On Friday, the rumors began that the Buffalo Sabres were having 'internal discussions' about replacing Kevyn Adams as their general manager. However, the reporting by Matthew Fairburn and Tim Graham of The Athletic was that no change would be made until after the six-game road trip.
The Sabres ended the road trip on a high note with a three-game win streak, something no one really expected after they struggled so badly on the road to begin the season. Prior to their regulation win in Vancouver, the Sabres didn't have a regulation road win since April 1st of last season.
Even with all the recent success, it seems like the wheels are already in motion for a change, and this win streak won't save Kevyn Adams job. On Monday morning, on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman confirmed that he is hearing lots of 'noise'. He also makes an important note that it doesn't seem that the Sabres have tried much to quiet the noise.
"There is subtle ways teams put out fires when they are happening, and that is not really happening here," Friedman said. He also went on to say that he has known Adams for a long time, but is hearing that Adams 'mood wasn't great' even when they were winning.
Elliotte Friedman says the Buffalo Sabres 'have too many cooks in the kitchen'
Elliotte Friedman also went on to confirm something that fans have felt for a very long time, in that there are a lot of opinions within the front office. "There is a lot of cooks in that kitchen, I have heard, alot of cooks," Friedman said.
Kyle Bukauskas mentions the fact that the Buffalo Sabres did bring in Jarmo Kekalainen, and Friedman was quick to say the comment wasn't about Kekalainen and that this "pre-dates Jarmo". When considering that, it feels like this is a comment directed towards owner Terry Pegula.
This raises the question that if the Sabres make a change at general manager, will it really change the front office? The thought is that Jarmo Kekalainen will be named as the interim general manager because of his prior experience. He was the general manager for the Columbus Blue Jackets for over a decade and helped put together a team that made the playoffs five times during his tenure.
However, even with the experience he might struggle just as much if there isn't a fundamental shift within the organization. The Sabres need to give whoever is general manager the space to make the necessary changes they see fit to try to put a winning team on the ice.
The next few days should be interesting to watch for Sabres fans with potential changes before their next game on Thursday.