A New Sheriff In Town

The wait is over, Buffalo.

Terry Pegula pulled the trigger on Monday, firing GM Kevyn Adams and promoting senior advisor Jarmo Kekalainen to the big chair.

The move comes with the Sabres sitting dead last in the Eastern Conference at 14-14-4, though they're riding a three-game winning streak and only six points out of a playoff spot.

A gap that Kekalainen believes is surmountable:

"I firmly believe we can make the playoffs this year," he said on Tuesday at his introductory press conference. "There's a lot of hockey left."

The confidence is great. Now comes the hard part:

WHAT COMES NEXT?

1. The Alex Tuch Situation
Kekalainen made it clear he's taking charge of the Tuch negotiations personally.

"We appreciate him, we like him, we want to get him signed," he said. "Now we just have to agree on a number that works for both sides."

Wanting to sign Tuch is one thing…

Signing him at a number that makes sense both now, and in the future, is the challenge.

Tuch has 28 points in 31 games this season, and is coming off a 36-goal campaign.

Reports from Darren Dreger say that Tuch and his camp are looking for money, “just beyond Adrian Kempe,” — which would put him over a $10.625M AAV.

If a deal can't get done, Kekalainen faces a tough dilemma quickly: trade Tuch before the deadline, or take the risk of losing him for nothing in hopes of a playoff push.

2. Lindy Ruff’s future
The elephant in the room? Kekalainen wouldn't commit to his head coach beyond Tuesday.

"Lindy's resume speaks for itself. He's been a great coach in the league for a long time," Kekalainen said. "I've really enjoyed my interactions with him day-to-day. He works his tail off every day."

But when asked if Ruff's job was safe for the rest of the season, Kekalainen was non-committal:

"We're going to evaluate everything moving forward.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement…

Ruff is 50-53-11 in his second stint with Buffalo, and his contract expires at season's end, making him the only NHL coach working on an expiring deal.

Multiple NHL analysts, including John Buccigross and Frank Seravalli, think Jarmo could still make a coaching change in-season.

One name to keep an eye on: John Tortorella.

3. Culture Reset
This is where things get interesting.

Kekäläinen's message was crystal clear: talent alone won't cut it anymore.

"There's 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," he said. "Every team is too good, so you've got to work, you've got to compete, you've got to be relentless. That's what I want the identity of the Buffalo Sabres to be."

KEKALAINEN’S RESUME

The 59-year-old from Tampere, Finland, made history in 2013 as the NHL's first European-born general manager when Columbus hired him. His 11-year tenure with the Blue Jackets was the longest in franchise history.

His Track Record:

• Five playoff appearances (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)

• Set franchise records: 50 wins and 108 points (2016-17)

• Overall record: 410-362-97 across 869 games

Before Columbus, Kekalainen spent eight years with St. Louis as director of amateur scouting and assistant GM, helping draft David Backes, T.J. Oshie, and Alex Pietrangelo. He also worked seven years with Ottawa's front office.

The knock? The Blue Jackets never advanced past the second round.

But of all of Jarmo’s experience that he can learn from and apply to the Sabres, one challenge jumps out right away: Columbus was a small-market team fighting similar battles that Buffalo faces. So if anyone understands the challenge, it's Kekalainen:

"Winning hockey games is the most important ingredient... Everybody wants to play for a winner.”

Overall, there was a lot to like from Kekalainen’s presser:

On building a winner:
"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."

On character vs. talent:
"I think character is the biggest part of talent. The competitiveness, the relentlessness and the work ethic that you have, that's the talent we need to focus on."

On Lindy Ruff:
"Lindy's resume speaks for itself. He works his tail off every day. But everybody is under evaluation at this point."

On Terry Pegula's support:
"Terry's given me full autonomy to run the hockey department. We can spend to the cap."

On his philosophy:
"One of my philosophies is 'don't be afraid to make a mistake.' Whatever it takes to make our team better, we're going to do. We're not going to be afraid."

That last quote should excite Sabres fans who watched Adams freeze during last season's 13-game winless streak. Kekalainen won't be paralyzed by indecision.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Kekalainen has the resume, the boldness, and the green light from Pegula to shake things up.

What that looks like remains to be seen.

But one thing’s for certain: he has to get it right

They Sabres can’t afford to continue watching Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson waste their prime years.

They can't afford another rebuild.

The Sabres’ star players need a vision to believe in, and so far, the first impression has been good:

“I think Jarmo’s going to be the one that turns it around” — Rasmus Dahlin