the future ownership of the Sabres.

RJ Night Episode: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/49323198

Pegulas and Savarino Should Combine to Bring Sky Bridge Back to DL&W Project

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

Enduring a years-long process of redesigns, stops and starts seems to be a rite of passage for virtually every project in and around Buffalo’s waterfront. It’s not different for the DL&W train shed as the NFTA and various stakeholders push to redevelop the building into something that can better complement the Cobblestone District and Canalside.

Photo: Buffalo Rising

You can go back at least to 2009 to find references to the DL&W becoming a more integral part of the waterfront entertainment district. Much like the pit at the North Aud Block, or the hockey team across the street, not much has been done in the ensuing 12 years.

The DL&W project has hit for the proverbial Buffalo development cycle. There have been multiple sets of renderings, the Project for Public Spaces has gotten involved and Tim Tielman has even managed to get his name in the coverage at various stages. All of this without any serious work moving forward.

There has been progress, of course. The new NFTA station on the first floor is under construction. While continuous rounds of renderings can be silly, a project plan under the guidance of Sam Savarino is coming together and it appears this project has reached a critical mass. It’s all very exciting as the building’s unique layout and location makes it an incredible asset for Buffalo’s waterfront.

Continue reading →

The Instigator Podcast 9.34 – Bills Stadium Negotiations with Tim Graham of The Athletic

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

Tim Graham joined the show this week for an in-depth conversation on the state of the Bills stadium negotiations and where the process will be headed in the coming weeks and months. We touch on the public statements and reports coming from both sides of the process along with offering up some thoughts on how the process is going and how messy it’s been. We even have a little fun discussing the future of the project and what features may or may not make the cut when the new building is complete.

The Instigator Podcast 9.14 – Stalled Development

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

It seems like every season there’s at least one or two prospects you wish the Sabres would take a longer look at and inevitably a couple of seasons later the player is gone without ever getting a serious audition at the NHL level. We talk about a number of players the Sabres should be working harder to get into the lineup rather than continually running out the tired veterans they seem to insist on playing.

We also discuss this week’s 31 Thoughts and the implications the Pegulas decisions on thinning out the hockey department may have in both the short and long term. Video scouting, shortsighted decision making and the need to capitalize on draft capital were among the big points we touched on with regard to some of Buffalo’s questionable decision making.

The Instigator Podcast is supported by Manscaped. You can get 20% off and free shipping by using the code 2ITB at www.manscaped.com.

 

Firing Krueger is Only Starts to Solve the Sabres Problems

Chris Ostrander1 Comment

What’s left to say at this point?

I started this blog in the summer of 2010 as a way to keep writing and it quickly became another outlet for staying connected to hockey. It’s always been an enjoyable endeavor, but I guess I underestimated the Sabres’ ability to ruin a good thing.

I’ve never had all that much trouble finding a reason to write about the Sabres, but here we are. There’s only so many ways you can look at this car wreck and form a different opinion. Last year I wrote a post questioning what sort of standard the organization is run with. When you see teams around the league fire their coaches while in a playoff position, it’s hard to see how the Sabres operate on the same level of their peers.

Another season has been flushed, the players have very clearly quit on their coach and there’s no sign that anything will make things better. Ralph Krueger has been a dead man walking for weeks, probably going as far back as February 25 when Jeff Skinner was scratched for the third-straight game. Despite the 11-game losing streak and the horrific display the team has put out each night, it’s hard to see Krueger being fired any time soon. Continue reading →