5 mistakes the Buffalo Sabres and Kevyn Adams must avoid this offseason

The Buffalo Sabres are out of excuses, and general manager Kevyn Adams knows it. Yet, there are a plethora of traps he can fall into.

Apr 15, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA;  Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77), right wing JJ
Apr 15, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77), right wing JJ | Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
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This is the offseason that will catapult the Buffalo Sabres into the 2025 playoffs or else it might be, and perhaps should be, over for general manager Kevyn Adams. Adams has been in this role since 2020, yet the Blue and Gold’s playoff drought continues, and the talent is there for this team to at least make an appearance. 

Should that occur in 2025, Adams will return for 2025-26 and beyond. But to put himself in the best position to make it work, he must realize a couple of important things. For one, outstanding prospect pools don’t win championships when there is dwindling space on the big club, but they will help you win if you move a few of them and bring in talent from the outside. 

It’s just one of five things we will discuss in the following slides, as a big trade involving some of those prospects and draft picks would pay dividends this season. No, making such trades wasn’t on the radar in previous summers, nor should they have been. Adams needed to perfect the prospects pool and build his core, but now that there’s an excess overload here, it’s time to make that big trade. 

Kevyn Adams, Buffalo Sabres, can’t afford any mistakes this summer

Kevyn Adams’ upcoming head coaching hire is perhaps the most important topic in the foreseeable future, but even a good coach can only take you so far if the wrong personnel is in place. This means Adams must be selective about who he brings back to the organization and the types of players he still needs to add.  

Anything short of perfection can spell disaster for Adams and the Sabres, and that even includes rather minute details like signing adequate talent for the fourth line and even a 13th and 14th forward. Adams has to get it right after the Sabres fell way too short of a playoff berth this season, so let’s discuss in greater depth all the mistakes he must avoid if the Blue and Gold plan on snapping that postseason drought that would otherwise turn 14. 


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