Former Sabres Assistant GMs Randy Sexton and Steve Greeley "received two-year contract extensions this season," despite being among 22 employees fired Tuesday in a sweeping overhaul of the Sabres' hockey operations department, according to sources cited by Lance Lysowski of the BUFFALO NEWS. The midseason extensions, which were "requested by [former Sabres GM Jason] Botterill and approved by ownership, ensured he and his two assistant general managers would be under contract" through the '21-22 season, and "seemingly would have provided a sense of job security" (BUFFALO NEWS, 6/21).
Kim Pegula's diversity initiatives have drawn consistent praise from Gary BettmanGETTY IMAGES
FRACTURED BASE: In Buffalo, Mike Harrington wrote at the NHL and BOG level, the Pegulas are "well-respected." NHL Commission Gary Bettman "consistently lauds Kim Pegula's diversity initiatives and loves her participation on league committees." And "no one can argue the benefits of LECOM Harborcenter, Kim Pegula's legacy project, as both a regional and international destination for hockey at all levels." But "deeper inside the NHL, at the GM and on-ice level, the Pegulas have been openly laughed at." And the laughter has "never been louder." Harrington: "Fans' patience is officially gone after this disaster of a season. ...The fans feel hoodwinked, and they should" (BUFFALO NEWS, 6/21). In Toronto, Steve Simmons wrote Sabres President Kim Pegula fired Botterill "three weeks after giving him a vote of confidence and replaced him with Kevyn Adams." The "purge was hardly methodical" (TORONTO SUN, 6/21). In Boston, Kevin Paul Dupont wrote the Pegulas look "rudderless, their billions allowing them to make nearly a decade’s worth of abrupt, impetuous changes that now have them saying they want to run a leaner, more streamlined, more fiscally prudent franchise." Dupont: "There is no quick fix here for the new-age expansion Sabres" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/21).
PEGULA'S TAKE ON ANTHEM PROTESTS: In Buffalo, Jay Skurski wrote Kim Pegula was "abandoned on a street corner in Seoul" as a child. She then came to the U.S. at the "age of 5 and was adopted by a family" in Fairport, N.Y. Citing that experience, Pegula said of protesting during the anthem, "Personally, I'm not going to kneel. But we've been listening. We've been learning to love other people and understand experiences and what they have gone through, what they've experienced, and what maybe the anthem or the flag means to them, it's truly different than what I went through." She added, "Honestly, that's how I feel. I will be standing, but that's my choice. That's my right. I would hope that the players as well respect that, just like I'm going to respect them for what they want to do if they so choose to" (BUFFALO NEWS, 6/20).
