Sabres fire GM Kevyn Adams as playoff drought hangs over franchise

Kevyn Adams will not be the man who leads the Sabres back to the promised land.

Buffalo, tied for last in the Eastern Conference at 14-14-4 entering Monday’s slate, fired its general manager as the franchise hurtles toward extending its NHL-long active playoff drought to 15 seasons.

“We are not where we need to be as an organization, and we are moving forward with new leadership within our hockey operations department,” Sabres owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. “We are dedicated to building an organization that is competitive year after year, and we have fallen short of that expectation.”

General manager Kevyn Adams of the Buffalo Sabres (L) introduces Matthew Savoie to team personnel at their draft table. NHLI via Getty Images

Jarmo Kekalainen, the former Blue Jackets GM who was brought on as an advisor in May, was promoted to the role held for five years by Adams. He becomes the fifth person to hold the GM position since the Pegula family bought the NHL franchise in 2011.

The move comes as fan unrest around the team has grown over the past two seasons, with chants of “Fire Adams” a common refrain at the Key Bank Center,

The Buffalo native and 10-year NHL journeyman center, 51, drew the ire of fans last year when he bemoaned Buffalo’s inability to draw stars to the city.

“You have to earn it,” Adams said. “For me, it’s really simple. You become a perennial playoff team, you make the playoffs, you have a chance to win the Stanley Cup year after year, you’re on (fewer) no-trade lists. We don’t have palm trees. We have taxes in New York. Those are real, and those are things you deal with.”

Fans trolled him by bringing inflatable palm trees into the arena.

Adams finishes his time in Buffalo with a 178-196-42 mark.

Now, fans pin their hopes to the stewardship of Kekalainen, the first European-born GM in NHL history who was able to bring the likes of Artemi Panarin and Johnny Gaudreau to Columbus.

“It is a great honor to be named general manager of the Buffalo Sabres,” Kekalainen said in a statement. “I would like to extend my thanks to Terry and Kim Pegula for this opportunity. I am humbled to be the steward of this team and look forward to experiencing the passion that Sabres fans bring to every game.”