Storm Advisory 6/17/20: NHL News, Daily Links and Roundup

Hey, folks. It’s been a bit. Hope y’all are well. Here’s some news from around the Canes and around the NHL. Enjoy!

Sabres Name Kevyn Adams General Manager

On Tuesday the Buffalo Sabres relieved Jason Botterill of his duties as general manager and appointed former Carolina Hurricanes forward and 2006 Stanley Cup champion Kevyn Adams as his successor.

Through five seasons spanning from 2001-02 to 2006-07, Adams played 300 regular season games for the Canes and 48 playoff games, and centered the popular and successful Adams Family line with Craig Adams and Chad LaRose, epitomizing the ‘relentless’ moniker associated with the 2006 Cup champions.

Adams retired from the NHL in 2009 to become a player agent before being hired as a player development coach for the Sabres. He was promoted to assistant coach during the 2011-12 season and fired after the 2013 season when the Sabres hired Ron Rolston as their new head coach. Later that year, Adams became vice president and director, and then general manager, of the Academy of Hockey at the LECOM Harborcenter sports complex in Buffalo. He returned to the Sabres in 2019 as senior vice president of Business Administration.

Per the Sabres’ press release:

“New General Manager Kevyn Adams and Head Coach Ralph Krueger already have a close working relationship and we are excited to see what they can do together as we reconfigure our hockey operations. We have the benefit of this long 2020 pause to take time to reorganize and re-energize our hockey department. We recognize the importance of this offseason with so many player decisions to be made.”

A lot happened in Buffalo yesterday, and there’s more to follow in Storm Advisory, but for now we’ll send our congratulations to Kevyn Adams and wish him well (but not TOO well) in his new role.

Storm Advisory

• In Yesterday’s News Today, we share our final thoughts on the 2020 Canes Country Ultimate Fantasy Draft.
• Dig In with Tripp Tracy as he launches a new podcast! Shane Willis is his first guest, and Rod Brind’Amour is scheduled to appear later this week. [Spotify]

• The accolades for David Ayres keep pouring in. Over two million NHL fan votes were cast and Ayres’ EBUG performance was crowned the Best Feel-Good Moment of the season. [Canes.com]
• Twenty-three years ago yesterday, a new logo was born. Look back at the unveiling of the sightless eye. [Canes.com]
• Check out the latest auction items benefitting the Canes Foundation and You Can Play. But hurry, bidding ends tonight!

• An in-depth story of one of the smartest hockey teams ever assembled during its most memorable season. The 1985-86 Hartford Whalers are quite the legacy. [The Athletic $]
• As far as we know, there is nothing new to report with regard to the affiliation arrangement between the Canes and the Charlotte Checkers (or otherwise). In the meantime, the AHL has established a Return To Play task force and Checkers COO Tera Black is part of the team. [AHL.com]
• Meanwhile, the ECHL Swamp Rabbits have announced they are not renewing the contract of head coach Kevin Kerr. [Swamp Rabbits]
• Seabass sighting!

• While on the topic of Finns ... “The Gifted” is an ongoing series that uses video to examine some of the NHL’s most fascinating prospects and their unique skill sets. Hurricanes prospect Patrik Puistola cracks the list with his ability to control the puck and the play. [The Athletic $]
• For the New York Islanders, not only is the remainder of the 2019-20 season a question mark, but now they may be without a place to play in 2020-21. Nassau Coliseum is planning to turn out the lights. [Sports Illustrated]
• So the Sabres have a new general manager. But that’s not all! After the Kevyn Adams press conference concluded, news began to roll out regarding additional front office cuts. At last count two assistant general managers, the coaching staff of the AHL Rochester Amerks, 12 members of the amateur scouting staff, and two player development coaches were relieved of their duties before the day was over. [Die By The Blade]
• Speaking of the press conference, Adams was asked how his time as a Hurricane will influence him as general manager. His response (26-minute mark) is worth the listen and you probably won’t see it widely quoted or replayed much by the Buffalo media. The follow-up article also includes some nice words from former teammates Rod Brind’Amour and Justin Williams. [Sabres.com]
• Finally, last week, thousands of area high school students participated in appropriately socially distanced diploma ceremonies and virtual commencement events (ed. note, my son was one of them). Here’s one last shout-out to the Class of 2020.