Mike Harrington: Kevyn Adams doesn't have Sabres' new goalie yet, but he'll get one on his timetable

Some of his colleagues seemed to be getting awfully skittish Friday as the NHL draft wound down. New Jersey traded for Washington's Vitek Vanecek and Detroit got Ville Husso from St. Louis and then signed him to a three-year deal at $4.75 million per season. That followed the news that Minnesota re-signed Marc-Andre Fleury to a two-year deal at $3.5 million per year and and Colorado had acquired Alexander Georgiev from the Rangers for three draft picks.

At first glance, the Husso news is a little disconcerting. Detroit is an Atlantic Division team and now has a goaltending tandem of Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic. But it's easy to find people wondering how Husso's game will play away from St. Louis' structure. Did the Red Wings just sign a young goalie on the rise or did they get Carter Hutton Lite?

Names like Darcy Kuemper, Jack Campbell and Braden Holtby are expected to be on the free agent market next week, San Jose is probably willing to part with veteran James Reimer, the Islanders might deal Semyon Varlamov, and now you wonder about All-Star goalie Cam Talbot in Minnesota, who was nosed out of starts in the playoffs by Fleury and now watched the future Hall of Famer re-sign.

Agent George Bazos met with Wild GM Bill Guerin during Friday's proceedings and texted, "Billy has a lot to think about" to national insider Pierre LeBrun of TSN and the Athletic. It sounds like Talbot would like a change of scenery. Hmm.

So Adams is far from out of options. It's believed he's limiting himself like to a two-year deal for any goalie, lest he block Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and/or Devon Levi. And you can assume Kuemper and Campbell are going to get much more than that, but Adams remains undaunted. And he can be more relaxed about things. He's not in win-or-else mode like, say, Kyle Dubas is in Toronto.

"As we've gone through the the offseason, we have a plan and we're gonna stick to our plan," Adams said after Friday's draft wrapped up in Bell Centre. "You can get emotional or you can make quick decisions. And I don't think that's that's how we want to run our business. I think we want to be disciplined with what we do, I think we want to be intentional in how we do things."

Adams had a deal in the works with Ottawa for Matt Murray but that fell apart when Murray wouldn't waive his no-trade clause for Buffalo, likely hoping to instead get a deal to play in Toronto or Edmonton. Adams reiterated Friday what he tells us almost every time we talk – that he only wants players who want to be in Buffalo. If they don't, he'll get somebody else.

Ask how spooked he sensed other GMs are, Adams made it clear he felt what everyone else in the building did too Friday.

"I don't want to speak for other teams but I think it's natural just to have that feeling, right?" Adams said. "I really believe in being disciplined and being patient, and making sure that you calmly follow your plan. That's the work we've been doing all along, having these conversations internally and going through options and prioritizing." 

Adams, coach Don Granato and his assistants have worked hard to change the franchise's culture. Adams is also working hard to do likewise behind the scenes.

"I believe in the people around me every day that I talk to on our staff, and how we're doing things," Adams said. "I said it yesterday, I'll say it again, Craig Anderson was a critical piece for me to get him back with our group, not just for how he performs on the ice, but what he does every day in the locker room."

Scouting director Jerry Forton said his belief in Adams has quickly grown over the last 25 months, and Forton briefly broke down when speaking with reporters about how Adams is shepherding the organization through a difficult time, both on the ice and off.

There was a lot behind Forton's emotions. Foremost, of course, is Kim Pegula's health situation. Forton joined the organization in 2013 and is a longtime confidante of Terry Pegula, whose wife has been battling undisclosed issues for the last month.

Another branch of the story is the Forton and other members of the organization were made as outcasts under Jason Botterill and his team of assistant GMs. Adams has been the unifying force the Sabres have needed.

"He includes everyone. He lets everyone do the jobs," Forton said of Adams. "He's done an incredible job at bringing this entire organization together. I've seen it firsthand.  We've obviously been through a lot not only for he last month or so, but the whole organization has been through a lot since I've been here. And to see the coaches and the development staff and the Rochester staff and all our support staff, how everyone works together, to me that all starts with that the Pegulas and Kevyn."

For a first-time GM on the floor of an NHL draft – Adams' first two drafts were virtual, remember – Forton said everything ran flawlessly.

"He's always professional, and includes everyone," Forton said. "He's respectful, and he's got a lot on his plate managing everything. And he does it with dignity and professionalism."

Those are clearly good traits to have. Too often, team executives can be snake oil salesmen. That's not how Adams rolls, but he does have to be ready and willing to pounce when the time calls for it.

When it comes to goalies at least, that time is getting closer. But don't expect the GM to deviate from making his move when he feels it's the right time. No one outside his circle is going to impact his thought process.

"We will do what we believe is right for this organization, short and long term," Adams said. "We'll be patient, calm, and we'll do the right thing."

Good philosophy to have. Hope it works out to finding someone who can help Anderson stop the puck.