Jarmo Kekalainen replaces Kevyn Adams as Buffalo Sabres GM, owner Terry Pegula announced Monday.
The Buffalo Sabres relieved GM Kevyn Adams of his duties on Monday.
Taking his place is Jarmo Kekalainen, who joined the Sabres as senior advisor on May 30 and was GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2013 to 2024.
"We are not where we need to be as an organization, and we are moving forward with new leadership within our hockey operations department," Sabres owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. "We are dedicated to building an organization that is competitive year after year, and we have fallen short of that expectation."
Pegula thanked Adams, 51, for his dedication and loyalty to the team. He joined the team as a development coach in 2009-10 and had been an assistant coach, youth hockey supervisor and senior vice-president of business administration before being named GM ahead of the 2020-21 season.
In parts of six seasons as Sabres GM, Adams made significant moves. He traded away Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Dylan Cozens, signed Taylor Hall in 2020 and traded him before the season ended, and brought in Alex Tuch, Josh Norris, Jason Zucker, Bowen Byram, Devon Levi and Michael McLeod.
His management team also drafted Owen Power first overall, as well as Isak Rosen, Noah Ostlund, Zach Benson, Konsta Helenius, Radim Mrtka and Matt Savoie, the last of whom was traded to Edmonton.
In 2021, Adams replaced coach Ralph Krueger with Don Granato, then replaced him in 2024-25 with Lindy Ruff.
"(Adams) has been a reliable presence, and we are appreciative of his enduring care and commitment," Pegula said.
Despite Adams' efforts, the Sabres extended their playoff drought to 14 years and didn't higher than fifth in their division. This season, they're seventh in the Atlantic Division through 32 games.
Adams' record as Sabres GM is 178-196-42, a .478 points percentage.
Kekalainen now gets his second chance at being GM of an NHL team.
"Jarmo has distinguished himself over the last eight months, and his experience, professionalism, and drive speaks for itself," Pegula said. "I am looking forward to him leading our organization to the next level."
The 59-year-old will look to do what Tim Murray, Jason Botterill and Adams couldn't before him: make the playoffs. Including Darcy Regier, who was GM of the Sabres from 1997 to 2013, Kekalainen is the fifth GM since Buffalo last made the playoffs in 2011 and won a playoff round in 2007.
Kekalainen became the first European and Finnish GM in the NHL when the Blue Jackets hired him midway through the 2012-13 season. He brought the team to four straight playoff appearances from 2017 to 2020, winning a round for the first time in franchise history in 2019 against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning. His record with Columbus was 410-362-97 for a .528 points percentage.
Some of Kekalainen's most significant trade acquisitions as Jackets GM were Artemi Panarin, Seth Jones, Matt Duchene, Brandon Saad, Max Domi, Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson and Marian Gaborik. But what might have been his most significant move was winning the sweepstakes to sign coveted UFA Johnny Gaudreau in 2022.
Under Kekalainen, Columbus drafted Zach Werenski, Kirill Marchenko, Kent Johnson, Cole Sillinger and Adam Fantilli.
The Sabres are amid a three-game winning streak, coming off a six-game road trip. They play the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
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