Kevyn Adams Will Return as Sabres General Manager Next Year

Adams must have given Sabres Owner Terry Pegula one heck of a presentation. The record for longest tenured GM without making the Stanley Cup Playoffs is six seasons. Adams can tie that if he fails to make the postseason in 2025-2026.

Kevyn Adams to Return as Buffalo Sabres GM

Adams took the role of General Manager in June of 2020 to replace Jason Botterill. He was thrown into a tough position, the Sabres weren’t doing great and looking to start a new rebuild. Here are some notable trades Adams made for the Sabres throughout his five years with the team:

• Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights (November 2021) in exchange for forward Alex Tuch, prospect Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-round pick (Noah Ostlund), and a 2023 second-round pick
• Sam Reinhart to the Florida Panthers (July 2021) in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick (Jiri Kulich), and goalie prospect Devon Levi
• Rasmus Ristolainen to the Philadelphia Flyers (July 2021) in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick (Isak Rosen) and defenseman Robert Hagg
• Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche (March 2024) in exchange for defenceman Bowen Byram
• Dylan Cozens to the Ottawa Senators (March 2025) in exchange for forward Josh Norris, defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker, and a 2026 second-round pick.

How it’s Going

The teardown in Buffalo honestly went pretty well, the problem has been the rebuild. The Sabres finished with 91 points in the 2022-2023 season, just one point out of a playoff spot. Fans and players alike were excited at the recent success and thought the playoff drought would come to an end. The Sabres have finished worse in the standings in each of the two seasons since then.

Fans are growing restless. And amidst a 13 game losing streak during the season, Adams may have thrown fuel onto the fire.

In a press conference on December 6, 2024, Buffalo Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams addressed the team’s struggles and the challenges of attracting top talent to Buffalo. He acknowledged that the city is not currently a “destination” for elite NHL players, citing factors like New York’s high taxes and the region’s climate. Adams remarked, “We don’t have palm trees, we have taxes in New York. Those are real, and those are things you deal with.”

What It Means

Fans did not like that to say the least. Shortly after the press conference, palm trees were banned from Keybank Center. Fans kept bringing them into the arena and even threw them on the ice at one point.

Adams will have his work cutout for him this offseason. The Sabres are in control of the 9th pick in the draft. They have many pending RFAs and future UFAs to extend. And Adams will need to bolster this roster in free agency if he hopes to make the playoffs, and most likely save his job.