Players moving on to success away from Buffalo the legacy of Kevyn Adams’ tenure

The Buffalo Sabres made a much-anticipated move on Monday, relieving Kevyn Adams of his duties as the team’s general manager and moving Jarmo Kekalainen into the role.

Owner Terry Pegula brought Kekalainen, who spent 12 years as GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets, in as a senior advisor to the front office over the summer, and it seemed clear that this move would be on the table if the Sabres did not start the year looking like an improved squad.

Buffalo has remained in and around the basement of the Eastern Conference, and so the move was made. Time will tell how much Kekalainen is able to do to reverse the Sabres’ fortunes, but Adams’ legacy as a GM will be inextricably linked to the individual and team success enjoyed by many of the players he shipped out of town during his tenure.

On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed Adams’ fate as another failed executive in Buffalo.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I think the most damning way to describe the Kevyn Adams era in Buffalo is as we sit here today after firing him, they’re really no closer to being a contender than when he was hired.

Carter Hutton: It’s thoroughly disappointing, right? And again, I feel for Kevyn Adams, I spent a year under him when I was in Buffalo, and the fact of the matter is you look at the roster that has tons of talented players and depth and you get all these draft picks, it’s been a team that’s constantly developing. You think about Jack Eichel moving out. Sam Reinhart, Ryan O’Reilly, all those players that have gone on to have success… It’s still in this muddy middle where the inconsistency in the product and what they bring to the ice is grueling on a fan base. They’re knocking on 15 years of missing the playoffs. This is hard for them to swallow.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…