Former Blue Jackets GM was hired as a senior advisor in May
The Buffalo Sabres finally made the decision that their fanbase had been asking for the last few years, as the club relieved GM Kevyn Adams of his duties and named senior advisor Jarmo Kekalainen to replace him.
“Kevyn Adams has been relieved of his duties as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres,” Sabres owner Terry Pegula said in a press release. “I would like to thank Kevyn for his dedication and loyalty to the Buffalo Sabres. He has been a reliable presence, and we are appreciative of his enduring care and commitment. I personally wish him and his entire family all the best.”
The Sabres lost the first three games of a six-game road swing in Philadelphia, Calgary, and Winnipeg, and followed that up with wins over Edmonton, Vancouver, and Seattle, but the die appeared to be cast on Adams tenure as GM, as Matthew Fairburn and Tim Graham of the Athletic reported last week that the club was considering a management change.
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Adams had one year remaining on his contract, but entered the season on shaky ground. With the victory over Seattle on Sunday, the Sabres reached .500 and pulled into a three-way tie with Ottawa and Columbus at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 32 points (14-14-4).
“We are not where we need to be as an organization, and we are moving forward with new leadership within our hockey operations department. We are dedicated to building an organization that is competitive year after year, and we have fallen short of that expectation.” Pegula said. “The hiring of Jarmo was the result of an extensive search process in which Jarmo stood out as our top choice for the senior advisor position. Jarmo has distinguished himself over the last eight months, and his experience, professionalism, and drive speaks for itself. I am looking forward to him leading our organization to the next level.”
Kekäläinen was brought into the organization in May as a senior advisor, but it was widely assumed from the outset that he was the GM-in-waiting if the Sabres got off to a bad start. Buffalo went 0-3 out of the gate and lost eight of nine games at the end of October and early November. As opposed to Adams, who had no experience before being hired as Sabres GM in 2020, Kekäläinen was hired as GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013 until his dismissal in 2024.
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