Jarmo Kekalainen changed the entire vibe of the Buffalo Sabres after taking over as the club's general manager in December. He eliminated the excuse-filled answers often delivered by his predecessor, Kevyn Adams, and increased the amount of accountability within the team's locker room.
It was a much-needed tone shift for an organization that was mired in a 14-year postseason drought, and it's no coincidence the Sabres turned their season around after the front office changed hands, ultimately winning the Atlantic Division and advancing to the second round of the 2026 NHL Playoffs.
Kekalainen's no-nonsense approach has carried over to the offseason. He plainly described the lack of willingness to negotiate from representatives for Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram, so they were dealt in separate trades with the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks, respectively.
The days of being held back by Adams' indecisiveness are over and, while the Sabres still have a lot of work left this summer to emerge as true Stanley Cup contenders, it finally feels like there's a legitimate plan in place to set the franchise up for long-term success.
Kekalainen continued his tell-it-like-it-is ways during a recent interview with Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on the 32 Thoughts podcast, which touched on a few notable topics.
Jarmo Kekalainen talks about Terry Pegula's hands-on ownership style
It was long speculated one of the main reasons Adams was given nearly six years in the GM chair despite the Sabres' lack of on-ice success was his strong relationship with Pegula. He was a willing soundboard for a team owner who likes his opinions heard.
Friedman hinted at that hidden aspect of the job during the interview.
"You mentioned Terry Pegula, I asked somebody — doesn't work for the Sabres but they're very connected to sports in Buffalo — I asked them about you, what they've learned about you and they said that you are very good at saying, 'Terry, just let me work with this,'" the NHL insider said. "They say he's a great owner, he's super passionate, he wants to win yesterday but sometimes he needs someone to say just let me work with this and they said you are very skilled at that."
Kekalainen joked his personality helps navigate the situation.
"Well, I can be blunt with my opinions," the 59-year-old Finland native said with a laugh. "Maybe it comes from my background of being Finnish, but I always just tell you what my opinion is, what I think of a thing and I don't sugarcoat it. That's what I get paid for."
Fittingly, pictures posted by the Sabres on social media from the 2026 NHL Draft, which took place Friday and Saturday in Buffalo, showed Pegula seated next to Kekalainen in the war room.
Jack Quinn praised by Sabres GM
Quinn is Buffalo's most unique offseason case. He's a 24-year-old winger who's coming off a career-high 51 points (20 goals and 31 assists) in 82 games, and 40 of those points came at even strength. He's also under contract at a reasonable number for next season ($3.375 million AAV) and remains under team control through RFA status through 2028-29.
Typically, players who meet those parameters are highly protected assets, even if they're a bit streaky. Yet, a day rarely passes without a fan-made trade proposal that includes the 2020 first-round pick.
Kekalainen doesn't sound nearly as eager to move the middle-six forward.
"I think Jack Quinn grew a lot last year," he said on 32 Thoughts. "And he was kind of snakebitten a little bit throughout the season. Got a lot of chances and didn't shoot with a high percentage but has an excellent shot. I've said it before, I think he can get 30, maybe 40, goals a year when he gets into the prime of his career. He's got excellent offensive instincts, he's fast, he's got great one-on-one skill."
Quinn's shooting percentage did drop in 2025-26. He entered the campaign as a career 12.5% shooter, but converted just 10.5% of his shots on goal this season. As Kekalainen noted, he's got a terrific shot that should give that number a chance to bounce back starting in the fall.
While that doesn't necessarily mean the Canadian winger won't be traded, moving a player you think is capable of 40 goals on a team-friendly contract would be an interesting decision.
Buffalo confident in current 3-goalie rotation
The Sabres emerged as the most likely landing spot for Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, but the sides couldn't reach an agreement before Buffalo used its first-round picks to select defenseman Daxon Rudolph and center Ilia Morozov.
Kekalainen's interview with Friedman and Bukauskas took place before the draft, but he sounded content to enter the 2026-27 season with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis as his goaltenders for the second straight year.
"We've gotten good goaltending this year, too. It's an easy position to scrutinize and criticize," Buffalo's GM said. "UPL had a .910 save percentage this year. Alex Lyon won a lot of games for us. Even Colten Ellis played some excellent hockey this year. So, I don't think goaltending by any means is a weakness of our team. I think it's a strength of our team."
Although the Sabres received strong play between the pipes for a vast majority of the regular season, UPL and Lyon faltered in the playoffs (.893 team SV%). Inconsistent play in the crease became a headache for head coach Lindy Ruff, who juggled his top two netminders hoping one would get hot.
The Hellebuyck trade rumors have persisted coming out of the draft, so it's still possible Buffalo makes a blockbuster trade to shake up its goalie depth chart — Luukkonen would probably be included in any deal — but it doesn't sound like Kekalainen is going to force a move at the position.
That's understandable since a top-six forward with a proven track record of scoring at the NHL level should remain atop the Sabres' wish list this summer.
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