BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres have relieved general manager Kevyn Adams of his duties and replaced him with Jarmo Kekäläinen.
Removing Adams as general manager comes after his five and a half years on the job have yielded zero playoff appearances and a 178-196-42 record. Despite a recent three-game winning streak, the Sabres currently have a .500 points percentage and are sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings again.
“We are not where we need to be as an organization, and we are moving forward with new leadership within our hockey operations department,” Sabres owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. “We are dedicated to building an organization that is competitive year after year, and we have fallen short of that expectation.”
Pegula said Kekäläinen has been named as the general manager without an interim tag and will be overseeing hockey operations effective immediately. While the Sabres did not run a full general manager search, Pegula said hiring Kekäläinen “was the result of an extensive search process in which Jarmo stood out as our top choice for the senior advisor position.” The Sabres hired Kekäläinen as a senior adviser in May, and he’s made a strong impression on the organization in the months since.
“His experience, professionalism, and drive speaks for itself,” Pegula said in the statement. “I am looking forward to him leading our organization to the next level.”
Meanwhile, Kekäläinen spent parts of 12 seasons as general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets before he was fired in February 2024. During his tenure, the Blue Jackets made the playoffs five times. Before his work in Columbus, Kekäläinen held high-ranking jobs in the front offices of the Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues.
The Sabres were having internal discussions about this move last week, but the team was in the middle of a lengthy road trip, and Kekäläinen was back home in Finland dealing with a family matter. He shared on Instagram Monday morning that his father, Kari, passed away Sunday at the age of 82.
The Sabres were off Monday before returning to practice on Tuesday ahead of their next game, a home matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
This story will be updated.
