Sabres Hire Senior Advisor to Front Office

Kekäläinen’s History

In the early 2000s Kekäläinen spent time as the Director of Player Personnel with the Ottawa Senators . And then worked as the Assistant General Manager with the St. Louis Blues. He then returned to Finland to serve as the General Manager of the Jokerit hockey team.

In 2013, Jarmo Kekäläinen made history as the NHL’s first European General Manager. He served as general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Known for his bold, no-nonsense approach, he helped guide the franchise to its first playoff series win in 2019. Famously sweeping the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning.

Kekäläinen was let go by the Blue Jackets in 2024 after serving as general manager for close to 11 seasons with the Blue Jackets.

Kekäläinen is Exactly What the Sabres Need

The Sabres front office more than anything else needs experience. Current General Manager Kevyn Adams has not served in a front office role outside of the Buffalo Sabres. After missing the playoffs for a fifth straight year as General Manager, many expected the team to fire him. However, Sabres ownership gave him the nod to continue the role.

Kekäläinen navigated many tricky situations throughout his tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Kekäläinen handled big trades, bold signings, and aggressive trade deadline moves throughout his time as GM. In contrast, Kevyn Adams has hesitated to make major decisions, often relying too heavily on homegrown talent—a strategy that hasn’t delivered results. Now, Kekäläinen will step in to help Adams make the tough calls this offseason and guide critical decisions throughout the year.

After all, the rumour mill is flowing with information about the Sabres and their core players. The Sabres are in the midst of a massive offseason, they have many pending restricted free agents, and not all of them will return to Buffalo for training camp. Alex Tuch needs a new shiny contract as well, he will be a unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. These are not scenarios you want an inexperienced general manager navigating alone.

Fans are happy. Fans grew concerned that the Sabres wouldn’t make any changes to the front office outside of a Eric Staal hire. This hire gives the Sabres much needed front office experience. Hopefully it will pay dividends for the organizations moving forward.

Notable Trades/Signings as Blue Jackets General Manager

Trades:

• Artemi Panarin for Brandon Saad (2017)
• Pierre-Luc Dubois for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic (2021)
• Matt Duchene Trade (2019 Deadline)
• Seth Jones Trade (2021)
• David Savard Trade (2021)
• Max Domi Trade (2020)

Signings/Extensions:

• Zach Werenski Extension (2021 & 2022)
• Johnny Gaudreau Signing (2022)
• Gustav Nyquist (2019)
• Patrik Laine Extension (2022)
• Boone Jenner Extensions