NHL Rumour: General Manager Shakeup Probable in Buffalo

Analysis: Adams is failing to get the job done. Adams has been the general manager for over five years, and the team has yet to make the playoffs. The drought continues, and the team has finished worse in the standings for the past two seasons than they did the year before. They’re going in the wrong direction, and the faith that Adams will be the one to turn it around is waning. It has not helped that the team is at the bottom of the conference standings, with a 13-14-4 record.

Buffalo hired Jarmo Kekäläinen over the summer as a Senior Advisor. Kekäläinen will most likely replace Adams as the GM in Buffalo. Kekäläinen spent over a decade as the GM with the Columbus Blue Jackets and has much more front office experience in the NHL and in Europe. According to Fairburn, sources indicate that Kekäläinen has made a strong impression with the organization since he was hired.

Why Replace Adams?

The owner of the Sabres, Terry Pegula, may be treating his front office with some semblance of seriousness again. If Kekäläinen replaces Adams, the resumé of the two men are staggeringly different. Adams had no relevant front office experience before becoming the Sabres GM. Kekäläinen is almost a drastic overcorrection to that lack of experience. While Pegula has owned the Sabres, the Sabres have never had an experienced General Manager. They have all been first-time hires.

The fact of the matter is, the most recent rebuild with the Sabres went as planned for the first few years. The team tanked, got a first overall pick, and traded their stars. Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart were both dealt by Adams. Both of those players went on to win Stanley Cups. The rebuild went well, with the Sabres finishing one point out of a playoff spot in 2022-2023. They have since then finished worse in the standings each year. The only additions Adams made to a near-playoff team were Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson. Safe to say they did not get the team over the hump.

When asked about the team’s struggles in the 2024-2025 season, he complained about the ability to attract free agents to Buffalo. “We don’t have palm trees. We have taxes in New York. Those are real, and those are things you deal with.” That did not go over well with the fans. Inflatable palm trees became a staple inside the arena, and fans have been chanting “Fire Adams” as recently as a month ago. If he is out in Buffalo, palm trees may unfortunately be his legacy in Western New York.

Work to do for Kekäläinen

The Sabres have many big decisions coming up for Kekäläinen or whoever the next GM will be. Alex Tuch remains without a contract and will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Josh Doan, Zach Benson and Michael Kesselring are all due for a contract at the end of the season. And if the Sabres want to turn this season around, they could be busy acquiring talent ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline.

Mix all of those in with the fact that Buffalo needs to win. The skeleton of a fanbase remains in Western New York. The team has a 05-06 20th anniversary celebration coming up this season. One that will most likely bring the skeleton back to life. If they can convince the fans that they’re a serious organization again, it may give them some leeway to find success.