Last week Wednesday during his conference call after the firing of head coach Ralph Krueger, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams told the media that he was in the process of filling a role of assistant general manager on his font office staff.
It appears as though the Sabres are set to interview their leading candidate for the job that has been linked to the team for several days.
According to TSN hockey insider Bob McKenzie during his weekly Wednesday appearance on NBC Sports Network, the Sabres are set to interview former Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager Jason Karmanos for the same role in Buffalo on Thursday.
The Sabres are currently in Pittsburgh for a two-game set with the Penguins, which started on Wednesday with a 5-2 win for the home team at PPG Paints Arena. The loss for the Sabres gave them a 15th-consecutive loss, which sets a new franchise record.
Karmanos is a veteran front office executive in the National Hockey League, spending 15 years to start his career with the Carolina Hurricanes before being hired by the Penguins back in the 2014-15 season.
The 46-year-old was fired as Pittsburgh's assistant general manager back on Oct. 26, 2020 by general manager Jim Rutherford, who has since stepped down in that role due to personal reasons. Karmanos was originally hired as the Penguins' Vice President of Hockey Operations before taking his role as assistant general manager after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
According to his executive bio with the Penguins, Karmanos looked after the team's amateur scouting staff, while also helping Rutherford with other aspects of hockey operations. Meanwhile, he helped lead the overhaul of Pittsburgh's use of analytics with any decision-making processes in management.
Also of note from McKenzie's segment on NBCSN, he says Adams has put together a "comprehensive list" of candidates for his upcoming head coaching search. However, no formal interviews have been scheduled as of yet.
The Sabres wrap up their two-game set with the Penguins on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET. Pregame coverage on WGR starts at 6 p.m. ET with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog.