In a series of transactions on Tuesday, the Buffalo Sabres got the ball rolling early, announcing the firing of general manager Jason Botterill. As per the organization, Senior Vice President of Business Administration Kevyn Adams will take over effective immediately.
The headline hits the surface after the hockey club concluded their season with an overall record of 30-31-8. They finished right behind Montreal while seated sixth in the league’s Atlantic Division.
In a statement from Terry and Kim Pegula, the managing owners of the Buffalo Sabres, they said of the choice to part ways with Botterill, “This morning, we informed Jason Botterill he will no longer be the General Manager of the Sabres. This decision was made after many candid discussions with Jason during a full review of our hockey operation. We recognized we have philosophical differences regarding how best to put ourselves in a position to compete for a Stanley Cup. So, we decided to make this change. We wish Jason and his family all the best moving forward, and we thank him for his time and energy devoted to our organization and to the City of Buffalo.”
With Kevyn Adams taking over, they add a familiar face and one of experience. Prior to his last role in Buffalo, Adams spent time as a coach before joining the being promoted to the Sabres’ front office. During that tenure, he worked in different capacities, starting in administration before jumping to Hockey Ops. Not only that, but the former player is a Buffalo native, staying put in his home city.
Speaking of the shakeup internally and the choice to add Adams in replacement of Botterill, the Pegula’s went on to say as part of their statement, “New General Manager Kevyn Adams and Head Coach Ralph Krueger already have a close working relationship and we are excited to see what they can do together as we reconfigure our hockey operations. We have the benefit of this long 2020 pause to take time to reorganize and re-energize our hockey department. We recognize the importance of this offseason with so many player decisions to be made.”
Keeping an open mind as to why the Sabres have now opted for Adams, the hockey club did not make the cut for the 24-team format to return for the playoffs. In fact, they finished just one spot short of meeting the criteria for a chance to compete. All in all, the franchise, privately operated, finished 13th in the league’s Eastern Conference.
Given the team’s inconsistencies, it takes Jason Botterill out after spending three year’s as general manager in Buffalo. While the team, led by captain Jack Eichel, was hoping for a chance to change the ongoing tail, they failed to make that wish a reality, extending their slump of now nine missed postseasons. As per The Canadian Press, it qualifies as the NHL’s longest active streak while it’s also one short of tying a record in the league.
Speaking of the importance to change this and what they believe Kevyn brings to the table, Terry and Kim said of the new general manager, “We have had the pleasure of watching Kevyn build his post-playing career over the past nine years under multiple roles throughout our organizations. We are confident Kevyn and Ralph will work together to build a consistent contender. As always, we are here to provide the necessary resources.”
Walking through the team’s list of changes, Adams becomes Buffalo’s third GM since Darcy Regier was fired back in 2013. It may seem like a common narrative and the fight can be had that at after Housley was fired, it might just be with their extensive history.
Talking more to Buffalo’s chopping block, Jason Botterill wasn’t fired alone. According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, assistant GM Randy Sexton, a veteran, was also relieved by the Sabres on Tuesday. As far as commonalities go, he notes that both Sexton and Botterill had two more years left on their contracts respectively.
But, of course Buffalo wasn’t done there. Moments, later, TSN Hockey Insider Frank Seravalli reported that joining Sexton, the team has parted ways with another executive in AGM Steve Greely. With the goal of winning in mind, the Pegula’s said of the Sabres whirlwind of changes, “Our fans deserve better, and we are all tasked with the burden to improve and provide them a consistent, contending team for years to come.”
While perhaps two weeks away from more changes, LeBrun made sure to mention once calm that Tim Murray, the team’s former GM, will see his contract expire in just two weeks time. With that being said, Murray has remained in Buffalo’s chequebooks and will is set to remain until the end of the month.
With Kevyn Adams now in charge, he becomes the team’s ninth GM in franchise history. Before getting into his background, LeBrun reported from a chat with Terry Pegula that Adams is not an interim replacement. He now steps in as Buffalo’s full time GM.
As per the Buffalo Sabres, Adams was entrusted with growing the game at the youth level when he joined the management team at LECOM Harborcenter in October of 2013. He did so while filling the role of vice president and director of the Academy of Hockey. Being the start of Adams’ success, he was promoted by Terry and Kim to facility GM back in January 2019.
Eight months later, he was promoted again, but this time to his last active role as Senior Vice President of Business Administration. Filling that seat for the Sabres, Adams, 45, was responsible for overseeing the organization’s day-to-day business operations.
Bringing Kevyn on as GM, Terry Pegula said of what he brings to the table, “Kevyn brings unsurpassed experience, perspective and vision to this position. He exemplifies our company values of teamwork, respect, accountability, integrity, trust and success; and will further our company mission in this role.”
Digging a little deeper on the coaching side, Adams joined the Buffalo Sabres back in 2009 as a player development coach. From there, he was named assistant coach just two seasons later alongside bench boss Lindy Ruff. He remained until 2013 before running the show at LECOM Harborcenter.
That of course came after his playing days which spanned eleven seasons with six different hockey clubs. Among that list included the Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and Phoenix Coyotes. He ended his NHL career after playing one season with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Looking at his numbers, he recorded 59 goals and 77 assists for 136 points. He did so while having played in 540 NHL regular season games. A centreman by trade on the ice, Adams won the Stanley Cup back in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes. In his third of five years with the Hurricanes, the forward was very active in the postseason, having made appearances in all 25 playoff games.
Now as GM of the Sabres, his first official order of business will not be easy, writing Botterill’s wrongs. While it will take some time, there seems to be a ton of confidence that the NHL veteran is the right man for the job. Of course, with every move that’s made, only time will tell if his promotion was a game changer. While that remains to be seen, this is surely the start of a new era in Buffalo.