Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams Should be on the Hot Seat – The Hockey Writers Buffalo Sabres Latest News, Analysis & More

The Buffalo Sabres have faced years of disappointment and frustration, and with each passing season, the heat intensifies on general manager (GM) Kevyn Adams. Since taking the reins in 2020, Adams has overseen a franchise that has struggled to escape the NHL’s basement. But as expectations rise and the team continues to show signs of stagnation, is Adams feeling the heat, (maybe the hiring of Lindy Ruff showed that?) or is he on the verge of breaking through with a long-term plan that will finally turn the Sabres’ fortunes around?

The Current State of the Sabres

In the 2024-25 NHL season, the Sabres find themselves in a familiar spot—fighting for relevancy but still lacking the consistency needed to challenge for a playoff spot. Despite flashes of promise from young stars like Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, the Sabres remain stuck in a cycle of mediocrity. The consistency has just not been there. One game, the Sabres look like a legitmate team who could possibly make some noise, and the next game they forget how to play hockey. Sure, can you blame a majority of that on the players and coaching staff? Of course you can, but that does not mean Adams is not at fault either. He constructed the roster how he wanted to, and as of this moment, it’s not working out and change is needed… again.

Related: 4 Keys to the Buffalo Sabres Ending Their Playoff Drought

Buffalo has been mired in a playoff drought that dates back to 2011, the longest active streak in the NHL. While the Sabres have shown improvement under Adams, their performance has not met the lofty expectations that came with a talented roster and a promising pipeline of young players. The pressure to break the playoff drought is mounting. They have not been all that close to making the playoffs other than the 2022-2023 season where they finished just one point out of a postseason spot behind the Florida Panthers (who snagged the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot ) and would eventually make the Stanley Cup Finals. Besides the 2022-2023 season they’ve finished bottom 12 in the league pretty much every season under Adams.

Why Adams Is on the Hot Seat

Adams has made a number of moves that have puzzled many observers, with one of his most-recent trades being a notable example: sending a 2024 second-round pick to the Washington Capitals in exchange for fourth-line grinder Beck Malenstyn, who many believe is only worth a fifth-round pick at best. When Adams took over the team in 2020, it was in a state of uncertainty, grappling with the Jack Eichel saga while Sam Reinhart was entering the final year of his contract without an extension, leaving his future in question. The coaching situation was also problematic, as Ralph Krueger, a European soccer coach, hadn’t led an NHL team since he led the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012-2013 season. Since Adams’s arrival, the team has seemingly found some direction, but it often appears to falter just as it gains momentum. For instance, after showing promise in the 2022-2023 season, the team took a step back in 2023-2024 and seemed to lose its identity altogether.

Trades

Adams has been very underwhelming in the trade market to say the least. Let’s revisit the two trades that maybe if he could go back in time, he would re-think.

Sabres acquire:

• Alex Tuch
• Peyton Krebs
• 2022 First-Round Pick (Noah Ostlund)
• 2023 Second-Round Pick (Riley Heidt)

Golden Knights Acquire

• Jack Eichel
• 2023 Third Round Pick (Mathieu Cataford)

Many People may know that Adams’ hand was pretty much forced in the trade. Eichel suffered a neck injury earlier that season and he wanted a certain procedure done on him to treat the injury, but the team would not allow him since it was in his contract that the team could tell him if he could get certain procedures completed or not. So what transpired from it? Eichel requested a trade and forced his way out of Buffalo; he won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights soon after.

The trade does not seem as bad as O may be making it seem, but Eichel is just now playing the best hockey of his career, has won a Stanley Cup, and some would argue (like myself) that he should have won the Conn Smythe Trophy during Vegas’ Cup run in 2022.

Alex Tuch, who was the main piece the Sabres acquired in the deal, was an unproven, young stud who was only trying to still find his footing in the NHL. Well, he’s been one of the Sabres’ best forwards as he as provided 194 points since coming over. Overall, I think the Sabres could have gotten a better return for Eichel’s caliber, but then again Adams was forced into trading the young (at the time) superstar.

Sabres Acquire

• Devon Levi
• 2022 First Round Pick (Jiri Kulich)

Panthers Acquire

At the very moment, Adams got fleeced in this deal. Again, it was a similar situation as the Eichel deal as his hand was forced to trade Reinhart as he was not going to re-sign with the Sabres. At the time, this trade seemed like a great deal for both sides. The Sabres traded Reinhart after a career year and sold high on him which got them one of the top goalie prospects in the league at the time; further, they eventually got a steal in the first round with drafting Jiri Kulich. If only they knew what was to come with Reinhart.

The Panthers acquired a young stud who looked to continue his upward trend and he did just that. In each of his first two seasons with the Panthers, He scored 30-plus goals. Then came 2023-24, when Reinhart scored a career-high 57 goals and helped the Panthers to first in the Atlantic division and a Stanley Cup Victory in those same very playoffs. This season he already has 14 goals, which is tied for second in the NHL, and is on pace for a 60-goal season.

This trade can’t get any worse for the Sabres as Devon Levi has been up and down between the NHL and minors, and Kulich has yet to find his footing in the NHL as he’s only been called up to the team because of injury troubles they are having as of late. Maybe it’s a little early to really judge this trade, but then again… the Panthers got a Stanley Cup and a 50-goal scorer out of it.

The Pressure Is On

Adams as a whole has done a better job at giving the team a sense of direction than other former Sabres GMs like Jason Botterill and Tim Murray but there’s still nothing to show for it. If Adams wants to keep his job, I do think the team needs to make the playoffs. The roster has too much talent to not be just an “average” team, and with Ruff being in his first season as head coach and with his track record, they are likely to stick with him for more than one season unless a guy like the recently-fired Jim Montgomery is available.