The inevitable happened Monday afternoon when the Buffalo Sabres fired GM Kevyn Adams, replacing him after more than five years on the job with senior advisor and former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen. There are legitimate questions as to whether it would be better to hire a permanent replacement for Adams in the next NHL off-season, but that’s another column for another day. 

In this file, we’re going to look at what areas Kekalainen needs to address to pull this Sabres team out of the basement of the Eastern Conference and back into the playoffs after what is almost assuredly going to be a 15-year Stanley Cup playoff drought. Here they are:

1. Settle The Goaltending Picture

If there’s one area the Sabres have depth in, it’s their netminding. With four NHL-caliber goaltenders – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, Colten Ellis and Devon Levi – Kekalainen has to pick a couple of them to build around, then deal at least one, if not two goalies.

As we saw with the Stuart Skinner/Tristan Jarry blockbuster trade, the netminding market is a seller’s market. And with few other teams ready, willing and able to peel off a goalie or two, Kekalainen needs to capitalize on his goaltending depth and convert the goalies he doesn’t want to build around into strengths in other areas. There’s no imminent rush to make a move, but if Buffalo finishes the year with all four goalies still in-house, that will represent a management failure.

2. Decide On A New Core Of Talent

Some may argue that the Sabres should still keep all of their core of talent together as the Kekalainen Era begins. But not this writer. For us, it’s well beyond time for Buffalo to make some material changes to their present and their future. And if that means trading a name-brand talent like, say, defenseman Owen Power or Tage Thompson, so be it.

If the definition of sports insanity is running it back year-in and year-out with the same group of talent that’s failed time and again and expecting different results, it’s easy to see what Kekalainen needs to do. He’s got to identify a new collection of players to build around, and chart a different course that Sabres fans can invest their time, money and emotions in. Kekalainen will have a honeymoon phase in the immediate weeks and months ahead, but he’ll squander that in short order if he doesn’t show why his way will work where Adams’ way continued to fail.

3. Make The Most Of The Future – One Way Or Another

The last thing most Sabres fans will want to hear from Kekalainen is a plea for patience. And it’s understandable why Buffalo fans will be looking for changes right away. Another drawn-out future is not going to cut it if there’s not a clear path forward. And considering that the Sabres have all three first-round draft picks in the next three seasons, they should easily be able to turn one of those picks into an NHL difference-maker.

Now, if Kekalainen says he’s not going to trade a first-rounder, Buffalo fans should be rightfully concerned about the team’s new management. In many ways, Adams had almost a trade paralysis late in his stint with the Sabres, and Kekalainen must show some courage in his direction for the team. He needs to take some calculated gambles that have a high upside. And believe us when we tell you that teams will be lining up to acquire a Sabres top pick. So long as they don’t continue to underwhelm for the foreseeable future, Buffalo should be prepared to do things differently as long as those different results will follow.