Adams Out as GM of the Sabres

[RedHot25]

https://twitter.com/user/status/2000641004563820707

[Jiri Hrdina]

Jarmo Kekalainen is a fun GM.
Not sure if he's a good GM.
But he sure isn't afraid of making moves.

[Canada 02]

Kekalainen was a good scout and talent evaluator; not sure how good a GM he is/was

[Toonage]

Buffalo continues to Buffalo. How does Ruff feel, wasn't this supposed to be his spot?

[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 ineffective 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.

[Ba'alzamon]

The draft is certainly never boring with Jarmo around. He seemed to always either make a crazy trade or draft someone no one's ever heard of in the first round.

[habernac]

One crap GM to another. Buffalo gonna Buffalo.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by Ba'alzamon

The draft is certainly never boring with Jarmo around. He seemed to always either make a crazy trade or draft someone no one's ever heard of in the first round.

I always got a good chuckle of him and Columbus scout Ville Siren on stage, like a couple of James Bond villains.