Kekalainen Looking To Help Sabres In Playoff Pursuit

The Buffalo Sabres hiring of former Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen as a senior advisor was an expected move by the struggling club entering what is expected to be one of the more impactful summers in their more recent history. The Sabres under GM Kevyn Adams have wallowed near the bottom of the NHL standings for most of the last 14 years, something that has frustrated one of the most devoted fan bases in the league to the point of apathy, and the addition of Kekalainen has brought in an experienced hand to help navigate the right path forward.

“I’ve been in the hockey business since 1995 non-stop and never had this opportunity to take some time off and learn and just be better,” Kekalainen said in an interview with Sabres Live on Friday. “The role is important for me, because I didn’t want to be looked at as somebody who’s retiring or doesn’t want to do work. I want to be 100 % in, 24/7, doing everything I can to help Kevyn and the Buffalo Sabres. That was a big part of why I wanted to join.”

Kekalainen has an impressive resume as an NHL scout with Ottawa, a Director of Amateur Scouting and later Assistant GM with St. Louis, serving as GM with Jokerit in the Finnish SM-Liiga for three seasons before being hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets as their GM for more than 11 seasons.

Buffalo this summer has a number of potential trade situations, with two prominent RFA’s in JJ Peterka and Bowen Byram, winger Alex Tuch entering the final year of his contract and a club that has done nothing but lose with regularity. Kekalainen has a reputation for bold moves in Columbus, and may be called upon as a sounding board before the Sabres pull the trigger on a impactful deal.

“I think I’m aggressive when it’s the time and place to be aggressive, but also I’d say I’m pretty analytical and I have the poise to also look at the situation and take a step back and analyze it rather than reacting into something just because you feel like something’s got to be done,” Kekalainen said. “It all depends on where the team’s at in its development and growth, and then when the window opens, I think you need to be aggressive because the window to win with a team is never open forever. It’s that certain period of time, your core players’ prime, and that’s when you need to be aggressive to make sure you surround them with the right mix to win.”