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Oilers Have Made Multiple Attempts To Acquire Alex Lyon

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The Oilers have called the Sabres “a couple of times in recent weeks” about the availability of goaltender Alex Lyon, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.

Friedman implied that Edmonton had looked at Lyon for goaltending depth in the past. It’s unclear if they made a pass at signing him in free agency last summer before Buffalo inked him to a two-year, $3MM deal.

Lyon was named the Sabres’ opening night starter after a training camp injury made Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen unavailable. The journeyman vet started strong, rattling off a .923 SV% through his first seven starts, but has since regressed significantly. He only made four appearances in November as Luukkonen and waiver claim Colten Ellis took over the majority of the duties, and his numbers on the year now read as a .904 SV%, 2.99 GAA, and 3.9 GSAx, per MoneyPuck.

That’s still the best performance out of the Sabres’ three netminders, though, and great value for his $1.5MM price tag. Nonetheless, newly promoted general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen has indicated he wants to end Buffalo’s three-goalie rotation once Ellis clears concussion protocol and is activated from injured reserve, according to Friedman. With his voice being a significant factor in influencing Ellis’ waiver claim in the first place and Luukkonen inked through the 2028-29 campaign, Lyon will likely be moved to get Buffalo back to a more traditional starter/backup split between Ellis and Luukkonen.

Edmonton’s pursuit of Lyon will presumably only get more aggressive after they lost Tristan Jarry to a lower-body injury last night. He’s departed the Oilers’ road trip and is returning home for evaluation. Connor Ingram and his 102 games of NHL experience were recalled from the Bakersfield Condors to supplement struggling backup Calvin Pickard in Jarry’s absence.

But Ingram has been the worst starter/tandem netminder in the AHL by a significant margin this season with a .856 SV%. Pickard’s NHL numbers this season – a .857 SV% and 3.91 GAA – are barely any better.

Jarry had largely fared well since his arrival in Alberta last week, but with him out, they don’t have a clear-cut NHL-caliber option, let alone a starter. Bringing in Lyon would allow the Oilers to then trade or waive Pickard, although with seven goalies already under contract in the organization, they’d likely prefer the former.

Teams swapping out their opening-night tandem by the time New Year’s Day rolls around is a rare occurrence, but if Edmonton brings in Lyon to supplant Pickard as the new No. 2 behind Jarry, it’ll have happened two years in a row. The Oilers’ desired series of moves is strikingly similar to the set of trades the Avalanche pulled off in November and December last year, sending starter Alexandar Georgiev to the Sharks for Mackenzie Blackwood and swapping backup Justus Annunen for Scott Wedgewood with the Predators.

Image courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.

Sabres’ Conor Timmins Out Multiple Weeks With Broken Leg

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After last night’s win over the Philadelphia Flyers, the Buffalo Sabres announced that defenseman Conor Timmins would miss the next six to eight weeks with a broken leg.

Since Michael Kesselring returned to the lineup last night, the Sabres don’t necessarily need to place Timmins on the injured reserve since they have seven healthy defensemen on the roster. However, due to the severity of the injury and the length of the recovery timeline, they’ll likely place him on it to allow the recall of additional depth.

The injury happened fairly late in the game as Timmins exited the contest with 5:20 remaining in the final frame. Video replay suggests that Timmins’ skate caught a rough spot in the ice, causing his leg to bend awkwardly and fracture.

Timmins, 27, is in his first year with the Sabres after being traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins last offseason. He has skated in every game this season, leading up to the injury, tallying six assists with a -11 rating while averaging 19:14 of action. In fact, his 33 games played this year are the second-highest season total of his career.

Given that, he was well on his way to matching his career-high in points, though it’s unrealistic to think he wouldn’t have scored at least one goal over the course of the regular season. Unfortunately, since he won’t play again until late January or early February, Timmins may have to wait another season to set a new personal benchmark.

Regardless, Timmins’ injury will mean more ice time for at least one defenseman on Buffalo’s roster. The team will likely move Kesselring into a top-four role and rely on 27-year-old Zach Metsa or 28-year-old Jacob Bryson to fill in the void on the bottom pairing.

Sabres Activate Michael Kesselring From Injured Reserve

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The Sabres have activated defenseman Michael Kesselring from injured reserve as expected, per Heather Engel of NHL.com. They had an open roster spot after assigning Isak Rosen to AHL Rochester on Tuesday, so no corresponding transaction is required.

Kesselring’s second long-term absence of the season ends after 14 games due to a lower-body injury. The Sabres still might not get to see what a fully healthy defense corps can do tonight against the Flyers, though. Head coach Lindy Ruff said this morning that Conor Timmins will be a game-time decision with an undisclosed injury (via Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic).

The 25-year-old Kesselring has been limited to nine appearances through his first season in Buffalo. Acquired along with Josh Doan from the Mammoth for JJ Peterka last summer, he began the season on IR with an undisclosed issue. He made his season debut on Oct. 28 but exited the lineup again less than a month later.

When dressed, he hasn’t been much of a factor in his small sample. Initially expected to be a top-four piece and comprise the second pairing with either Bowen Byram or Owen Power on his left flank, he went without a point and had a -3 rating while averaging a conservative 15:37 of ice time per game. He was most often paired with Byram, a duo that controlled a team-worst 36.4% of expected goals at 5-on-5.

As such, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ruff go for a new look and pair Kesselring with Power instead for a stretch. He’s unlikely to break up the team’s top pair of lefties Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson, the latter of whom has finally emerged as a premier shutdown threat after a rocky first few seasons on the anticipatory seven-year extension he signed back in 2022.

A strong performance the rest of the way is also imperative for Kesselring’s financial situation. He’s a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights coming off a deal carrying a $1.4MM cap hit. Entering the season, he could have nearly quadrupled that figure after back-to-back 20-point campaigns with Utah and Arizona while posting some of the best 5-on-5 possession metrics on the team. His injury troubles have undoubtedly lowered his stock, but there’s still time to get it back.

Kesselring Should Play Thursday Plus Several Other Injury Updates

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Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring is expected to return on Thursday against Philadelphia after missing the last 14 games with a lower-body injury, reports Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.  A key part of the JJ Peterka trade over the offseason, the 25-year-old has been limited to just nine appearances so far this season after also sustaining a knee injury in the preseason.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get eased back in but he’ll likely get a chance to take on a bigger role after the holiday break.

Meanwhile, among other injured Sabres, winger Jason Zucker has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury and is hoping to return after the break.  Forward Justin Danforth has missed 28 games with what’s believed to be a broken kneecap but head coach Lindy Ruff says he’s doing okay now.  Lastly, goaltender Colten Ellis (concussion protocol) is expected to be reevaluated on Friday after missing the last two games.

Tuch Wants Similar Contract To Adrian Kempe

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Almost as soon as the Buffalo Sabres formally transitioned to a new regime led by Jarmo Kekäläinen, trade speculation had increased around winger Alex Tuch. On last night’s rendition of TSN’s OverDrive, the crew reported that Tuch is seeking a larger extension than what winger Adrian Kempe signed with the Los Angeles Kings.

Understandably, that report only served to increase speculation around the possibility of Tuch being moved from his hometown franchise by this year’s trade deadline. Michael Augello of The Hockey News believes that if the Sabres aren’t interested in going beyond an eight-year, $85MM ($10.625MM AAV) extension for Tuch, they should move on sooner rather than later.

[SOURCE LINK]

  • Staying in Buffalo, on Monday’s episode of Oilersnation Everyday, David Pagnotta of TheFourthPeriod asserted that Kekäläinen wasn’t necessarily the Sabres’ first choice last summer. Pagnotta shared that Buffalo reached out to longtime front office leaders: Ken Holland and Lou Lamoriello. Obviously, neither executive moved forward with the Sabres, as Holland joined the Kings as Vice President and General Manager. At the same time, Lamoriello has yet to find a new job after being ousted by the New York Islanders.

Latest On Jarmo Kekalainen’s Sabres Plans

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The Buffalo Sabres made a significant change at the top of their hockey operations department yesterday, swapping incumbent GM Kevyn Adams for experienced former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen. Kekäläinen spoke to the media today and outlined his vision for the Sabres, as well as how he plans on ending the franchise’s playoff drought, one that currently stands as the NHL’s longest.

Per Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff, Kekäläinen did not offer a firm commitment to incumbent head coach Lindy Ruff, instead stating that all aspects of the club’s hockey operations — including its head coach — would need to be evaluated.

Ruff, 65, is currently in his second season of his second tenure as Sabres head coach, and his 17th season as the Sabres’ head coach overall. Ruff is the Sabres’ all-time winningest coach by a wide margin, his 621 career wins dwarfing second-place Scotty Bowman, who had 210 wins coaching the team in the 1980s.

When looking at Ruff’s second tenure as head coach of the Sabres, it’s difficult to speculate as to which direction Kekäläinen might go.

On one hand, Ruff failed to end the club’s playoff drought in 2024-25 and has the team currently sitting in last place in the Atlantic Division. On the other hand, there were larger personnel issues out of Ruff’s control that contributed to the losing the Sabres have experienced, as indicated by the fact that Ruff has retained his position while Adams lost his.

In addition, Ruff’s Sabres are just six points behind the Boston Bruins for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, and hold a game in hand. It’s not inconceivable that the Sabres could go on a run and find their way into the postseason as soon as this spring, especially given how wide open the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture appears right now. That’s a sentiment Kekäläinen appeared to echo in his media availability, stating his belief that the Sabres could be a playoff team this season.

Beyond just the decision Kekäläinen has to make behind the Sabres’ bench, there are even more changes the new GM might make to the club’s overall hockey operations infrastructure. While Kekäläinen was running the Blue Jackets, the club drew widespread praise for its work in amateur scouting. Kekäläinen has long brought a specialization in talent identification to the table, which raises questions as to what Kekäläinen might want to do with the Sabres’ scouting staff. While a GM often receives the lion’s share of public credit or blame for their team’s draft choices, the reality is that there are lesser-known figures in a team’s front office that play a massive role in informing those draft choices as well, the chief figure being a team’s director of amateur scouting.

Kekäläinen himself served in that role earlier in his career, during his days with the St. Louis Blues, and when he was in Columbus, he brought along one of his trusted scouts, Ville Sirén, to operate as director of amateur scouting in Columbus. It’s entirely possible that Kekäläinen might try to see if he can bring Sirén into the fold in Buffalo, restoring a partnership that has worked so well in the past. The Sabres’ amateur scouting operation is currently run by Jerry Forton, who took up the position of director of amateur scouting in 2020-21.

He was promoted to assistant GM by Adams in 2024-25. Sirén does, of course, still work for the Blue Jackets, so right now it’s entirely speculative as to whether Kekäläinen might want to bring his old lieutenant to Buffalo, but it’s nonetheless worth bringing up as it relates to Kekäläinen’s future plans.

Kekäläinen might also, as part of the evaluations he’s pledged of the team’s operations, decide to retain Forton and keep much of the team’s amateur scouting staff intact. For all of the issues the Sabres have had in recent years, getting talent out of the draft has not been one of them. And it’s also not a foregone conclusion that if Kekäläinen were to want to bring Sirén to Buffalo, that would have to mean an exit for Forton; there is some precedent in the NHL for an incoming GM to bring in “his people” while also retaining the existing leadership.

When the Montreal Canadiens hired former New York Rangers GM Jeff Gorton to run their hockey operations department in 2021, he brought Nick Bobrov with him, someone who had served in a key scouting role during Gorton’s days with the Rangers. But Gorton also retained Martin Lapointe, a key existing voice in the team’s scouting department from the reign of former GM Marc Bergevin, and he now serves alongside Bobrov as co-director of amateur scouting. So it’s also possible Kekäläinen explores trying to add Sirén while also retaining Forton.

Fundamentally, the Sabres’ GM change has opened up a wide range of possibilities for its hockey operations department. When senior leadership changes, a trickle-down effect of changes typically follows, so it will be interesting to track what further staffing moves Kekäläinen makes, and how those moves might also impact other clubs.

Photos courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

Buffalo Sabres Reassign Isak Rosen

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The Buffalo Sabres announced today that forward Isak Rosén has been reassigned to the club’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. The move ends a recall for Rosén that began on Dec. 9, when the club placed veteran forward Jason Zucker on IR.

Zucker remains on IR, has missed three consecutive games and figures to remain sidelined for the foreseeable future. Rosén’s recall consisted of three games, two where he was a part of head coach Lindy Ruff’s lineup and one where he served as a healthy scratch. In the two games he played, Rosén wasn’t able to land on the scoresheet and played around nine minutes per night in each game. The Sabres went 3-0-0 with Rosén on their roster during this recall.

There was some hope when Rosén was recalled that he’d get the chance to play a scoring-line role and fill some of the minutes vacated by Zucker after the veteran’s injury. A 2021 first-round pick, Rosén has been under increased pressure to finally break into the NHL on a full-time basis.

Of the 30 skaters drafted in the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Rosén is tied for 25th in terms of career NHL games played. He remains highly regarded in the eyes of most public-facing prospect evaluators, but those same voices would also likely concede that for him to achieve his full potential as a future NHL scoring-line player, he’ll need to find his footing at the NHL level sooner rather than later.

Rosén wasn’t able to do so during this most recent recall. Rosén played on the Sabres’ third line during this recall, skating alongside Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn. Both McLeod and Quinn are on pace to clear the 40-point plateau by the end of the season and the pair scored 53 points and 39 points last season, respectively. While playing on that line wasn’t exactly the top-line opportunity some were hoping Rosén would receive, that’s hardly an unfriendly environment to be playing in for a player seeking to build confidence and momentum as an NHL scorer.

But Rosén wasn’t able to make his presence felt in a tangible way, and by the time the club traveled to Seattle to take on the Kraken, Rosén had lost his spot in the lineup.

Rosén’s third-line role was taken by Zach Benson against the Kraken, and Benson’s vacated second-line left wing role, the kind of top-six deployment many coveted for Rosén, went to 2022 first-rounder Noah Ostlund. Ostlund scored his fourth goal of the season in Seattle as the Sabres managed a 3-1 win.

While it would be a mistake to assign too much long-term weight to this most recent call-up, it’s certainly not a great sign for Rosén that he lost his spot on the Sabres’ NHL roster so quickly, and wasn’t able to capitalize on the opportunity provided to him by Zucker’s injury.

While Rosén could very well still become an impactful NHL scoring winger, and his AHL strong AHL scoring suggests there’s still quite a bit of upside in his game, each passing unsuccessful recall raises more and more questions as to whether Buffalo is the place where Rosén will be best positioned to achieve his original NHL projection.

Is There Any Hope For The Sabres?

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The Sabres have reached a point where they could be considered contenders alongside the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns of the NFL, and the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets for the title of the saddest team in sports. Few NHL teams have caused more misery for their fans, as the Sabres once again find themselves at the bottom of the standings. It’s safe to say new general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen is walking into one of the most unenviable situations in hockey.

Buffalo has been trying to turn the corner on a rebuild that feels like it’s been ongoing forever, but it’s actually been two separate rebuilds. The team showed promise a few years ago, narrowly missing the playoffs in what has become an annual tradition—no postseason hockey in Buffalo. The last time the Sabres made the playoffs, TikTok didn’t exist, and the NHL salary cap was $59.4MM. But it’s not just the lack of playoff appearances that is heartbreaking for Sabres fans; it’s the endless cycle of futility and star players either forcing their way out or choosing to leave at their first opportunity.

It wasn’t always like this; in fact, the Sabres were a genuine threat to win the Stanley Cup after the NHL lockout in 2005. Led by Daniel Brière and Chris Drury, both of whom became NHL general managers, the Sabres were a formidable force in the Eastern Conference and captured the President’s Trophy in 2007. They eventually lost to the Senators in five games in the Eastern Conference Final. That loss effectively marked the beginning of these years of futility in Buffalo.

The summer of 2007 saw Drury sign with the Rangers as a free agent, and Brière joined the Flyers. Neither player reached the same level of success they had in Buffalo, but without those two, the Sabres have never been the same.

Many people cite the summer of 2007 as the point when everything went wrong for Buffalo, while others point to the Pegula family taking control of the team in February 2011. The losses have accumulated over the past decade and more, and not just those on the ice. Most folks probably forget, but the 2007 Sabres were a buzzsaw—a team with top-end scorers and scoring depth for miles behind Drury, Briere, and Thomas Vanek; not to mention solid defense and Miller in the net. There was a lot of hype around the team, and the energy swept the city as the Sabres went on a deep run that ultimately ended in heartbreak.

All of that has led us to today’s version of the Sabres, who have been seen as a laughingstock in the NHL for the past 13 long seasons. From poor hires to bad drafts, to regrettable signings, and lopsided trades. Combine this with the complete mishandling of a star player’s injury in Jack Eichel, and Sabres fans have endured it all, with no signs of relief in sight.

Even this year, the Sabres are tied for last in the Eastern Conference. All of this makes you wonder how long Buffalo’s current stars will want to stay and endure tough times.

Owen Power, Tage Thompson, and Rasmus Dahlin are all committed long-term to the Sabres, but Eichel was too, and we know how that turned out—with him winning a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights. Eichel wasn’t the only young Sabres player to effectively push his way out of Buffalo.

Ryan O’Reilly didn’t force his departure, but he was traded to St. Louis in 2018, where he went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2019. Sam Reinhart wouldn’t commit to Buffalo in 2021 and was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he has won two Stanley Cups and become one of the best two-way centers in the NHL.

Just this past summer, forward JJ Peterka also wouldn’t commit long-term to the Sabres and was traded to Utah. Whether or not he wins a Cup remains to be seen, but it’s definitely a painful pattern in Buffalo.

The Reinhart situation is especially rough because the former second-overall pick wanted to stay long-term in Buffalo after his entry-level deal expired. However, it was the Sabres who chose shorter-term contracts of two and one year, and then faced a terrible 2020-21 season, after which Reinhart was the one unwilling to play through a rebuild.

It’s hard to say for sure if the Sabres are the saddest team in sports, but they’re giving the Jets, Browns, and Hornets a run for their money. Poor drafting and development, wasted money on overpaid free agents (Ville Leino), endless rebuilds, a lack of meaningful hockey, and constant management and coaching changes have created an environment of ongoing disappointment.

Is there any flicker of hope? Possibly. The Sabres have some young, talented players in Thompson, Power, and Dahlin. But they’ve been here too many times before, and Sabres fans are aware of this, yet credit to them—they keep showing up at the rink despite the increasingly bleak environment around the team. Will their core stay together? Will the team build out the depth? Or will Buffalo continue its streak of irrelevance?

These Pending UFAs Have Increased Their Stock

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The 2026 UFA class had been highly anticipated for quite some time free agency even opened this year. That excitement only grew through July and August as many potential UFAs didn’t sign extensions with their current clubs. However, that feeling was quickly dampened in the fall as players like Kirill Kaprizov, Connor McDavid, and Jack Eichel began signing new contracts, taking the energy out of the 2026 free-agent frenzy. While many stars have signed new deals, a noticeable group of talented players is still set to hit the open market on July 1, 2026, with some having significantly boosted their stock after a strong start to the season.

Jack Roslovic has encountered two difficult situations in the UFA market, with the first ending in him signing a one-year, $2.8MM deal with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2024. His second attempt this past summer saw him join the Oilers for one year at $1.5MM. This year’s outcome was quite unexpected, given that Roslovic played well last season with 22 goals for Carolina, yet a multi-year deal that suited him never materialized. Roslovic was not alone this summer; defenseman Matt Grzelcyk also couldn’t secure a multi-year contract that met his expectations, despite having a career-best season last year in Pittsburgh.

This summer, however, Roslovic seems to be positioning himself for a multi-year deal that has eluded him. Injuries could affect his market value, but through 23 games in Edmonton this season, the 28-year-old has scored 10 goals and added eight assists. He’s also averaging over three more minutes of ice time per game compared to his career average. These impressive stats could spark a bidding war for his services if he stays healthy and maintains his current level of performance for the remainder of the season.

Nick Schmaltz is another forward whose performance this season has increased his value. The 29-year-old has 30 points (12 goals and 18 assists) in 34 games, and he will likely exceed his current $5.85MM cap hit when he signs his next contract next summer. Schmaltz’s impending free agency puts the Utah Mammoth in a tough spot, as Schmaltz has recorded back-to-back 60+ point seasons and is on track to do so again, which could raise his next cap hit to around $9MM annually.

The Mammoth might not want to commit to that kind of deal for Schmaltz, which means they will either trade him before the trade deadline or let him walk for nothing at the end of the year. Utah reportedly held trade talks for Schmaltz last summer, and it doesn’t seem likely that a deal will be finalized soon, meaning Schmaltz might enter the open market at the best possible time.

Another forward whose future remains uncertain is Alex Tuch of the Buffalo Sabres. Tuch has scored 11 goals and 17 assists in 31 games and initiated contract talks at the beginning of the season, which puts the Sabres in a difficult position. The Sabres find themselves in a familiar spot at the bottom of the standings, and while Tuch has done his part, the team appears to be heading nowhere. If Tuch continues at his current pace, his value will only increase, which might be what the Sabres want if they plan to trade the Syracuse, New York native.

Two veterans nearing the end of their careers are Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers. Both entered this season with significant questions about their futures, and so far they’ve performed well, raising even more questions about what lies ahead for them.

Evgeni Malkin seems to have no interest in playing anywhere in the NHL other than Pittsburgh. This could lead to some interesting contract negotiations after the season if he maintains his current level of play. Malkin is in the final season of a four-year, $24.4MM contract he signed in the summer of 2022. Many believed last summer that the 2025-26 season could be Malkin’s last in the NHL and possibly his final season as a player at all. However, with the 39-year-old experiencing a significant resurgence this season with eight goals and 21 assists in 26 games, there’s a chance he continues playing, especially if Pittsburgh remains competitive and has a role for him moving forward. Nobody could have predicted that the Penguins would start the season as they have. With more young players emerging and an incredible amount of cap space next summer, the short-term future for Pittsburgh actually looks quite promising. It seemed unlikely that Malkin would receive a contract offer from Pittsburgh next summer, but now it seems like a real possibility he returns, assuming he can maintain his current work rate.

For Panarin, it’s not so much his play this season that has raised his profile, but rather the better options being taken off the table next summer. With many of the top pending UFAs now tied up in extensions, Panarin has risen on the list as one of the best offensive options available. The 34-year-old, for his part, remains a point-per-game player with 11 goals and 22 assists in 33 games, which should attract a healthy market despite his age by NHL standards. AFP Analytics is projecting a four-year, $41MM deal for Panarin, which, considering market conditions and his performance, looks pretty feasible.

On defense, arguably the top available player is Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames. Andersson had a tough year last season but has bounced back in 2025-26, which should give him a strong market if and when he hits free agency. The Flames have started poorly this year, opening up the possibility that Andersson becomes a key trade piece before the NHL Trade Deadline, giving him a chance to play meaningful hockey in the spring if he joins a contender. The 29-year-old has been used in more defensive roles this season but has still managed 22 points in 33 games, after recording just 31 points in 81 games last season. If Andersson maintains this offensive level, his cap hit could rise closer to $9MM a season on his next contract, likely the last major deal of his career. Some teams might hesitate because of his less successful past seasons, but for now, Andersson is hitting his stride at just the right moment.

A couple of honorable mentions to round things out include forwards Victor Olofsson, Jaden Schwartz, and Kiefer Sherwood. Olofsson signed his second straight one-year “prove it” contract this summer, signing with the Colorado Avalanche for a $1.575MM AAV. Since then, Olofsson has been a steady performer for the Avalanche, recording seven goals and 12 assists in 32 games. AFP Analytics projects a three-year deal at $3.41MM per year, which would be a nice bump for the 30-year-old.

A year ago, Schwartz looked like a player who would need to accept a significant pay cut when his current contract ends. The 33-year-old is currently earning a $5.5MM AAV in the final year of a five-year deal. After scoring 49 points last season, Schwartz is on pace for a 65-point season this year, which would be a career best. Considering that level of production, AFP is predicting a two-year deal worth just under $10.8MM, which would be a slight decrease from his next contract but not the huge drop expected a year ago.

Sherwood has become a bit of a goal scorer since joining the Vancouver Canucks in the summer of 2024 as a free agent. He is on track to surpass 20 goals for the first time in his NHL career (after posting 19 a year ago), and the timing could not be better since he is expected to hit the open market next summer. His lack of long-term NHL experience may somewhat limit Sherwood’s market value, as he was a late bloomer, becoming a full-time NHLer at the age of 28. He has just one season with more than thirty points (last year), but if he can do that again, he should still attract a team willing to offer a multi-year deal at an AAV that might surprise some people.

Sabres Fire Kevyn Adams, Name Jarmo Kekalainen GM

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The Sabres announced they’ve relieved general manager Kevyn Adams of his duties. Former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen, who had been working with the team as a senior advisor to Adams this season, was named as his replacement. There’s no interim tag attached to Kekäläinen.

The change in leadership was widely expected after reports emerged Friday that the Sabres were seriously considering moving on from Adams following the conclusion of their road trip, which ended last night in Seattle with a three-game win streak. Matthew Fairburn and Tim Graham of The Athletic, who broke the story, indicated Kekäläinen was the likely name to take over but was in his native Finland on personal leave. He said on Instagram this morning that his father, Kari, passed away Sunday after a long-term illness.

Understandably, there likely won’t be a presser introducing Kekäläinen for a while as a result. The announcement likely couldn’t wait until after last week’s reporting, though. Owner Terry Pegula’s full statement on the matter is as follows:

I would like to thank Kevyn for his dedication and loyalty to the Buffalo Sabres. He has been a reliable presence, and we are appreciative of his enduring care and commitment. I personally wish him and his entire family all the best.

We are not where we need to be as an organization, and we are moving forward with new leadership within our hockey operations department. We are dedicated to building an organization that is competitive year after year, and we have fallen short of that expectation.

I have named Jarmo Kekäläinen as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres and he will be overseeing hockey operations, effective immediately. The hiring of Jarmo was the result of an extensive search process in which Jarmo stood out as our top choice for the senior advisor position. Jarmo has distinguished himself over the last eight months, and his experience, professionalism, and drive speaks for itself. I am looking forward to him leading our organization to the next level.

Adams, 51, had been Buffalo’s GM since his hiring during the 2020 offseason to replace the fired Jason Botterill. It was a surprising decision at the time, given his lack of managerial experience. The 2006 Stanley Cup champion, as a player with the Hurricanes, had never worked a high-level front office role. However, he was highly familiar to the organization and ownership – a decision likely made to help Pegula better put his finger on the pulse as their playoff drought neared a decade.

Five and a half years later, the Sabres still haven’t made it back to the postseason. Today’s news ends a lengthy run for Adams in the organization that began back in 2009-10, one season prior to their most recent playoff appearance. He served as a development coach from 2009-11 and an assistant coach from 2011-13 before moving away from a bench role. From 2013 to 2020, he worked mainly with the Sabres’ youth hockey program and took on a job as their senior VP of business administration in 2019-20 before getting the promotion to the GM’s chair.

From Buffalo’s last playoff appearance in 2011 to Adams’ hiring in 2020, the Sabres’ 260-343-88 (.440) record was last in the NHL. Adams has gotten them out of the cellar – they haven’t had a top-five pick since his first year on the job – but not back to playoff contention. Adams ends his tenure with a 178-196-42 (.478) record, only a marginal improvement that’s good for 26th in the league since the 2020-21 season. The closest they got to the postseason came in 2023, missing the cut by one point.

The Sabres’ 14-14-4 record out of the gate this season made moving on from Adams an inevitability. Another losing season risks core pieces Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson running out of patience and demanding moves – although with both signed through 2030 or longer, the Sabres have leverage on their side. There is a bevy of important pieces who aren’t locked up long-term, namely pending UFA Alex Tuch and pending RFAs Zach Benson and Josh Doan, who to some extent control their own destiny. That’s top of mind for a Sabres club that was essentially forced into trading RFA JJ Peterka to the Mammoth last summer because of an unwillingness to re-sign, although they made out rather well in that deal by recouping one of this year’s top breakout scorers in Doan.

Now, it’s Kekäläinen’s turn at the helm to instill a clear path toward playoff contention – whether that comes via long-term oriented moves or a potential in-season shake-up to vault Buffalo up a tight Eastern Conference. While they’re tied for last with 32 points, they’re only six points out of a playoff spot.

The appeal in Kekäläinen not only lies in his previous GM experience – he’s the first non-first-timer the club has hired since Scotty Bowman in 1979 – but in the type of market he worked for. Kekäläinen assumed control of a stagnant Columbus team that had yet to record a playoff win in franchise history midway through the 2012-13 season. Within a year, the Blue Jackets made it back to the postseason. Over his first seven full seasons in Columbus, the Jackets made the playoffs five times and recorded their first series victory in franchise history, an extremely memorable upset over the Lightning in 2019.

Kekäläinen was fired by the Jackets midway through the 2023-24 season after essentially being forced into rebuilding following the departures of Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency. Nonetheless, his proven track record of instituting a culture change in Columbus is of extremely understandable appeal.

Pegula didn’t announce any other front office or coaching changes. For now, Lindy Ruff and his staff remain intact behind the bench, as do assistant GMs Jerry Forton, Mark Jakubowski, Jason Karmanos, and special assistant Eric Staal.

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