The Buffalo Sabres have been desperately looking to end their 14-season playoff drought, and this season they had some of their highest expectations. Rightfully so, as this is, without question, one of the most talented rosters during this playoff drought.
Unfortunately, it has been more of the same for this team as the Sabres find themselves at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. It seems it is finally enough for Terry Pegula to make a change at general manager in hopes of turning the season around.
On Friday evening, Matthew Fairburn and Tim Graham of The Athletic reported that the team was having "internal discussions about replacing Kevyn Adams." They did note that no final decision was going to be made until after the Sabres return home from their road trip, which is Sunday night against the Seattle Kraken.
Buffalo Sabres have given Kevyn Adams plenty of time to prove he can build a winner
Kevyn Adams was hired as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres in June 2020 and was entering his sixth season in this role. At the time, the decision was questioned as Adams had no prior experience as general manager and was Sr. Vice President of Business Development before being promoted to general manager.
During his tenure, Adams has made some of the biggest moves in franchise history, and ones that have not necessarily worked out for them. He would trade Sam Reinhart to the Florida Panthers in the summer of 2021 and then, less than six months later, trade Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights.
He would also make the selection of Owen Power with the first overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, a move that has yet to work out the way fans would like. In total, during Adams' tenure, the Sabres have a record of 177-196-42 and have had three different head coaches during the time span (Ralph Krueger, Don Granato, and Lindy Ruff).
This is now the second report in recent days that the Sabres could seriously be considering making a move as WGR550's Jeremy White was a little more cryptic with his tweet. However, all signs seem to be pointing to the same thing.
It is never fun to see someone lose their job, but the Buffalo Sabres have given Adams more time than most get in professional sports. The time has come for them to have a new person in the position to try to build a winning team and end the longest playoff drought in the NHL.