Now entering their fourth season of a massive rebuild, the Buffalo Stampede will be looking to prove that they are once again relevant. Recently we were treated to a wonderful article on the in-progress Seattle Riot rebuild, so today I sat down with Buffalo General Manager <a href='index.php?showuser=1163' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-13'>WannabeFinn</a> to talk to him about how he and Buffalo got where they are now.
After 8 seasons as GM of the Detroit Falcons, you left that to take over as GM just as you were about to be able to take yourself as a recreate. What sparked the decision to move up to SHL management?
I had my eyes on a General Manager position for a long time, actually for several seasons before I was given the chance to become Mazais' co-GM in Detroit back in the offseason before Season 29. I knew I was going to be, for all intents and purposes, a lifer in the Los Angeles Panthers organization and was really hoping that at some point Wasty would offer me the co-GM position, but it became quite obvious that he and Bottas had plans to run the team together once he could draft Jean-Luc Reflieux. I chose to stay in that GM role with the Falcons, still waiting for the day that I might be offered a spot alongside Wasty, but as the seasons wore on and the end of Kaapo Kekkonen's career was in sight, I realized that my time with the Panthers was going to come to an end, but I wasn't really sure at what point. I had started to become less enthusiastic about my own player, regularly missing out on TPE opportunities and watching helplessly as my player fell from his Season 32 peak. The last few seasons my player was struggling to even scrape together 30 points in a full season, a disappointing recurrence for a 1,400+ TPE player with Top 6 playing time + special teams. I'd eventually come to the conclusion that I was done with Kaapo as a player and wanted to recreate, which also happened to be the season in which Los Angeles had acquired Portland's 1st rounder via the Chris Crutchfield trade. I had fully expected to return to LA with my next player by way of that pick, but then the Head Office announced that they would be holding open applications for the Toronto North Stars and Buffalo Stampede Head GM positions. The timing of all of this seemed just right, as I could end my career as a lifelong Panther while joining a new team, with a brand new player at the same time. So I applied for the job with both teams and ultimately was selected to become the 3rd General Manager in Buffalo's history. I felt comfortable moving on from Detroit after 8 seasons as I had been to the Finals many times, won the Cup along the way, and had just hired Wozy as my co-GM, a guy who I knew I would be grooming to be the heir to the throne. I just didn't know it would be so soon after the fact. In the end I think that everything worked out perfectly and I'm happy with where Buffalo and Detroit are as franchises, not to mention that my interest in the league had become totally and completely renewed.
Your first season as GM, the Stampede barely made the playoffs despite a -10 goal differential, the second year in a row to make the postseason without a positive value. How did you feel about the state of the team?
Buffalo was in a weird spot when I came to the team. Several key players had either just retired or were about to retire, and several other impact players were up for new contracts and there was a particular degree of uncertainty that comes with any new GM, especially one who was hired from outside of the team. We lost some really great players in Big Z, Dani Forsberg, Ludwig Koch Schroeder, and VLAD McZehrl that offseason and I didn't really expect to make the playoffs at all. In fact, I had told some of the other veteran players like Nicolas Winter and Max Wachter that I would likely trade them to competitors if we were lagging behind the pack in the playoff race. But someway, somehow, we managed to make the playoffs that season and take the #1 seed West Kendall Platoon to 7 games. We lost even more players that offseason as our franchise goaltender Casey Holmes retired and eventually Winter and Wachter both found their way to Los Angeles via trade. I knew that the team was going to need a full blown rebuild, so I did what I could to keep the young players happy and active while moving on from those veterans.
It’s really amazing to see so many recognizable names that both used to be part of the team and are still in the league. Watching their success since has likely been difficult. At the S38 draft, you had three picks in the first round and another two in the second. How did you end up with all of those picks?
Buffalo went into the draft with the Panthers' 1st round pick (6th overall, acquired in the Nicolas Winter trade), Buffalo's own 1st (7th overall), Buffalo's own 2nd (21st OA), Calgary's 2nd (22nd OA, acquired in the Dani Forsberg trade), and Seattle's 2nd (26th OA, acquired by Walrus before I became GM). After some discussions with West Kendall, we decided during the draft that we would send our own 1st (7th) and Calgary's 2nd (22nd) to the Platoon for their 1st (11th) and Seattle's 1st (12th). There were some first gen players in that draft that really caught my eye and I was hoping that I would be able to snag some of them with those later 1st rounders, and the gamble paid off. I was able to pick the franchise founder Brandon with our early 1st, and then was able to swing for the fences with those other two 1st rounders we got from WKP. We ended up selecting Kevin Hamilton and Dermot Lavelle, both of whom should be considered Top 5 players in that draft class. We still had our own 2nd and Seattle's 2nd, allowing us to nab TJ Bayley and Quick Mafs. Considering that all 5 of these players are active and on our roster, I consider the Season 38 draft to be the best in the history of the Stampede franchise. It was this draft that really allowed us to push forward with our rebuild with confidence and a lively locker room.
Thanks for the kind words. Speaking of players named Hamilton, in S39, you traded mid-season for Kian Hamilton, who had already announced retirement. Where did you see Buffalo at competitively to make such a short term move?
At that point in the season, we had a surprisingly good record and were looking like we might actually be able to sneak into the playoffs. I decided that acquiring a player like Kian was worth it at the cost presented with the goal in mind of giving our locker room some excitement for the rest of the season. It pretty much completely backfired as we went into a tailspin to finish the season and missed the playoffs by a good bit. In the end I don't particularly regret the trade, as it would be revisionist to call it a disaster. It wasn't a trade made with the long term in mind though, and that is something that I shouldn't have neglected. In the end though, our young players did stay active and have remained excited about Buffalo, and that's all I ever wanted to come from it. That pick ended up becoming an inactive player for Manhattan, so that helps me feel a little bit better about what I risked.
I would have to agree. Playoffs or no, it was a good feeling to do so much better after S38, and see the team noticeably improving. However, after crawling out of the gutter in S39, Buffalo regressed slightly to finish last in the conference again in S40. How did you take that?
Well, I certainly thought we were making some great progress and had thought we would finish ahead of Toronto, but that Chris York line was something I didn't really see coming. I knew they were good, but they were just absurd that season. Our offense sputtered and our defense and goaltending only proved to be average, so I wasn't really expecting much to come from the season. The biggest, and the most painful, part of a rebuild is knowing that it takes time. Seasons are going to come and go that feel like they were a waste, but they're necessary when you're building a team from the ground up with young players that you draft and develop.
Toronto has certainly defied my expectations the past couple of seasons. I recently wrote about it [url= http://originalshl.com/index.php?showtopic=89229]here[/url]. The Toronto North Stars have finished just barely ahead of Buffalo the last few seasons. Given that slight difference in success, as well as the fact that Buffalo and Toronto sought new GMs at the same time, do you consider them your main rival?
It's hard to consider anyone your rival when you struggle to win games, but going forward I fully expect Toronto to be our main rival. They took a similar path to us in terms of rebuilding, and it seems that our competitive windows are going to open at the same time. I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the S40's play out as Toronto and Buffalo battle it out in the East.
Very true. Buffalo has struggled a lot lately, especially with their forwards. Last year saw a breakout season for Viktor Vorkampfer, but Alexis Metzler has been the undeniable star for Buffalo, some might have said the lone bright spot for S38, but with him starting to regress and Buffalo still not on the verge of contention, have you considered any offers for him?
Absolutely not. I plan on keeping Metzler with the Stampede until the day he retires. He's the rock on which we've built our house.
So the hometown hero will be part of the Stampede’s future. Speaking of which, for three years in a row now, the Stampede have picked the first player off the board. How did this most recent one make you feel?
We've been very fortunate to have won the draft lottery a few times during our rebuild. We didn't technically win the lottery for the Season 39 draft, but having a string of top selections has tremendously accelerated our rebuild. Flacko Lagerfield, our 1st Overall pick in the Season 41 Draft is a budding star. He's going to become a phenomenal sniper in this league and I can't wait to see how his career unfolds. We can't wait for the day that we can call him up and add him to our lineup full-time.
That is a good point. Technically, the Renegades won the S39 lottery, but a penalty gave Buffalo first shot at Fredrich Koenig, making Conor McGregor the first true first overall pick. And I am definitely looking forward to seeing Lagerfield in action as well. Speaking of the recent draft, what were your thoughts on New England’s selection of the interim GM and the following decision to retire?
Frankly speaking, I toyed with the idea of selecting Matej Elias myself. I had no intentions on holding out for a trade though, as I would have simply released him after drafting him for the lulz. But when there are still good prospects on the board, I can't in good faith select Elias when I have a duty to my team to load up with as many quality players as I can. I recognize the legality of what New England decided to do, but I can't say I agree with their motivation for doing what they did. It came off as a pretty slimey maneuver. However I am glad that the situation was resolved in a timely fashion and that we can put it behind us.
I can be a pretty cold-blooded bastard, but I didn’t see it so much as slimey as just a bad pick. They effectively gave Seattle an extra pick, as Jussi Hammanen was picked where Elias would have been, and that’s looking to be a pretty good pick. Finally, and back to your own team, where do you see Buffalo finishing this year? Will this be the first year of your tenure they break even on goals?
That's a really tough question to answer. The optimist in me thinks that the Stampede will sneak into the playoffs as the 4th seed. However we have seen how things go on the ice, and the puck bounces sometimes just don't go your way. Maybe we break even on goals, maybe we make the playoffs. For the time being I'm just looking forward to getting the boys back on the ice and growing as a team.
On that, I definitely agree. I can’t wait for the season to start either, and whether we sneak in like you hope or just manage to win one game more than last year, there will definitely be growth. Thanks for your time and for some very well-thought out answers.
((Graders, please pay 90% to WannabeFinn, since he kinda did the work))
Quote:Originally posted by JKortesi81@May 14 2018, 07:57 AM My hometown team seems to be in some good hands. I like it.
Yeah, he's really done a great job. Like he said, it takes a long time to show up, but I think we are easily in the playoffs from S42 through the foreseeable future.
Quote:Originally posted by kckolbe@May 14 2018, 11:22 PM Last year saw a breakout season for Viktor Vorkampfer, but Alexis Metzler has been the undeniable star for Buffalo, some might have said the lone bright spot for S38, but with him starting to regress and Buffalo still not on the verge of contention, have you considered any offers for him?
[b]Absolutely not. I plan on keeping Metzler with the Stampede until the day he retires. He's the rock on which we've built our house.
[/b]
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