Sure, he played 540 NHL games, but he's personable (talks about hockey in plain English), inclusive (surrounds himself with smart people), and relatable (safe clothing choices, receding hairline). Bill Wippert / Getty ImagesĪdams is the ultimate everyman GM. At the time, the rookie GM was still revamping the roster and hockey ops department to fit his vision, funneling resources into video scouting, analytics, and sports science, while trying to shift the narrative internally and externally. Nine months later, Adams canned head coach Ralph Krueger and tapped Granato, then an assistant, to take over. The Pegulas, feeling the weight of the pandemic and unhappy with the on-ice product, had just started a firing spree that saw a whopping 22 people in managing, coaching, and scouting roles relieved of their duties. Adams moved directly from the business side of the club to the corner office of hockey operations during arguably the lowest point of the playoff drought.
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"I'm not the first person who hasn't had success in a place and gone somewhere else."Īdams, named GM in June 2020, acquired Tuch, forward Peyton Krebs, a first-round pick, and a second-rounder for Eichel plus a third-rounder in a trade with the Golden Knights a little less than a year ago. "Things didn't work out there, you just move on," he said at the NHL/NHLPA media tour. Behind the pouty body language and behind-the-scenes drama checkering his tenure is a simple truth: Eichel and his teammates didn't win enough. Following a medical dispute, trade to Vegas, and prickly return to Buffalo, the former captain is now the opposite of a fan favorite.Īsked to reflect on his time as a Sabre, Eichel recently said he harbors no hard feelings toward the organization or fan base. He thrived for stretches, but Eichel by and large was the face of the most miserable chapter in team history. Jack Eichel, the consolation prize for the Sabres' blatant tank for Connor McDavid, was supposed to be the savior, starting in 2015-16. Painfully, Buffalo missed the cut for the 24-team playoff bubble by three points.) Jack Eichel shakes Tim Murray's hand after signing his first contract. (It jumps to 29.1 if the 2019-20 season is excluded.
They've finished at the bottom of the league standings in four of the past nine seasons, missing the postseason cut line by an average of 26.2 points a year. In the years since, the Sabres have failed to reach the playoffs but also failed to offer their fans appreciable progress.
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The Lindy Ruff-coached squad, led by sniper Thomas Vanek and star netminder Ryan Miller, lost a first-round series to the Flyers in seven games. The Sabres ended that first half-season under the Pegulas with 96 points and a playoff date. I don't need to make it in the hockey business." "If I want to make some money, I'll go drill a gas well. So whatever that involves, I guess we've gotta figure it out," Pegula, a lifelong fan, pledged. "I want to run the team to win the Stanley Cup. "You are my hero," an emotional Pegula told Gilbert Perreault. At the celebratory press conference, Pegula singled out a franchise icon in the crowd. The Sabres, established in 1970, were purchased in 2011 by billionaire Terry Pegula and his wife, Kim. It's something we're looking to change." Terry and Kim Pegula at a Buffalo Bills game in 2016. Still, it was "painful" to see the fan base's frustration bubble to the point of exasperation with all the losing. Of course, Tuch didn't cheer for the Sabres between being drafted by the Minnesota Wild in 2014 and traded by the Vegas Golden Knights in late 2021. The Tuch family was next-door neighbors to former Sabre Tim Connolly. He watched his first live game five years later, making the 150-mile drive from Baldwinsville with his dad. The arena opened in 1996, the same year Tuch was born. Tuch has strong ties to the Sabres and upstate New York. "Because why not?" Tuch says of the inviting vibe. The team's tone-setters, from general manager Kevyn Adams and head coach Don Granato to Tuch, new captain Kyle Okposo, and other members of the leadership group, are keeping the message consistent: We want growth, passion, and authenticity from everybody. There's an unbound energy around the Sabres these days, and the gregarious, driven, and thoughtful Tuch - himself an unambiguous character - is at the center of it.
Alex Tuch works on a USA Today crossword. A few minutes earlier, Tuch was chirped for real about his crossword abilities: "Always needs help, always asks me," teammate Tage Thompson blurted as he shuffled by the table.
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