Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - After more than five seasons, Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula has fired general manager Kevyn Adams as general manager of the franchise.
In his place, the Sabres have announced former Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen as the next leader of the hockey operations department in Buffalo.
Under Adams, the Sabres have finished 31st, 24th, 20th, 22nd and 26th. As of Monday, the Sabres have a points percentage of .500 and are 24th.
Kekalainen joins Punch Imlach and Scotty Bowman as the only three general managers in Sabres history that had previous NHL general manager experience. Adams had no experience, and was not remotely qualified to be a general manager when he took over for Jason Botterill back in 2020.
While Pegula doesn’t speak to the media, he did make a statement on the team website:
"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 felt Kekalainen distinguished himself while serving in his role as senior advisor. Kekalainen was hired just this past offseason.
"His experience, professionalism, and drive speaks for itself," Pegula said.
"It is a great honor to be named general manager of the Buffalo Sabres," added Kekalainen in a statement. "I would like to extend my thanks to Terry and Kim Pegula for this opportunity. I am humbled to be the steward of this team and look forward to experiencing the passion that Sabres fans bring to every game."
In addition to working in Columbus, Kekalainen has had jobs with the Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues. He’s worked as a general manager, an assistant general manager, director of amateur scouting and director of player personnel.
The reason Adams got the job in Buffalo is Botterill wouldn’t gut the hockey department the way Pegula wanted him to, and Adams did it immediately after getting the job.
Players began souring on the direction of the franchise, which led to Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart wanting to be traded. Despite drafting first overall twice and selecting Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, the team hasn’t been able to improve with that and several other high picks.
Player development was a failure, as some of the picks were rushed up to the big club when they weren’t ready, and others needed time in the American Hockey League and were never sent down there. That has improved, but several young players haven't reached their potential.
Many in the hockey department had jobs they had never done before and weren’t qualified for.
Even when good trades were made, for whatever reason, the hockey team never would get better.
Probably the defining moment for Adams' tenure in Buffalo was during a 13-game winless streak last season, the team went 0-10-3. They went from third in the Atlantic Division to taking themselves out of contention.
Adams sat and did absolutely nothing. He didn’t even try to bring up someone from Rochester try shake things up. He froze, did nothing and by Christmas, the playoffs weren’t even a remote possibility.
It's now Dec. 15, and the Sabres are, once again, at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and staring at a 15th-straight season without playoffs.
Kekalainen will address the media on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. We will carry his introductory press conference live on WGR Sports Radio 550.
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