By Matthew Fairburn (The Athletic)
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Kevyn Adams typically has a comfortable perch from which to watch the Buffalo Sabres practice. He’s usually off on his own, laser-focused on the ice for the entirety of the on-ice sessions. This time of year, though, requires some multitasking.
With the trade deadline just a few weeks away, Adams’ attention is pulled from the ice more often as phone calls become a regular part of his day. That was the case on Tuesday as the Sabres practiced in El Segundo, Calif. ahead of their Tuesday game against the Anaheim Ducks. Adams’ public messages have been consistent. He’s not going to hit fast-forward on the rebuild and compromise the future for the present. But he’s also going to be involved in a lot of conversations to make sure he’s aware of the market and ready to make a move if the time and price is right.
The Sabres’ current position in the standings and the timeline of their rebuild make them more of a potential deadline buyer than they’ve been in a while. How the team plays over the next few weeks could determine what Adams does or doesn’t do. The Sabres are not in a desperate position with a roster full of young, developing players, but Adams could justify a move to push this team closer to the playoffs down the stretch.
For Don Granato, the trade deadline is less of an all-encompassing experience than it is for Adams. But the two have laid the type of foundation in their relationship where Granato knows he and Adams are aligned in how they see their roster now and into the future.
“We talk all the time,” Granato said. “We’re around each other so much that we never need to say, ‘Hey, we need this.’ We’ve already talked about it, where our team is, what our team needs. So that fills any void that could be there.”
When it comes to the minutiae of the trade deadline, Adams relays information to Granato when he needs to know it. Granato’s days are filled with the daily demands of coaching, so he prefers not to be distracted by every detail of trade conversations. When Adams was wrapped in multiple daily calls about the Jack Eichel trade last fall, he came to Granato intermittently with different scenarios to get his thoughts.
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