Buffalo Sabres’ newly appointed GM Jarmo Kekalainen makes feelings clear on what the team needs most

The Buffalo Sabres officially introduced Jarmo Kekalainen as their new general manager on Tuesday. The 59-year-old Finland native takes over a franchise desperately trying to end its NHL-record 14-year playoff drought.

The previous GM, Kevyn Adams, was fired on Monday after five-plus seasons of mediocrity. But Kekalainen wasted no time outlining his vision for turning around the struggling organization. His first press conference revealed exactly what he believes has been missing in Buffalo.

Jarmo Kekalainen emphasizes character over skill in first press conference

Kekalainen pointed to Buffalo's depth of talent as a reason for optimism about climbing back into playoff contention. However, the new GM made it clear that skill alone won't solve the franchise's problems.

He placed heavy emphasis on building team character and consistency, two qualities the Sabres have been criticized for lacking throughout their historic drought.

"I think character is the biggest part of talent, and that's the talent we need to focus on," Kekalainen said during his introductory press conference. The new GM didn't sugarcoat his assessment of what he's watched from Buffalo this season.

He called out the team's inconsistent effort level and lack of competition in games they should have won. "There've been games this year where we looked like it was going to be easy, and then we lost because we got outworked. That's unacceptable," Kekalainen stated.

"That's going to be something that we're going to focus on every day, because the talent, the skill alone, is not going to get you wins." Kekalainen also distanced himself from Adams, who, a year ago, blamed high taxes and cold winters as reasons for having difficulty attracting and retaining talent.

Jarmo Kekalainen calls out Buffalo Sabres' unacceptable effort level

The new GM rejected those excuses entirely while drawing on his 11 years as Columbus Blue Jackets general manager. "Winning hockey games is the most important ingredient," Kekalainen said firmly. "Everybody wants to play for a winner."

The Sabres sit at 14-14-4 and are tied for last place in the Eastern Conference. However, they're only six points behind eighth-place Boston and riding a three-game winning streak.

Kekalainen acknowledged fans have every right to be frustrated but believes the core pieces are in place. "We have some really good core pieces here. We're close. Now we just have to take the next step," he explained.

One immediate change will see Buffalo moving ahead with two goaltenders rather than three. Kekalainen also placed priority on resuming contract negotiations with top-line forward Alex Tuch, who's in the final year of his deal.

However, Kekalainen made it clear he won't make desperate moves just to end the playoff drought. "I told the players to forget about the 14-year thing that's kind of hanging around like a black cloud," he said.

Kekalainen continued, "I'm not going to sacrifice the ultimate goal for the sake of making the playoffs and then not having any sustainability for our goal as a team to take the next step."

Owner Terry Pegula praised Kekalainen's track record of making bold moves in Columbus. Whether that approach finally breaks Buffalo's historic playoff drought remains the biggest question facing the organization.

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