Paul Hamilton Explains What Sabres Fans Should Expect With The Team Adding Jarmo Kekalainen!

Paul Hamilton Explains What Sabres Fans Should Expect With The Team Adding Jarmo Kekalainen!

Of course, easy for me to say. I mean, it’s it’s over. Predicting is easy after the game. Very easy. Paul Hamilton along on the West Her hotline. The Sabres make a pretty significant addition to their front office. Yarmmo Keolin and late of Columbus. Hi Paul. How do you think the Sabres scored here for credibility? That was so often the word in our conversations uh for the idea of a move like this. No, I think that they did very well with it. I mean, this is a guy that has done different things in organizations. He’s been a general manager for a long time, you know, with the Columbus Blue Jackets 2013 through 2024. But also before that, he was a director of player personnel in Ottawa. He was assistant GM and director of amateur scouting in St. Louis. he was a GM uh in Finland with Yokerit. Um so he there there he’s done different things in the position. So he knows what goes on in the front office. he knows what goes on in the hockey department and um so you know I think you know his he does have credibility that way and you know will be listened to because that’s one of the things Terry Pagoula said is this is just isn’t going to be a hire you know back when they started looking for it that you know well the guy’s around if you need him it’s this guy will be heard this guy will be listened to so um and he should be the only thing I would say is you It’s a little late. I I mean, when you hire a general manager who’s never been a general manager before, I think this might have been now not with this man because he had a job at the time, right? But this might have been a good idea at that time to bring somebody in of this nature to be able to be with Kevin Adams right from the start since he had never been a general manager in the NHL before. Yeah, I’m I’m impressed, Paul. And and I have to admit, Mike and I talked this through at the very front end of our show today. Um, you know, I’m coming from a place where I just did not expect them to land someone whose name I would go, “Oh, you know, I mean, I I know Columbus hasn’t won anything. Uh, so, you know, it’s not like they’re hiring someone who’s got a closet full of cups and rings and and banners, all right, but um there is credibility here. And I like the fact that he worked in the market he worked in because of where the Sabres are. um like he he had to deal with Columbus and like Columbus is not like a destination in the NHL, but he got Johnny Gdro to go there and that’s pretty amazing still that that happened. Um so I I feel like this will be a hire that gets the attention of the league to some extent and been people go like, “Hey, the Sabres did a thing. Like look at that.” Um so you know, I know it doesn’t score. It’s not off the charts, but I’m coming from a place where I wasn’t expecting them to really fill this spot. Honestly, the man has knowledge. I mean, it’s as simple as that. He’s done done a lot of what goes on in a hockey department and he’s he’s not afraid to be bold. I mean, think back to when Johnny Goodro was a free agent. Columbus the Columbus Blue Jackets were never mentioned. I mean, there were clubs that were mentioned that they thought they were he was going to go to. It wasn’t the Columbus Blue Jackets. And next thing you know, all of a sudden, Johnny Goodro signs with the Columbus Blue Jackets. And I thought we were being p we were being punked or something. What? Right. You know, is that right? Is did somebody get this wrong? You know, wrong type of a thing. So, he’s not afraid to do that. I remember back in um 2016 when he drafted Pierre Luke Dubois, a third overall. There was actually a gasp on the on the floor of the draft. It would be what? You know, it it was like now maybe when you look at that draft, Matthew Tachuk went or Kachchuk rather went sixth overall. I mean, Clayton Keller went seventh. Um, Alex Knander went eighth. That was a good one. Um, but you know, Charlie Makavoy went 14th. So, I mean, looking back, we can always say, well, whatever. But at that time, people thought, wow, he he took him third overall. Why? And there was like a gasp on the floor. So, he’s not afraid to go big. He’s not afraid to try things or or you know make make a splash type of a move uh because he’s done it before and uh you know that that can be helpful. And Kevin Adams isn’t afraid like when we’re talking about guys to bring to the Buffalo Sabres this year. Well you know my number one priority would be Ecklad. Now I understand I understand when we I’m throwing these names out here. It’s going to be tough to bring any of them in here when you haven’t made the playoffs in 14 years. I understand that. But that doesn’t mean you don’t ask. That doesn’t mean you don’t try and you know. So, all right. When you when you look at say why would he come here? I understand that conversation, but why wouldn’t you call and find out? Why wouldn’t you call and over overpay that man? Because to me when we’re talking about a partner for Owen Owen power right there exactly what I’ve been talking about for how long that’s ex and if I have to overpay to get them so what the the salary cap’s going up each of the next couple of years. So you know I’m not really all that concerned about that. And here’s a man that has done things like pulled the off the impossible. pulled off what nobody thought was could happen. So, you know, he can maybe help put together some type of an offer that would put the Sabres over the top when, you know, it’s when we’re all thinking it’s unlikely that that it could ever happen type of a scenario. Well, you’ve you’ve said it all here, but I just wanted to continue it with like that particular trait or strategy from Keolin might be his biggest challenge or his biggest hurdle with the Sabres because they they can want what they want. We’ve been dealing with this forever about, you know, making moves goes back, you know, decades even with with the franchise. Will will he be able to spur them Adams into, you know, some significant changes? And you know, Adams, he you know, I know the palm tree thing, but the premise of what he was saying wasn’t wrong, but it’s just it ba the basic premise should should have been you haven’t made the playoffs in 14 years. Why would players come here? There there’s no reason to come here because I mean there’s the other stuff I suppose is a little bit, but it’s the main thing is you haven’t made the playoffs in 14 years as an organization. Why would somebody want to come here? So, but my criticism has always been I understand that’s a problem. I understand that you need a trade partner. I I understand all that, but it’s still your job to get it done. I know it’s hard, but in the at the end of the day, you have to be able to get it done if you’re a good general manager. And that basically because I liked some of the moves. I liked trade the trade for Mloud. I liked, you know, bringing in um Menstein is another one from last year. Yeah, Zooker. Uh turned out to be I was, you know, when they made that move, I’m like, “All right, whatever.” I was I wasn’t for it. I wasn’t against it. It was just a whatever move. Well, I came to think it was quite a bit more than whatever, you know, that they did. So, it hasn’t been all bad, but it hasn’t been the big move, you know, and and that’s the one that he has to be able to finish. Yeah, you tried, but you didn’t get it done. You know, as he said, well, we had guys that we were targeting, but then they didn’t wind up being traded. Now, one of them wound up being traded during the season, but still, you know, well, still that’s fine. I understand all that, but still your job to get it done, right? Paul, do you have any sense at this point a will there be uh like a media availability with with Kalinan? Um, and with that said, do you think if we do hear from him, you know, to announce his arrival that that might be it for a long time because senior adviser is not someone that I expect to be sitting at a podium answering questions. Yeah, I’m not expecting it either, but you just never know. You know, organizations are different the way they handle things and uh so maybe, maybe not. I I really I really don’t have an answer for that. I just, you know, however they feel like they want to handle it. Um, I know Kevin Adams as things have gone on and he’s been criticized more and more has not been a real happy camper with the media. If you get him to say hello as you walk by him in the hall, you’re lucky. He usually just puts his head down and wanders by you. Um, you know, he’s he’s just so I don’t know. I I just don’t know how that would go or if that’s going to happen or, you know, anything like that. I mean, that one infamous example, notwithstanding, I’ve said every time I I think Adams has a pretty good way at press conferences. Maybe he’s not enjoying it, but I kind of believe him when he’s talking at press conferences. Maybe that’s part of how he got into trouble. Even Paul Paul is saying here, like he wasn’t really wrong. Um, so I I kind of think the Sabres, the more they can do the better. I think somebody might say different because they’ve been down so bad that maybe they don’t see it as plus EV to do more media. Well, almost. Yeah, it almost feels a little bit to me like anything they do do, someone is going to be like, oh, you got to have a news conference unless your senior advisor what amateur hour, you know, like any fan that’s that’s burdened by this playoff drought could do that. I thought this there’s been a little thing percolating during the talent of the season about not commemorating or recognizing the Stanley Cup team 50 years ago this year. And the whole time, every time I’ve come across that, I I’ I’ve started to respond and get into the conversation and I just bail out. But I feel like anything like that, as much as it’s warranted, it’s a it’s a great it’s a great anniversary and it’s a great memory, but you know, you got to celebrate stuff from 50 years ago, is not maybe the best look for them right now, you know. Yeah. And Kevin Allen’s last two press conference have been fine. They’ve been informative. He hasn’t lost his cool or his temper. He’s been cordial in answering questions, patient in answering questions. um you know the the trade deadline at the end of the season. It was the two before that that he had problems. He he he he was getting angry. He didn’t like being criticized by media which made him angrier and then uh you know he started being sarcastic and he didn’t come off very well for two press conferences. But you know he’s gotten past that and gotten himself under control and I would say his last two have been perfectly fine. I have had no problem and I agree with Mike for the most part. I don’t think we get lied to by Kevin Adams. I mean, it’s pro sports. I understand we get lied to at some point by everybody. Exactly. I get it. You know, but for the most part, I don’t think he stands up there and and uh you know, lies to us or whatever. Uh have could could I say he’s never lied to us? Well, that’s probably not true. As I said, this is pro sports. But I don’t think he makes a habit of it. I you know I think he comes up and and says his piece and uh if if there’s something he doesn’t want to get into then he just doesn’t get into it. As was covered here quickly before you go Paul you don’t like you don’t make predictions. Edmonton Dallas was the second NHL series ever to go five games or more with every game decided by at least three goals. That’s how that went. There were no close games on the scoreboard. I mean what game four was 2-1 pretty late, right? Disappointed. I I I was hoping for so much more from that series and Yeah, me too. But when the guy who looked like he was Wayne Gretzky for how long all of a sudden started looking like he was uh Tyson Joa for for the last eight games. Uh you know he he was Dallas’s best player. He was one of the reasons why Dallas had improved because Edmonton has improved from last year and I thought with him Dallas had improved also. I was looking for a a really great series, probably a sevengame series, and and we just didn’t get it. Um, you know, Edmonton Vegas only turned out to be a fivegame series. Carolina Washington only turned out to be a fivegame series when Washington had such a great regular season, but you know, not not that, but this Dallas Edmonton series was just a really huge disappointment to me. Yeah, Edmonton since they got blown out in game one against LA in the first round is like they have just beaten the doors off of everybody. They were even they even beat D I I thought they were the better team in game one which they lost on those three power play goals in like six minutes third period. Uh and then Dallas ended up pulling away at the end. But they were the better team in that game too up to that point. Yeah. For 40 minutes. Yeah. So, I mean, they they look this final should be I mean, I hope I hope we get we don’t get a another version of Dallas Edmonton here because this final looks like it should be fantastic here, Paul. Yeah, I I hope so, too. I mean, I can’t tell you uh or not even going to attempt to tell you who’s going to win it, but I I wouldn’t be shocked if it went seven games. Of course, I said the same thing with Dallas Edmonton and it went five. So, uh but I’m hoping it goes seven because and now here we sit, we don’t get hockey till Wednesday, you know. So, uh, that I don’t like that either. I mean, it was it’s like, you know, we we’ve been having hockey all through the playoffs and now we sit here and I am really cranky, boys, because we have Yankees Dodgers today and I got to have Apple TV. Can you imagine me trying to figure out how to get Apple TV? All right, we got to go, Paul. Good luck with that. Good luck with that. Watch tomorrow’s game. You could finish your show trying to explain that one to me. Paul, thanks. Enjoy your weekend nonetheless. to care.

Mike Schopp and The Bulldog talk to Paul Hamilton on the Sabres adding Jarmo Kekalainen as a Senior Advisor.#bills #billsmafia

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