Kekalainen aims to build a championship franchise, not merely chase playoff spots, as Sabres GM
BUFFALO — Jarmo Kekalainen made his long-term ambition crystal clear: qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is not enough while he holds the job of Buffalo Sabres general manager. “It’s fantastic to reach the playoffs, but we’re not here just to make the postseason—we’re here to construct a championship team,” he stated Tuesday, a day after taking over from Kevyn Adams as Sabres GM. “Winning the Cup is the objective. Every team in this league shares that same goal, and that’s the mission we have with the Buffalo Sabres. Of course, you first have to make the playoffs to even have a shot.”
Kekalainen’s formal arrival comes after he was named on May 30 as a senior adviser to Adams, who was dismissed after six seasons. The former Columbus Blue Jackets GM, a trailblazer as the first European to run an NHL club, now leads an organization seeking its first Cup contending window in years.
Buffalo’s playoff drought stretches back to 2011, the longest in league history. The Sabres’ closest brush with the postseason in recent memory occurred in 2022-23, when they finished one point behind the Florida Panthers for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, tallying 91 points to Florida’s 92. In 2023-24, Buffalo went 39-37-6 (84 points); last season, they were 36-39-7 (79 points).
This season, Buffalo sits 14-14-4 through 32 games and, as of Tuesday, trailed the Bruins by six points for the second Eastern wild card. They also find themselves tied with Columbus for last place in the conference.
Still, Kekalainen believes the team is near a breakthrough. “I think we’re close,” he said. “You can’t fast-forward everything, even if you’d like to. There are many strong pieces here, and I truly believe we’re close. I’m confident we can make the playoffs this year. There’s a lot of hockey left.”
The franchise’s lingering postseason absence is felt by several long-tenured Sabres: captain Rasmus Dahlin and center Tage Thompson have been with Buffalo for eight seasons; defenseman Mattias Samuelsson for six; and forward Alex Tuch for five. Thompson, Tuch, and Samuelsson serve as alternate captains.
Before addressing the media, Kekalainen spoke with the players to emphasize that he isn’t pursuing a quick fix aimed only at clinching a playoff berth.
“I’m not going to sacrifice our ultimate objective for the sake of merely making the playoffs, only to risk undermining our ability to take the next step and compete for the Stanley Cup,” he explained. “So no, we’re not taking that route. We’ll implement a plan built around the Cup. And we’re not going to shortcut the process to chase a drought-ending postseason appearance. We have a strong core, we’re close, and now we must advance to the next level.”
Buffalo’s next test comes against the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET (HULU, ESPN+). Coach Lindy Ruff leads the Sabres, and Kekalainen praised his résumé as self-evident, adding that he’s thoroughly enjoying their collaboration so far. Ruff, 65, is in his second stint as Sabres coach after being hired April 22, 2024.
Kekalainen affirmed that every facet of the Sabres—scouting, management, coaching—will be evaluated. “We’ll look at everything moving forward. There are many capable people here who excel at what they do,” he said.
On the ice, the priority is consistency. The Sabres closed a season-long six-game road trip with a three-game winning streak, their first such sequence this season, and posted their first regulation road wins in two attempts. The trip opened with three straight losses, following a stretch in which Buffalo had just two road wins all year (one in overtime, one in a shootout).
“Losing to teams with less talent who outwork you is unacceptable,” Kekalainen stressed. “We must build character, consistency, and relentless competitiveness. We’ll focus on today—what we can do to improve, individually and collectively. We’re not looking too far ahead; there’s still a lot of hockey left this season, and I believe we can accomplish special things with this group.”
