Kevyn Adams is entering his sixth season as Buffalo Sabres general manager. The former Stanley Cup champion as a player has yet to help the franchise break its 14-year playoff drought, and it's landed him on the hot seat ahead of the 2025-26 season.
John Matisz of The Score named Adams as one of the 10 people in the NHL facing the most pressure entering the new campaign. He noted the GM has "become the main punching bag for a smart, (rightfully) fed up fanbase."
For his part, the 50-year-old Sabres executive admitted the organization can no longer talk its way out of this situation, saying "words are words."
"I can't stand up here and talk to our fanbase and say anything other than I am genuinely excited about this team. I am," Adams told reporters. "But we have to prove it on the ice. We have to win games."
He added: "Anything I say up here ultimately doesn't matter. We have to prove it."
It's the right tone, but will Buffalo actually make serious progress toward making a long-awaited return to the playoffs? The answer to that question is the only thing Sabres fans care about.
Analyzing another quiet Kevyn Adams offseason
The Sabres are projected to return 17 players to their 23-man roster from last year's squad, which missed the playoffs by 12 points. That's usually not a recipe for success.
Adams' big move of the summer was actually an understandable one.
Buffalo and winger JJ Peterka weren't making serious progress on a long-term contract extension, so the Sabres traded him to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan.
Trading a 23-year-old sniper who's already scored 67 NHL goals comes with risk. Yet, both Kesselring and Doan are going to fill important roles for the Sabres this season.
Kesselring becomes the latest blueliner who will be asked to provide stability alongside Owen Power. The 2021 first overall pick hasn't lived up to his sky-high potential, and a major reason for that is the rotating cast of underwhelming defensemen on his pair.
Doan is a rapidly emerging two-way threat who'll likely start low in the lineup but could climb into the top six with a strong training camp and preseason.
Beyond that deal, however, the additions by Adams failed to create much optimism.
The Sabres acquired depth defenseman Conor Timmins from the Pittsburgh Penguins and signed a lackluster group of free agents: forward Justin Danforth, defender Zac Jones and a pair of goalies, Alex Lyon and Alexandar Georgiev.
As a result, Buffalo is once again betting heavily on internal improvement if it's going to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Are the Sabres a true playoff threat in 2025-26?
Yes, but it's understandable if Buffalo sports fans aren't willing to give the franchise the benefit of a doubt after more than a decade of endless frustration.
Here's the reality: The Sabres' roster in a vacuum is good enough to make a run toward 90ish points, especially if the likes of Power, Zach Benson and Jiri Kulich all take their games to another level this season, which isn't asking too much.
Having two elite point producers in Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin to shoulder a lot of the burden helps, and Buffalo has the most top-to-bottom lineup depth it's enjoyed in years.
On the flip side, however, the lack of a blockbuster addition is a concern.
Aside from Tage, Dahlin and perhaps Alex Tuch, the Sabres don't have a lot of high-end talent capable of taking over games. It creates a situation where the team can fall apart quickly because of one key injury, as was the case when Dahlin missed time last year.
Buffalo also has serious question marks between the pipes. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played so poorly last season he briefly lost his starting spot to James Reimer, and there's no guarantee Lyon, Georgiev or prospect Devon Levi is the solution, either.
That's why any pessimism is fair. Sure, everything could fall into place perfectly for the Sabres and a favorable schedule late in the season could propel them into the playoffs.
Things rarely go exactly according to plan during an 82-game regular season, though. Injuries arise, players underperform and prospects sometimes aren't ready to fill the voids that arise.
So, that's why Adams remarks ring so true: The Sabres have to prove it. They have to win consistently and avoid the season-destroying losing streaks of the past.
If they do, perhaps Buffalo will finally receive an opportunity to get "Cup Crazy" once again.