Pegula said that her emphasis on long-term financial stability is to have an efficiently run franchiseGETTY IMAGES
Sabres co-Owner Kim Pegula is "staying on" as team president, with a "continued focus on making the small-market franchise economically sustainable, while in the face of criticism that the team has been mismanaged under her leadership," according to John Wawrow of the AP. Pegula said that she "believes she remains the best-suited for the job to streamline the operation, acknowledging the process has taken longer than expected." The Sabres already are "among the NHL's smallest-market teams, and the region lacks a large corporate base to drive suite sales and sponsorships." The economic conditions, coupled with the team's nine-year playoff drought, "leave open questions about how difficult it will be to draw fans once the next season begins." Pegula said that her "emphasis on long-term financial stability is to have an efficiently run franchise." The timing of the pandemic "puts into question how much the Pegulas can count on public tax dollars to upgrade a county-owned arena that hasn't undergone major renovations since it was built" in '96. Critics "contend many of the Sabres' problems are the result of the Pegulas' doing." In addition to "still paying salaries of former employees, the Pegulas have been blamed for creating a top-heavy parent company, Pegula Sports and Entertainment, which oversees their numerous holdings." The Pegulas "were most recently criticized for a series of cost-cutting measures in April, when they laid off 21 employees" (AP, 6/11).
