Kekalainen replaces Karmanos with former Montreal GM Bergevin
Buffalo Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen had a busy first week on making changes to the organization. After relieving Associate GM Jason Karmanos of his duties, the Sabres restocked the shelves by adding former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin to the fold as associate GM and Josh Flynn as assistant GM.
The 60-year-old former NHLer served as Director of Player Personnel in Chicago when they won their first Stanley Cup in 2010, and served as GM of the Canadiens for nine seasons. Most recently, he has been with the Los Angeles Kings as a senior advisor and is the GM of Team Canada for the upcoming Spengler Cup in Switzerland.
Flynn was hired by Kekalainen in Columbus in 2013, serving mostly as a capologist and in an analytics capacity. The 43-year-old was given permission by the Blue Jackets to join the Sabres and will have the same title as he did with Columbus the last seven seasons.
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“Both Marc Bergevin and Josh Flynn bring a wealth of unique experience and perspective, and I am excited to add them to the Buffalo Sabres organization,” Kekäläinen said in a press release. “Adding both to an already strong group adds versatility and helps us continue to build a well-rounded hockey operations staff. Marc has firsthand experience as an NHL general manager and a track record as a strong talent evaluator at the highest level. His insight will be invaluable as we continue to identify and develop talent throughout the organization. Josh’s strength lies within salary cap management, analytics, contract negotiations, and scouting. Having worked alongside him in Columbus for many years, I know that his attention to detail and nuanced understanding of league processes will help to enhance how we support our broader organization.”
Kekalainen indicated that he will be in evaluation mode regarding all aspects of the organization, and based on the moves made in the first week, he has hit the ground running, but some other moves may have to wait until the offseason. According ot Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast, Kekalainen has a reputation of being fair, but almost everyone in the Sabres upper echelon is in the final year of their contracts. This could mean more changes to the management and scouting departments and potentially bringing more people from Columbus – like Flynn – to Buffalo this summer.
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