In what felt like an inevitability to most, the Buffalo Sabres fired general manager Kevyn Adams after five and a half seasons. They announced that he would be replaced by former Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
Adams was largely criticized during his tenure as general manager, most of it deserved. His handling of the press did him not favors, and a lack of decisive action in the face of needed change may have ultimately been what did him in.
Though his tenure will be remembered for yet another failed rebuild of the struggling franchise, it wasn’t all bad with Adams in charge. Let’s take a look back at some of the positive things that Adams did while he held the position.
Traded Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, 2022 1st Round Pick, 2023 2nd Round Pick
Perhaps the move that he will most be remembered for is the trade that sent superstar center Jack Eichel to Las Vegas. At the time, Eichel had been dealing with a neck injury and the team disagreed with his preferred method of surgery. After an impasse, the relationship broke, and Eichel had to be moved.
Given that the Sabres held relatively little leverage, they got a fine return out of it. Tuch has become one of the cornerstones of the franchise, a top-line winger for the Sabres who has become one of the better two-way players in the league. Krebs has become a solid bottom-six center, playing with jam when he is on the ice.
The Sabres dealt the second-round pick in the Jordan Greenway deal but used the first-round pick to select Noah Ostlund. The young prospect has shown flashes of promise in brief NHL call-ups and appears to have a future in the Sabres’ top six. The Sabres dealt the best player in the deal but got several pieces back that factor into their long-term plans.
Traded Rasmus Ristolainen to the Philadelphia Flyers for Robert Hagg, 2021 1st Round Pick, 2023 2nd Round Pick
Facing another re-build, the Sabres were sellers in 2021, and the big Finnish defenseman was one of their more valuable trade chips. He would ultimately be moved to the Flyers for veteran defenseman Hagg and a pair of draft picks.
Related: Grading the Sabres’ 2020-21 Trades
Hagg’s tenure in Buffalo was forgettable, but the picks appear to have been fantastic compensation. The second-round pick was used on Anton Wahlberg, considered to be among the five or six best prospects in the Sabres’ system. The first-round pick was used on Isak Rosen, a talented forward who impressed with seven points in 12 games this season before being sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL).
Ristolainen has been solid for the Flyers but probably not what they hoped for. His offensive game has fallen off a cliff – he had four consecutive seasons of 40 points or more with Buffalo and hasn’t come close to that mark since leaving – but has been a somewhat reliable defensive presence. As Rosen continues to develop, this trade is moving more in favor of the Sabres.
Tage Thompon’s Extremely Team-Friendly Deal
Tage Thompson was coming off a breakout 2021-22 season in which he scored 38 goals and 68 points in 78 games, a massive jump from his previous career-highs of eight goals and 14 points. Adams quickly locked the 24-year-old forward up to what has become the best contract in the NHL.
Thompson inked a seven-year, $50 million extension that summer. In the following season, he scored 47 goals and 94 points, some of the best offensive numbers by a Sabre in years. He has since followed it up with a 44-goal season and is on pace for 41 goals this season.
Thompson is signed through 2030 and continues to be the Sabres’ best forward. Getting a 40-goal scorer for a paltry $7.142 million per season is arguably the single best thing that Adams achieved during his time in Buffalo.
Traded Casey Mittelstadt for Bowen Byram
Casey Mittelstadt is just one of several Sabres draft picks that became muddled somewhere between “promising” and “disappointing” during his time in Buffalo. He would flash the puck skills that made him the eighth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, but consistency remained a challenge.
By his final season with the Sabres, he had become arguably their best forward. With 47 points in 62 games on a dreadful Sabres team, Mittelstadt was shipped off to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Bowen Byram.
Mittelstadt has since been traded to the Boston Bruins, failing to find that elusive consistency that was missing in Buffalo. Byram managed to hit career highs in assists (31) and points (38) last season and remains a part of the defensive top four in Buffalo after signing a two-year contract in the offseason. It wasn’t a home run, but Byram upgraded the defense while removing a persistent question mark for the Sabres.
Traded Matthew Savoie for Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio
With pressure mounting to “do something” ahead of the 2024-25 season, Adams made a move that was highly criticized at the time. He traded highly touted prospect Matthew Savoie to the Edmonton Oilers for center Ryan McLeod and winger Tyler Tullio.
Given Savoie’s potential and draft status, the move was panned at the time. Since then, it appears that Adams found success. McLeod had a breakout season, scoring 20 goals and picking up 53 points (both career highs) in one of the few “feel good” stories for the Sabres in 2024-25.
McLeod is slightly regressing (he’s on pace for 43 points this season) but is a valuable piece of the thin center position core for the Sabres. Savoie has finally earned a full-time spot with the Oilers, though is production is just a hair behind McLeod so far. If Savoie can continue developing, the deal won’t look quite as good but it remains a bright spot during Adams’ tenure so far.
Some Good Moves, Just Not Enough
If Kevyn Adams had taken over a franchise that had missed the playoffs a season or two prior, things might have gone differently. He showed a penchant for making solid trades, a good track record at the top of the draft, and for not making panic moves in the face of heavy criticism.
In the end, his inaction during the 2025 offseason, unfavorable comments to the press, and the lack of success on the ice are what did him in. The Sabres believe that they have the talent in place to make it back to the playoffs this season and hope that Kekalainen can guide them there.
