For six years, the Buffalo Sabres put their trust in Kevyn Adams and had nothing to show for it. While Adams showed he could, at times, make the Sabres look relevant, he ultimately couldn't take a downtrodden franchise and end their playoff drought.
New general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, fortunately, has experience, and it's why Sabres fans should be ecstatic that he's Adams' successor. When he was with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Kekalainen took a team that had never won a playoff series and turned them into a group that made annual postseason appearances between 2017 and 2020.
Under Kekalainen, the Blue Jackets finished third in the Metropolitan Division in 2017, securing a top-three spot in their division for the first time since 2005-06. They ultimately snagged their first playoff series win in 2019 over the Tampa Bay Lightning. That series was one of the greatest upsets in NHL history, which saw the Blue Jackets sweep the Lightning in four games before they ultimately lost to the Boston Bruins in six contests.
Kekalainen also managed to attract surefire talent to the Blue Jackets, most notably Johnny Gaudreau in 2022. That said, few are better equipped to fix a 15-year mess than Kekalainen. And better yet, he has some talent to work with in Buffalo.
Jarmo Kekalainen's track record fixing the Blue Jackets should give Sabres fans optimism
The Sabres needed an experienced NHL executive to take control of the franchise, and Kekalainen brought that experience even before they named him general manager. Now that he's in the driver's seat, look for him to run the Sabres the same way he ran the Blue Jackets, which would be the polar opposite of how Adams ran the team.
Unlike Adams, Kekalainen showed in Columbus that he isn't afraid to make bold moves to acquire outside talent. Should the Sabres get competitive in 2025-26, don't be surprised if Kekalainen took a big swing at the trade deadline. Even if the Sabres don't look like they're going anywhere come Mar. 2026, it doesn't mean Kekalainen will be a big-time seller.
For 15 years, the Sabres and their fans have gotten so ingrained in their losing culture that it's become expected. This led to a lack of competitive drive and inconsistent chemistry on the ice that fans in attendance at KeyBank Center were forced to watch as their team perennially fell short of a playoff berth.
Before Kekalainen arrived in Columbus, Blue Jackets fans saw much of the same shortcomings. They made just one postseason appearance before Kekalainen's arrival, which came in 2009 and ended with the Detroit Red Wings sweeping them in four games.
The Buffalo Sabres need a culture shift more than anything else
You can bring in all the talent you want, but if your general manager isn't bringing in a culture shift, then there's little you can do to improve the situation on the ice. The culture change Kekalainen brought during his time in Columbus is what attracted an elite talent like Gaudreau ans Sean Monahan, and such a shift would work wonders in Buffalo.
Here, you have a small market, and one of the most recognizable pro sports franchises playing 90 minutes over the border in Toronto. Buffalo, New York, is the home to harsh winters, and given its small market size and the fact that the Sabres have been miserable, it hasn't been the top destination for some of the league's better players.
With Kekalainen's track record of changing a franchise's outlook, he may not have the same kind of problems bringing players to town like Kevyn Adams had. He would hard-sell players to join the Sabres and make a solid case for what makes the Blue and Gold a better fit for them than the league's other 31 franchises.
If Kekalainen can turn around a team like the Blue Jackets, who at the time were primarily known for losing, then he can turn around the Sabres. It may not happen immediately, but this franchise needed someone whose overall style contrasted with his predecessor's.