Earlier in the month, the Sabres made shockwaves when they hired Eric Staal as the special assistant to Kevyn Adams. That move alone wasn’t turning around the Sabres, and we all knew it. But the Sabres show they’re still trying to, at long last, get this right.
On Friday, news broke that the Blue and Gold brought in another puzzle piece, and one who has some experience in other teams’ front offices. That’s right, Jarmo Kekalainen is now on board as the team’s ‘senior advisor,’ and, alongside Staal, makes for a much more powerful front office than we’ve seen in the past.
While Kevyn Adams is still the head honcho in the City of Good Neighbors, for now, at least, he has a pair of reliable names who will be involved in every aspect that you can imagine on the hockey side of operations. With an experienced name like Kekalainen, the Sabres now have a third set of eyes that will be involved in all types of decision-making.
Jarmo Kekalainen has a proven track record around the league
You may best know Kekalainen from his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he took over the reins in 2013. And if he could turn the lowly Blue Jackets into at least a somewhat entertaining product that included a thrilling sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2019 NHL Playoffs, well, the fun should finally be underway in Buffalo.
He’d also worked in the St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators organizations, plus a stint for Jokerit and HIFK in his native nation, Suomi. But the Sabres may be his most uphill battle yet, considering the futility this franchise has faced since the end of the 2010-11 season.
Either way, can you remember a time when owner Terry Pegula and Company took such drastic measures to finally put a winner on the ice in a town where hockey is in the DNA? No guarantees it’ll work, but the Sabres have taken an approach in which they can never have too many big names in the organization looking to put the best players on the ice to finally smash this way-too-long playoff drought.
What can we expect from the Adams-Kekalainen-Staal trio?
Something tells me it won’t be the same do-nothing approach we’ve seen from Kevyn Adams over the past few seasons. If the Sabres have any gaping holes in their lineup this summer, expect someone viable to fill in the gap as opposed to another body and claiming it’s filled.
Should the Sabres struggle with any aspect of their game during the season, expect more than a low-key trade. No, you’ll see a bigger move, especially if the team wins early and often. In other words, expect a cultural shift in Buffalo, and one that should bring better on-ice results.