[News] Sabres fire GM Kevyn Adams. Kekalainen named General Manager

[sureLoss]

https://twitter.com/user/status/2000640783066792214

[dammage79]

Let's the gunslinging begin.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

About goddamn time. What a useless GM. So glad they replaced him with...*checks notes*....oh...oh no....JFC, what a stupid organization.

[flambers]

Surprised this move took so long to make......

[Harry Lime]

New GM is a wild man. Who do we want from the Sabres?

[VilleN]

Sabres fans can eagerly await the success enjoyed by the Columbus Blue Jackets. No half measures. What a bold move.

[GioforPM]

Jarmo has always had a bit of a fanbase on this site.

[Burning Beard]

One Owen Power and Tage Thompson please.

[Toonage]

This thread and the one about NMCs should have a talk.

No one is going to Buffalo.

[Flamesfan05]

Conroy should figure out what Jarmo like asap

[Geeoff]

Kekalainen is an entertaining GM, so I'm glad he's the GM of another team LOL

[DomeFoam]

This is like trading Skinner for Jarry

[ComixZone]

I feel like hiring/promoting Sr. (as in, not young up and coming) established managers from other unsuccessful organizations just isn't the move.

Jarmo was largely ineffective (but active) in Columbus, stumbles his way to Buffalo, and is then elevated.

Seems very similar to Maloney being very ineffective in PHX/ARZ, stumbling his way as an 'old boys club' hire into a support position in Calgary, and then promoted to an important position from there.

I don't sit back and look at Buffalo doing this and being able to say "Yeah, this is the guy who can fix this". Managers are hard to judge, but really when their history shows a lack of success, it's hard not to look at it and question "well, why do you think he'd be successful here when he just hasn't been successful in this exact position previously?"

Buffalo has a lot of challenges, and they need really good management to get their way out of their current situation...and they think Jarmo is the guy? It's certainly a bold decision.

Headlines of the last year or two of his time in Columbus:

To PHI: '23 1st (22nd Overall, Oliver Bonk), '24 2nd
To CBJ: Ivan Provorov

To VGK: Jonathan Quick
To LA: Gavrikov, Korpisalo
To CBJ: Conditional 1st in '23, '24 3rd, Hutchinson, '25 7th

To SEA: Bjorkstrand
To CBJ: '23 3rd, '23 4th

To CBJ: Mathieu Olivier
To NASH: '22 4th

To CBJ: Jakub Voracek
To PHI: Cam Atkinson

To CBJ: '21 1st, '21 2nd, '22 1st
To CHI: Seth Jones, '21 1st, '22 6th

To CBJ: Jake Bean
To CAR: '21 2nd

He doesn't look like a GM that is shy on the transaction front, so perhaps a fun GM...but good? That's probably a no.

...does make me wonder if there's a hockey trade to be found for Owen Powers though...

https://twitter.com/user/status/2000642186292208018

[traptor]

Maybe a hot take, but I don't think Kevyn Adams was as bad as some make it out.

Definitely the hardest market to operate in currently due to alot of factors.

He made some unpopular moves that ended up being savy especially given the handcuffs and I do see what he was trying to build.

I feel like his biggest mistake has been coaching hires.

The team on paper shouldn't be as bad as it is.

[MacFlame]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

I feel like hiring/promoting Sr. (as in, not young up and coming) established managers from other unsuccessful organizations just isn't the move.

Jarmo was largely ineffective (but active) in Columbus, stumbles his way to Buffalo, and is then elevated.

Seems very similar to Maloney being very ineffective in PHX/ARZ, stumbling his way as an 'old boys club' hire into a support position in Calgary, and then promoted to an important position from there.

I don't sit back and look at Buffalo doing this and being able to say "Yeah, this is the guy who can fix this". Managers are hard to judge, but really when their history shows a lack of success, it's hard not to look at it and question "well, why do you think he'd be successful here when he just hasn't been successful in this exact position previously?"

Buffalo has a lot of challenges, and they need really good management to get their way out of their current situation...and they think Jarmo is the guy? It's certainly a bold decision.

Headlines of the last year or two of his time in Columbus:

To PHI: '23 1st (22nd Overall, Oliver Bonk), '24 2nd
To CBJ: Ivan Provorov

To VGK: Jonathan Quick
To LA: Gavrikov, Korpisalo
To CBJ: Conditional 1st in '23, '24 3rd, Hutchinson, '25 7th

To SEA: Bjorkstrand
To CBJ: '23 3rd, '23 4th

To CBJ: Mathieu Olivier
To NASH: '22 4th

To CBJ: Jakub Voracek
To PHI: Cam Atkinson

To CBJ: '21 1st, '21 2nd, '22 1st
To CHI: Seth Jones, '21 1st, '22 6th

To CBJ: Jake Bean
To CAR: '21 2nd

He doesn't look like a GM that is shy on the transaction front, so perhaps a fun GM...but good? That's probably a no.

...does make me wonder if there's a hockey trade to be found for Owen Powers though...

Bufalo needs to do something though. I honestly have no idea what it is at this point, but they simply can stand pat and draft high again. They've simply done that too many times.

[Vinny01]

Can’t wait to see what Jarmo will do. I assume they sell Tuch but any other moves coming?

[Toonage]

Probably another fire sale, start rebuilding again.

[trackercowe]

First move should be to get rid of Ruff and hire Babcock! Bold moves.

[Saqe]

To get the biases out of the way, I'm a Kekalainen homer. I think he did a good job in Columbus considering the situation and the market, at least until the last couple of years. If he gets autonomy in Buffalo (big if) he can turn that organization around.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by MacFlame

Bufalo needs to do something though. I honestly have no idea what it is at this point, but they simply can stand pat and draft high again. They've simply done that too many times.

Definitely agree.

Maybe Jarmo will go in and be very active and get it to a better spot.

I also just look at Buffalo's roster and don't see a clear path to get out of what their ceiling is in my eyes (mushy middle at best). It's going to take some next level visionary to do it without collapsing to the top of the draft again, which I feel like is not on the table in Buffalo given their recent history.

Originally Posted by Toonage

Probably another fire sale, start rebuilding again.

It's honestly probably what they need, but I don't see Jarmo having that be part of his pitch to ownership as his approach.