Insider: Sabres 'Don't Have A Long Runway' Before Major Changes

Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres head coach looks dejected

It's another disastrous start for the Buffalo Sabres this season, three straight losses and, though it's a very small sample size, they could very well be on their way to extending their record to a 15th straight season out of the playoffs.

Their effort in Saturday night's 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins, in which Buffalo managed just two shots in the first period, was enough to seemingly break head coach Lindy Ruff's spirit. He looked just beaten down after the game, and was brutally honest about his team's effort.

#Sabres coach Lindy Ruff did not mince words in postgame, after a 3-1 loss tonight at Boston.

“I thought our ‘compete’ was terrible. Worst ‘compete’ in skating, moving feet that I've seen.”
— Rachel Lenzi 💁🏻‍♀️😎💥 (@rachelmlenzi) October 12, 2025

Lindy Ruff calls out Sabres for the worst 'compete' he's ever seen

“I thought our ‘compete’ was terrible. Worst ‘compete’ in skating, moving feet that I've seen," said Ruff. "We didn't move our feet, we didn't win races for the puck... We lost the battle."

Monday's game against the Colorado Avalanche was not much better, and in fact, as the 3-1 loss wound down, chants of "Fire Adams" (i.e. GM Kevyn Adams) echoed through KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

“Fire Adams” chants have broken out as the Sabres start their season 0-3 pic.twitter.com/V2tzBXaOzx
— Crossing Swords ⚔️ (@CrossSwordsPod) October 13, 2025

Insider Elliotte Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast earlier on Monday that Adams, Ruff & Co. do not have a long leash here before serious changes could be made.

It gets into dangerous territory here for the Sabres quickly. We basically know that two of their franchise players, (Rasmus) Dahlin and (Tage) Thompson, have indicated that it has to get better this year—we need to see improvement, we need something to believe in. That's why I think the Sabres don't have a long runway for this.
We haven't even played hockey yet for seven days, but suddenly this feels like a very big week for the Buffalo Sabres...
It really is a short runway.

Next up on the tarmac, the Sabres host the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, before the back-to-back Stanley Cup champs fly in on Saturday.

Friedman adds that the hiring of Jarmo Kekalainen this summer as senior advisor to Adams, already gives the Sabres a natural replacement.