The Buffalo Sabres entered this season with hopes that they could end their playoff drought but less than 25 games into the regular season, the chances to do that are all but gone. An ugly and inexcusable performance against the New Jersey Devils can't be ignored, and the Sabres have to make changes.
For the Sabres, the challenge is what that change needs to be, which can have the biggest impact and maybe salvage this season.
Through 24 games, the Sabres are 9-11-4 with only one win over their past 10 games and have yet to win a game on the road this season. They are the only NHL team at this point of the season that does not have two wins on the road.
The obvious change for the Buffalo Sabres is in the front office but is it enough to improve the performance on the ice?
The last thing the Buffalo Sabres can do is continue with the status quo, keep things as they are and hope that the return of a few injured players is going to change things. As much as fans don't want to go through another rebuild, it seems almost a guarantee at this point.
In that case, the Sabres must make a change at general manager and move on from Kevyn Adams, who has been in the role since 2020. Unfortunately, the Sabres have not had much success under Adams, and in each of the past 5 seasons, they have had at least a 4-game losing streak each season in the early parts that have essentially sunk their playoff chances.
It is the most logical move as they have the perfect in-house candidate to replace him in Jarmo Kekalainen, who was hired as senior advisor this summer. He has was the general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets for a little over a decade from 2013-2024.
A move like this won't have a direct impact on the performance on the ice like a head coaching change might. Kekalainen will likely take some time to evaluate the roster as well as begin exploring what deals might be available around the league.
However, moves like these can serve as a wake-up call that what they have done is not good enough. It can also maybe convince some of the top players like Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch that there is a plan in place to get back to competitive hockey with someone new running the front office.
At this point, it is hard to imagine that it can get better for the Buffalo Sabres with the current front office structure and frankly is more likely to only get worse. The Buffalo Sabres have been reluctant to make significant changes but if they wait any longer they can say goodbye to any chance of getting into playoff contention.