Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres formally introduced Jarmo Kekalainen as their new general manager on Tuesday, replacing Kevyn Adams, who was fired on Monday.
Kekalainen has already spoken to the players and was very clear with what he expects as he moves forward with this organization.
"When I came here, I really believed in the skill and the talent on this team. But I define talent a little differently, so that’s going to be the focus moving forward," said Kekalainen during his introductory press conference.
"I think character is the biggest part of talent. I think the competitiveness, the relentlessness and the work ethic that you have, that’s the talent we need to focus on. There’s been games this year where we looked like it was going to be easy, and we lost because we got outworked. That’s unacceptable. That’s something we’re going to focus on every day here, because skill alone is not going to get you the wins in this league. Every team is too good, so you’ve got to work, you’ve got to compete, you’ve got to be relentless. That’s what I want the identity of the Buffalo Sabres to be."
Over the years, we’ve heard so much about Buffalo not being a destination for players. And when players do get here, they want to leave. Kekalainen has a simple plan for that.
"Winning hockey games is the most important ingredient. Everybody wants to play for a winner, and in the background, we can be very detail oriented in making sure we do everything that we can," Kekalainen said.
"Terry [Pegula] and I had long conversations over the weekend, and he’s going to give us every resource so we can eliminate all the excuses to make it such a great place for the players, that they want to come here. But winning is the first ingredient that you have.
Kekalainen adds Pegula has given him full autonomy to run the hockey department, meaning the team can spend to the cap and have every resource available to make the Sabres better and attractive for players to either stay in Buffalo, or want to join the organization.
Many have accused Pegula of trying to make hockey decisions that belong in the hockey department. Kekalainen says that's not going to be the case going into the future.
"Terry owns the team, he can ask me questions. But he’s given me 100% assurance that I’ll run the hockey team. I’ll make the decisions," Kekalainen stated. "But if he wants to ask questions, I’ll answer the questions and keep him up to date with what’s going on."
I was curious about the status of head coach Lindy Ruff and his future in the organization. Kekalainen was certainly non-committal at this time.
"Lindy’s résumé speaks for itself. He’s been a great coach in the league for a long time," Kekalainen said. "He works his tail off every day, he’s here early, he’s watching tape, he’s talking to the players, and he’s looking for ways to get better. I’ve really enjoyed my time with Lindy."
Kekalainen was also non-committal to the future of the coaching staff in Buffalo, as well as other members of the front office staff.
"We’re going to evaluate everything moving forward," Kekalainen said. "Whether it’s the scouting staff, management, coaches, everybody is under evaluation. But there are a lot of good people here that are great at their jobs."
Contract talks surrounding winger Alex Tuch have been put on hold, but a decision has to be made by this organization by the March 6 trade deadline to make sure he’s either signed or traded.
"I will take charge of that situation, and I’ll talk to his representative," Kekalainen said of Tuch's future. "It takes two parties to agree on a number that both feel is reasonable, and not just for today, but moving forward.
"Alex is a really good hockey player. We appreciate him, we like him. We want to get him signed, I think that’s been clear the whole time. Now we just have to agree on a number that works for both sides."
Many feel goaltending has been a problem for the team this season, but Kekalainen is not one of them.
"We’ve gotten good goaltending. I don’t think there’s any excuses," he said. "Some of the games that we’ve lost, where we’ve been outworked, they’ve given us a chance to win every game. But there are some really good pieces here, and that makes me excited."
Many want to know if the Sabres are finally going to get down to two goalies. Kekalainen certainly understands a three-goalie situation is not ideal for any NHL team.
"It’s not the ideal situation to have three for the workload that they get in practice, for the rotation and the amount of games they get if there are three goalies. But we picked up [Colten] Ellis for a reason, because we felt there was upside there to become a really good NHL goalie," Kekalainen explained. "Now we’re probably to a point where we’re going to have to start making decisions and get down to a two-goalie rotation."
I don’t think we’ll be watching this general manager sit on his hands while his team is falling down the standings.
"One of my philosophies is don’t be afraid to make a mistake. That’s something I always relayed to the players," Kekalainen said. "We’ve got to play free, we’ve got to play without fear of failure. And I apply that to myself: Whatever it takes to make our team better, we’re going to do it. It’s great to make the playoffs, but we’re not just here to make the playoffs. We’re here to try to build a championship team.
"You make the playoffs, you’re happy for 8-to-14 days if you lose in the first round. If you win the first round, then you’re happy 14-to-28 days, and then you’re miserable. I think even if you get to the Final and lose, that would be the most disappointing thing ever for me, at least personally. So winning the [Stanley] Cup is the goal for the Buffalo Sabres."
Kekalainen is only the third general manager in franchise history that comes to Buffalo with prior experience as a general manager in the NHL.
While he thinks the Sabres can still make the playoff this season, Buffalo is currently tied for last in the Eastern Conference in both points and points percentage. With a tie-breaker, they’ve passed the Columbus Blue Jackets for the last place spot in the conference.
The Sabres still have seven teams they need to pass to get to the eighth and final playoff spot, or find a way to climb to be one of the top-three teams in the Atlantic Division standings.
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