Biggest Takeaways From Kevyn Adams Media Scrum W/ Paul Hamilton

Biggest Takeaways From Kevyn Adams Media Scrum W/ Paul Hamilton

Both are true of me. Um, so Kevin Adams speaking today. How much of And we have development camp too continuing. How much of where we’re at here with Adams with the Sabres is kind of a wrap- on things, Paul? Like it’s never that business is necessarily closed, but today feel like closure? No, because the Byum thing is still there. Um, I think it seems might be closure after that. um you know he said that uh you know they he’s always looking to make the team better and if that happens you know if that comes along he will do that but he kind of you know said he likes the team and where they’re at right now and uh so it seems like the Bum thing and then of course getting contract extension uh extensions for Tuck and um you know maybe Kessle Ring also uh are on the agenda too and uh you know those those negotiations have started also but the buyer thing is still there and uh you know so that that has to be figured out one way or the other. Paul did did I did I hear it correctly? It it sounds to me like Adams is explaining the amount of cap room they have as making sure they have room to fit in a buy room offer sheet. And that’s why I I don’t want to misconstrue it, but it sounded to me like an explanation for why they weren’t doing more or more active at all. Am I connecting the wrong dots here? Um because I I I I just had trouble with the explanation about it. It It just sounds to me like we’re not going to use the cap room anyway. You all know it, but he’s not going to say that. So, he’s telling you if somebody comes off the top rope with a $10 million a year offer sheet for buy room, we want to be able to match it. Well, yeah. He said we have to be ready for anything. and that including that and he said we are definitely there was no ifands or buts the he said this is him talking we are definitely matching anything that were to come along. Yeah. So he said we have to be ready and open for anything. Um you know once the buyroom situation is taken care of then you know what kind of cap space you have or I mean they have approximately around what 13.8 8 as far as million in cap space right now. Uh Timmans, uh needs a deal also. That’s not going to be much. Levi, um you know, so that’s, you know, what they’re looking at, but uh you know, he they’re just that he wants to be ready for any scenario that comes with that. Maybe it almost sounds like he might be expecting it. Yeah. You know, expecting an offer sheet type of a a scenario. So, uh, he doesn’t want to be caught as he said, uh, you know, where, you know, it’s like, well, now we can’t do that or whatever. Um, once I think that situation is settled, then, you know, you you look, all right, and this is what we’ve got and, uh, you know, we’ll move forward that and that number that I gave you includes I have Ryan Johnson on the Sabres cap right now. Um, so that would include that. Um, it’s not a lot of money, but I’m just saying people are saying, “Well, where are you coming from here?” Uh, I I kind of think for me right now, I don’t have Byum in my lineup. I do have Johnson in my lineup. Uh, I I think he’s the guy that they they would want in there. Um, you know, should it happen. And then, of course, if Byron signs or if there’s an offer sheet and you you have that money, then of course all that’s going to change. I I I want to get to Johnson in a second because Mike and I were talking about him a little earlier in the week and and I thought maybe the window had closed on him, but maybe it’s reopened um here for him. But on the buy room situation, is it unfair for me to say back to all of that? Well, that’s why you trade him before July 1st so you don’t have to worry about keeping cap space warm in the case of an offer sheet because you’ve already taken care of the business. It’s done. He’s off your team and there can’t be an offer sheet and now you can just go about, you know, spending your money. Yeah, I I true, but the pro, you know, the thing is I don’t know what the offers are. I don’t know if, you know, right now it just the Sabres don’t seem to like the offers as far as trades go for Byum. And I would not just trade them to trade them. You know, it’s just like, oh, just to get them off the books, trade them. But I don’t I don’t think this is equal value. I think we should get more. Uh the way he was talking later in the conversation, it sounds like he might be looking for a forward and a defenseman for Byum, you know, because somebody was asking him about, well, if you don’t have Byum, what are you going to do on defense? And and it’s like, well, I can’t answer that question because I don’t if I don’t have Bum, I don’t know what I’m getting back. And he did mention am I getting back a forward and a defenseman. Am I getting back you know the so he said that’s what’s he goes that’s he goes I’m not avoiding your question but you know it matters what he’s getting back as far as you know what where he goes from there. Paul Hamilton on the Wester hotline. What did you want to ask about Johnson? Oh just that if you agree with that assertion. Like I said Mike and I t talked about it and I and I said it was me that said it like I don’t know. I feel like he’s not he’s not up and coming anymore. I think maybe he missed his window. Um but a three-year commitment and year one is, you know, two ways so he can go down at a lower salary, but I think the backend two years are full NHL salary and maybe his play is behind their decision on Docker, Bernard Docker, I should say. Yeah. and and you know Mike Leone spoker right at the beginning of camp also and I did as you know I got to see playoffs down in Rochester and you know what Leone described is what I saw Johnson uh along with Wthbone were like a shutdown pair down there and they you know Johnson saw a lot of key ice time in key situations for them down there and apparently that’s the way it was going during the regular season too. So, you know, he called him a shutdown pair uh with Wthbone down there and it seems like, you know, he did blossom a little bit last year playing in Rochester pretty much for the whole season. So, so I I think that’s part of it. Johnson or I’m sorry, Adams was talking about Bernard Docker and he said, “Yeah,” he goes, “You have to look at it different.” It almost sounded like he was a little nervous about arbitration with him. He said uh he goes, “We’re looking at the guy maybe our number eight defenseman here.” And he said, “If it’s just the number of qualifying offer,” he said, “That’s different.” But he goes, “That’s not really what the number is going to be.” He goes, “That’s what you do just to keep his rights, right?” He said in the at the end of the day, you know, he goes, “This is what he could have.” He didn’t say what the figure was, but you know the if he goes to arbitration and wins, that figure is going to be maybe above what they’re what they’re willing to pay for a number eight defenseman type of a thing. So he goes that’s one of the reasons they did. But I think Johnson might have played in that also and and Lindy Ruff’s opinion I think played into it too. Whatever that may be. We don’t get a chance to speak with Lindy Ruff uh you know through all this, but you know there there going to be some questions for Lindy Ruff too as far as roster construction and those types of things next time we get together with him. Yeah, far be it for me to know more about how arbitration works in the NHL than the GM of the Sabres. But Bernard Docker’s accomplished exactly what in the league that would get him an arbitration ruling that would be scary. I I I just can’t I can’t even I I just can’t really even get my head around that. He signed on the open market for 875 yesterday. What was an arbitrator gonna go, “Oh, he should get two million.” I I don’t know. I just can’t I can’t really get my head around. I think the move I think maybe Paul would agree, but I’ll find out. I think the move that sort of made this all harder than it needed to be was signing Bryson back back in the spring. like what what was the point of that other than what would be obvious which is like we like the player and whatever Ruff thinks etc. But was was that worth doing? Yeah, because again he’s not in your top six. He also that’s why you’re I think you’re looking at also either a seven eight guy which is the same thing as Bernard Docker what judging from what Adams was just saying right now which tells me that Johnson probably is by both of them and it’s the one thing I liked about Bryson is he can go almost a month not playing and jump in and be be fine for a game or two and and help you play. Uh so he was signed just more for depth. They Jason Bryson knows what the Sabres want out of him. He knows he’s not in their top six. Um you could almost send him to Rochester if you have to. I mean if All right, you’ve got Timonss, you got Kessle Ring. It sounds like they like Johnson. Um and if you know I don’t know what they’re going to do with the new guy Jones uh that they signed from New York. He did say they were very surprised that he wasn’t qualified and he was available to them. So, you know, they they had signed him, um, Zack Jones. So, uh, you know, at at 900,000. So, you know, where does he fit in? Ahead of Bryson, behind Bryson, is he in Rochester? You know, that type of a scenario. Yeah. What about Alex Lion was learned today, Paul? Like what the plan is for him? Is he just here to compete? Is Was there anything that might have sounded interesting about what was said? Not interesting, but yeah, I mean, he’s here to push Lucinidin. It sounds like Lucin is the starting goalender right now and but Lion’s here to push him and and to be available if needed, you know, um he didn’t come out and say this that well, if Lukin fails, we can put Lion in. Um that’s what I’m saying. I I think you know and you could that’s you know I think why you go get a guy like him but definitely uh to push Lucan in and and you know he felt it was a good pair for them and it also allows them to you know keep developing Levi down in Rochester. I I think I got to this yesterday when you were with us Paul so I hate to be repetitive but I looking at their forward group if you get all the way to Kak I think it’s at 14. I I had 13 yesterday and Kak’s on a two-way deal, so you know, there’s more flexibility there with him uh to go to Rochester. We left him out yesterday. Yeah, I did. I I was at 13 and I left him out because of the two-way thing. But but anyway, 13 if not 14 forwards signed. I feel like his salary is also more manageable. You know, other guys here like, you know, are are just bigger bigger numbers. Danforth, for example, 1.8 million. Like he’s on your team. He’s on this team anyway. Definitely. So, um, where where is a new guy going if they were to find their way to one? That’s a that’s a question I might have. Like, is this team going to unless they throw one of these guys throw a Krebs in as a sweetener in a deal or something that they find to their liking that includes Byum, then maybe that’s how you open up a spot uh that way. But if if all they’re doing is looking to deal Byum for the right deal, I don’t know that I’m expecting anything up top here, especially at the high end of the roster. Yeah. And the thing is, like, you know, I talked about who do I have a S cap. I do not have Kak. I have him starting in Rochester. Yeah. You know, right now I have somebody Danforth, Don, Malenstein, somebody like that as the extra forward. Right. And I don’t know if they would go with two extra D. The Bum thing is what throws everything off for me is where where are your extra guys? You know, is Byum in your lineup? Is he not? You know, who are your extra forwards? What are they doing with Jones? You know, is Bryson up here? You know, whether you go with two extra D and one extra forward, two extra forwards, one extra D. Um, you can always trade a forward. Also, you might, you know, if if uh something comes along, you can trade Malenstein or I I know uh it didn’t work out maybe quite as well as they I mean, he certainly, you know, was in on the for check and did those things, but um you know, he he had quite a few more points in Washington than he did in Buffalo. You like for him to contribute a little bit. Um, but if a if a good forward comes available and you got to trade Quinn or somebody, fine, trade Quinn. I don’t care. Um, or Quinn maybe is on the outside looking in then. I mean, that’s a that’s right now. I mean, as I put my depth chart, I have him playing uh basically with Norris and Tuck and but if something comes along where you can get a forward top six and Quinn’s not dressed, I fine. I I have zero problem with that. Yeah. Uh you know, to put it in there and and maybe he and Danforth are your your the two guys that uh you know aren’t dressing type of a scenario. So uh there’s a number of different ways to to look at it. You can always open up a spot if uh as you said you could trade Krebs somewhere if you know because Danforth you know if you want Danforth in the lineup maybe Krebs goes to the wing and Danforth goes to the middle and maybe got Danforth Don and Malenstein and you know you can trade somebody else uh to to so I think you there are there are a number of I wouldn’t shy away from trying to get a forward I don’t I wouldn’t say there aren’t any jobs you can open up a job any way you’d like. And as I said, you can do it by trade, you can do it however you’d like to do it. Uh if they’re afraid of opening up a job, you know, if there’s if if they can really improve this team with with a forward and they’re afraid of opening up a job, I I that that would like blow my head off. Well, the reason I’m thinking that way, Paul, is because of the money. Like I I don’t think they’re going to put 8 1.8 8 million in the press box in Danforth. Like I think if he’s on the team, he’s he’s he’s going to be in the lineup. And so I’m just I’m worried about how they how they want if they want to spend enough to make something happen here. That that’s really it. Well, then Don at 925 would be sitting. I mean, um I once we get to the season, that’s up to Lindy Ruff. I mean, I I how much money you have sitting in the press box. Yeah. Um, to me that that did you you just kind of totally ignore that. I mean, it’s that’s up to Lindy Ruff what he wants to do with his lineup and who who should be playing and who shouldn’t be. Um, and then you run into injuries, too. You know, who who’s hurt, who’s not um through training camp and, you know, they’re they’re not going to, you know, not have injuries and that type of thing. So, um, but that’s, you know, I did raise my eyebrow a little bit today when it’s when he kind of, he kind of made it sound like, well, if something comes along, we’re certainly going to be looking to improve our team, but he kind of made it sound like they’re finished. He sounded to me like his team’s on the floor. Yeah, that that’s that’s what I think. Uh, think, too. Um, the salary floor. I on on Byum I I want to just make this observation and get get reactions perhaps from both of you. Um have has there been any noise from Byum or really more importantly the agent throughout all this? Like when when Adams talks about Byum and he understands where we’re at and I’ve been honest with the agent, I I I’m inclined to believe him. Like I know people in this position, Adams himself, are going to are going to, you know, because they feel they need to mislead you. Uh maybe flat out even lie. But I feel like if if Byum and the agent felt like they were getting strung along here and getting stonewalled on, you know, getting a trade in place and getting him out of here and signing the lifetime achievement contract that he’s certainly, I’m sure, looking for at this point in his career, maybe they’d be rattling the cage a little bit. But I’ve not, and unless I’ve missed it, I’ve not heard a peep out of them, which sort of tells me that they’re kind of they’re on board sort of waiting by the phone to see what happens. Yes, we’d like to go somewhere else, but if we can’t, you know, we’re we’re not going to be miserable about it. No, I think you’re right. I I I I believe what I’ve heard from Kevin Adams about Byum. You can go back to Sam Reinhardt. Sam Reinhardt was perfectly willing to play out with the Sabres one more year if he had to. He was fine. He goes, “You have me for one more year. If you want me to play here, I’ll play here. That’s fine, but I’m not resigning. Just to let you know, I’m not resigning with the team. I, you know, he felt like, you know, that he never had gotten an offer for a long-term deal.” He felt slighted by that. Three different GMs. And it was like, Kevin, that’s fine if you want to offer something, but I’m not going to take it. I just don’t feel like I’ve been respected. He was totally fine with if you want me to play the final year here I will that you know I’m I’m resp and I’ll give you everything I’ve got right and I think Byron’s in that situation too. It’s like you know if you know I can’t be an unrestricted free agent for two more years if you know you want me to play another year that’s fine and and I believe him that Bo Byron will give you everything he’s got just like he did last year. You’re not he’s not going to be pouting. he’s going to have a smile on his face in the locker room and be interacting with his teammates and trying to win hockey games and uh you know if if that winds up being the case. So Adams hasn’t said anything here where my eyebrows raised go that doesn’t sound right. Um you know what he’s been saying about Bo Byum does sound right from what I know of Bo Byum. What’s new with development camp which runs through tomorrow? This has been a weird development camp Mike. I really had I was sitting there today not I’ve hardly seen any of it. I’m in front of it but I’m writing stories about free agency and you know concentrating kind of on other things that it just seems like it it landed at a spot that’s been different in other years. I mean I I haven’t even had a chance to write anything about it. I think that’s going to happen when development camp’s over. you know, when finally all this stuff has passed us and then I can talk about some of the guys from development camp who we’ve who we’ve chatted with um some of the local guys u Mertka and that type of thing and I can kind of get to that and but as far as if you say well what have you seen? Well, I’ve seen my computer top and I I’ve seen Kevin Adams talking why it’s going on next to us and nothing really is computed all that much. I think where I really will get a good Eiffel and be able to concentrate is tomorrow during the threeon three and you know see see some of these guys compete in that. But um this is the first time I can remember where as I said I’ve been in front of development camp but I’ve kind of been sidetracked doing other things even though it’s going on in front of me. Is there a player you’re most excited about? At least the the kids in college I really was looking forward to to seeing and and actually even seeing tomorrow uh you know guys that uh you know Cleber who is a second round pick. Uh MKA of course I’d like I I’m looking forward to seeing him in the in the threeon three to see see what they have in him. I I I’m curious also about uh the goalender um you know that uh in Seattle has done a good job who if you remember last year yeah he he played the preseason game because the Sabres were over in Germany and Czecha so it was as he called it it was the Buffalo Ammers playing like the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ratzlaf was in goal playing the Blue Jackets team the NHL team and for two periods, the two periods he played, he shut him out and he he and he looked at he goes, I looked at Twitter and saw their lineup and he goes, “What have I got to lose? Just go play, you know, and he got in and showed at least that, you know, and you know, I think it’s he’ll probably be the pair with Levi in Rochester this year.” So, I’m I’m looking forward to seeing him. But, you know, when I say guys like Adam Cleber, the second round pick last year, a big kid, right defenseman, uh Brody Zeamer, uh, who was the third round pick last year, who played at Minnesota this year, it’s not very many guys that play as true true freshman at Minnesota, and he talked about that today where, you know, when you’re a true freshman, you’re going up against guys who are what, four years older than you, five years older than you, cuz most guys go to the USHL before they wind up in college. Clint what Cleaver did. He played two years in in Lincoln for the USHL before he played for the University of Minnesota Duth. And the two of them uh actually are both from Minnesota. They played pee-wee hockey. They were on the same team in peewee. Cleber and Zemer. Yeah. Yeah. You know that talked about that. So, you know, a big But Cleber is just such a big guy. I mean, he’s 6’5 and he’s still smaller than MKA. Uh, you know, and he’s a right-handed shooting defenseman is a number two. Unfortunately, Sturbach couldn’t be here. The number two in 2023, but here’s a right-handed shooting defenseman also was a number two pick playing at Michigan State. And I would have loved to seen him again. Uh but uh the thing about Zemer, I remember last year in development camp in this threeon three, he’s got an absolute missile for a shot and uh you know, he gets it off in a hurry. And so that’s you know, to have that already, you know, as he’s only played one year of college. So, this is the chance to see the college guys, and I’m looking forward to that. Uh, Gavin McCarthy, the the third round pick from Clarence Center, you know, he’s a guy playing at Boston University. I’m looking forward to seeing him and his progress. Uh, so those are the guys, you know, we get to see now because we don’t get to see them at the prospects tournament because they’re already in school and they can’t be here. So, this is a chance to see those guys that the Savers have drafted. Very good. Thanks, Paul. Keep your head up tomorrow. I will be. I’ll be looking. I’m looking forward to it. All right. Good work this week, Paul. Although it’s only Wednesday.

Mike Schopp and The Bulldog talk to Paul Hamilton following Kevyn Adams media scrum and what his biggest takeaways were. #bills #billsmafia

Share, Thumbs Up & Subscribe to WGR 550 for New Content Daily!

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WGRSportsRadio550
Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WGR550
Follow on X/Twitter: https://x.com/WGR550
Follow on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/wgr550
Follow on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/buffalowgr550