New Sabres GM Says Team 'Can Do Special Things'
There's a new standard in Buffalo and the Sabres want to be 'special'.
The team introduced newly minted general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to the media on Tuesday, and he's already turning some heads with some of his quotes. Kekalainen appears quite confident he'll be able to turn the team around in short order, and feels he'll be able to get them into a better place.
It's great to make the playoffs, but we're not just here to make the playoffs, we're here to try to build a championship team. Winning the Cup is the goal. I think every team in this league is here for the same goal, and that's the goal that we have with the Buffalo Sabres. Obviously, you’ve got to make the playoffs first to be able to even compete for that.
Kekalainen isn't new to the organization, he was hired back in May, which essentially put the writing on the wall that Kevyn Adams was going to be shown the door. With the Sabres horrible start this season, Adams was relieved on his duties, Kekalainen is in, and there's talks the team will replace Lindy Ruff as head coach. One rumor has Ruff heading into management for the organization as potentially the President of Hockey Operations.
"There's a lot of hockey left."
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) December 16, 2025
GM Jarmo Kekäläinen spoke with the media today after being named general manager. Recap his presser → https://t.co/hJItQGazyq pic.twitter.com/u2gmUqnx0u
The Sabres are 14-14-4 through 32 games this season, and are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for last in the league. It's going to take quite the turnaround to get this franchise into a 'special' place.
“I think we're close,” Kekalainen said. “You can’t [hit] the fast-forward button, even if you'd like to sometimes. … I think there are a lot of good pieces here. I think we're very close. I firmly believe we can make the playoffs this year. There's a lot of hockey left."“What can we do today to get better, whether it’s on an individual level or as a team? We’re going to focus on today. We don’t even want to look too much into the future. We’ve got a lot of hockey left this year. I think we can do special things with this team.”
