Latest news with #KevynAdams
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Moose Assistant Coach Eric Dubois Leaves Team for Role in Germany
Sabres Add Former GM Kekalainen As Senior Advisor The Buffalo Sabres have been rumored to be looking for an experienced hockey executive to join their management staff since missing the playoffs for the 14th straight season, and on Friday the club announced the hiring of former Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen as a senior advisor to GM Kevyn Adams. 2:38 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sabres Add Former GM Kekalainen As Senior Advisor
Kekalainen's Hiring Another Sign Sabres GM's Time Could Be Nearing An End When the Buffalo Sabres announced Friday that former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen was joining the team as a special advisor to GM Kevyn Adams, a couple things became clear: firstly, it showed Kekalainen will be a highly-valued voice in the organization; but more importantly, it showed that Adams is more on the clock than ever -- and that Adams may have just hired the man who will succeed him if things don't go well for the team. 2:44 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kekalainen's Hiring Another Sign Sabres GM's Time Could Be Nearing An End
When the Buffalo Sabres announced Friday that former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen was joining the team as a special advisor to GM Kevyn Adams, a couple things became clear: firstly, it showed Kekalainen will be a highly-valued voice in the organization; but more importantly, it showed that Adams is more on the clock than ever -- and that Adams may have just hired the man who will succeed him if things don't go well for the team. To be sure, Kekalainen did some admirable work running the Blue Jackets from 2013-2024. Under his stewardship, Columbus won a playoff round in successive seasons from 2018-2020, and he helped navigate the team through some difficult situations, on and off the ice. So you can see why he was appealing to the Sabres as they try to end 14 years of futility in simply getting into the Stanley Cup playoffs, let alone winning a round or two. And we've said for a while now that Buffalo needed another veteran voice in their front office. So it's hard to see Kekalainen's hiring as anything other than a positive. Advertisement Was Kekalainen perfect as Columbus' GM? Of course not, but show us a perfect GM and we'll show you a GM who's in their first day on the job. But while we're sure Kekalainen knows his place in Buffalo's power pyramid, he's got to know, deep down, that he might be called into action to run the show if Adams' blueprint for success goes up in flames yet again. And in a way, that's a good thing; if Adams is dismissed, the ideal successor for him will need to have a certain degree of familiarity with the franchise. That process begins now for Kekalainen. This is why the early days of the coming season will be crucial for Adams and Kekalainen. If Buffalo plummets down the Atlantic Division standings early on, Adams will be gone, and Kekalainen's early impressions of the roster and depth chart will have a serious influence on the decisions he makes, either as an interim GM or as the full-time GM. When they talk about the value of a good first impression, this is the type of situation they're referring to, because Kekalainen has no allegiance right now to any Sabres players. And that's also a good thing for him coming into the organization. A team that's been unable to control its destiny shouldn't have many sacred cows, if any. So when Kekalainen gets settled into his new role, he's going to need to approach things in a cold-blooded manner. Here's Why Oilers' Clutch Player Needs To Be A Free-Agent Target For Sabres Here's Why Oilers' Clutch Player Needs To Be A Free-Agent Target For Sabres In their current playoff push, the Advertisement Edmonton Oilers have received contributions from throughout the lineup. But one player -- albeit a currently-injured player -- is someone the Buffalo Sabres ought to be targeting when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. Okay, okay, we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves. To be fair, there's a universe in which the Sabres get off to a strong start, Adams keeps his job, and Kekalainen maybe gets another GM job with a different team. But this hiring sure feels like the table is being set for Kekalainen to eventually come in as Buffalo's main hockey ops executive. And Adams would probably not be telling the truth if he tried to argue he's now under more pressure to produce than at any point in his time running the Sabres. Like coaches, NHL GMs are hired to eventually be fired. The pro hockey world is a zero-sum industry, and if solid results aren't there for Adams and the Sabres, Buffalo's ownership is going to demand a different voice as the place where the buck ultimately stops. Is that guaranteed to be Kekalainen? No, no it isn't. But he's a well-liked executive who is going to be an asset for the Sabres as they chart another course back to respectability. He's got a clean slate as he begins this journey, but before too long, he could be ultimately responsible for the direction of the team. Indeed, by this time next year -- or potentially, in a worst-case scenario for the Sabres, much sooner than that -- Kekalainen could be the guy who becomes The Guy.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Sabres' front office adds ex-Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen
May 30 - The Buffalo Sabres added former Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to their front office on Friday. Kekalainen, 58, will serve as the team's senior advisor and report directly to general manager Kevyn Adams. "As we navigated the process of hiring for this role, it very quickly became apparent that Jarmo was an ideal candidate to augment our front office," Adams said in a release. "From his extensive history in scouting, his long tenure as an NHL general manager and his vast experience at the international and European pro levels, Jarmo has a remarkable resume and a long history of success in this league. "I spoke with a number of candidates about this role and it's clear to me that Jarmo is a perfect fit for our team. I couldn't be more excited to add another significant piece to our front office as we continue the process of adding to our staff." Kekalainen was GM in Columbus from 2013-24. The team went 410-362-97 during his tenure and reached the playoffs five times -- 2014, 2017-20 -- but finished no higher than sixth place in its division after that. "Kevyn and I already had a strong working relationship from my time with the Blue Jackets and when we first started talking about this opportunity, it immediately felt like a natural fit," Kekalainen said. "We are aligned in our philosophies and share the same core beliefs on how to build a winning team. I'm eager to help in any area I can and think I can offer a fresh perspective to supplement the staff already in place as we look to improve our roster this offseason." Kekalainen has been the GM for multiple teams in his native Finland. He worked for the Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues before joining Columbus in February 2013. --Field Level Media
National Post
3 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Sad-sack Buffalo Sabres hire ex-Columbus boss Kekalainen as senior adviser
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres on Friday hired former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen to serve as a senior adviser, adding a wealth of experience to general manager Kevyn Adams' front-office staff. Article content Article content Kekalainen will report to Adams in a newly created role in which he'll be involved in all areas of the hockey department, the team announced. The 58-year-old from Finland has been out of the NHL since being fired by the Blue Jackets in February 2024 following an 11-year term as GM — the league's first European-born person to hold the title. Article content Article content His hiring addresses growing criticism Adams has faced in having little experience overseeing the Sabres since taking over the job as a first-time GM after Jason Botterill was abruptly fired in June 2020. Adams, who is from the Buffalo-area, is a former player who had brief experience as an agent and assistant coach, and was working in the Sabres business department upon being hired as GM as part of a series of ownership's cost-cutting moves in the wake of the COVID pandemic. Article content The Sabres are in the midst of an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought, with Adams on the hot seat entering the final year of his contract. Article content Amid questions regarding his job security in Buffalo, Adams placed an emphasis on upgrading his staff by saying 'we'll take a look at everything,' during his season-ending address to the media last month. The Sabres' season was undone by a 13-game skid in December, which Adams has since second-guessed himself as to whether he should have made a move to upgrade his roster. Article content In a statement released by the team on Friday, Adams said Kekalainen quickly established himself as a prime candidate for the job of senior adviser during his search process. Article content 'From his extensive history in scouting, his long tenure as an NHL general manager and his vast experience at the international and European pro levels, Jarmo has a remarkable resume and a long history of success in this league,' Adams said. 'I couldn't be more excited to add another significant piece to our front office as we continue the process of adding to our staff.' Article content During his tenure in Columbus, Kekalainen oversaw the most successful stretch in Blue Jackets history. The span included the team finishing with 43 or more wins four times, including a franchise record 50 in 2016-17, and qualifying for the playoffs five times, after doing so only once in its first 12 seasons of existence. Article content 'We are aligned in our philosophies and share the same core beliefs on how to build a winning team,' Kekalainen said. 'I'm eager to help in any area I can, and think I can offer a fresh perspective to supplement the staff already in place as we look to improve our roster this offseason.'
