Why This Time Around May Be Different for the Buffalo Sabres

They’re at a crossroads and there are reasons to be hopeful.

A buffalo crosses a road. | Simon Maage on Unsplash

For a fanbase boiling with understandable frustration, suggesting optimism for the Buffalo Sabres might seem crazy. Crazy.

14 consecutive seasons. Playoff hockey is just a dream in the 716, and the drought casts a long shadow over the franchise. Instead of an anticipated step forward, this past season felt like a step back. It’s easy to feel like the well of hope has run dry.

But hear me out.

I worked for the team. I was the Sabres' Social Media Manager from 2013 to 2019, then worked for Pegula Sports & Entertainment until 2021. I saw things on the inside during those years that – combined with what I see unfolding now – make me feel hopeful.

Do the math in your head on that time period, and you might think I’d be bitter, disgruntled, or wanting to put down my former employer. But it’s not like that at all. I’ll always be grateful for that opportunity and it was a dream come true to work for my childhood favorite sports team.

For context, the first event I worked with the team was the 2013 NHL Draft in New Jersey when we selected Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov in the 1st round. To start that season, Ryan Miller was our starting goalie, Thomas Vanek and Steve Ott were our co-captains, and Ron Rolston was our coach. Fast forward: I also served as social media manager at the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas, when we selected Rasmus Dahlin #1 overall. I witnessed a lot in those years in between.

It’s been so surreal to watch former Sabres Ryan O’Reilly, Jack Eichel, and Sam Reinhart (among others), lift the Stanley Cup, one after another, well aware that’s our ultimate dream in Buffalo. It’s like an extra layer of sting on top of an already open wound for so many Sabres fans and former employees like myself – with a touch of bittersweetness, a bit of happiness for them and their families.

On June 2nd, Matthew Fairburn published an insightful piece in The Athletic that touched on the current sentiment and dynamics of the organization. He says he spoke to 10 people “in and around the Sabres organization,” many of which were granted anonymity to speak freely.

To be clear, I was not one of these people that Fairburn corresponded with. But much of what was written hit home for me in some way, and I wanted to share some reactions and reflections.

I spent countless hours in that organization and witnessed both highs – like a 10-game winning streak in 2018, as Jeff Skinner scored the OT winner against the San Jose Sharks at home (happy for him to finally be in the playoffs!) – and lows, alongside the players, staff, and of course, the fans. I saw firsthand the passion, frustration, and relentless desire for success that permeated the organization from top to bottom.

---

Buying The Bills

A football and hockey puck side-by-side.

Let’s start here.

Did buying the Bills alter the trajectory of the Sabres at all? Sure.

I was a Sabres employee at the time. I still vividly remember the drive home that one day, as Schopp and the Bulldog talked about the Pegulas’ purchase of the Bills being official on WGR 550.

There was the good: It led to opportunities, bringing the teams closer together, famously culminating in the "One Buffalo" initiative. From my vantage point, this meant new avenues for collaboration and fan engagement across both franchises. It led to new dialogue between the teams and sharing of ideas. From a professional development standpoint, I believe our employees made huge leaps thanks to these ties.

And there were the challenges: It equally led to questions of how much crossover there should be or how much the two teams should remain divided, prompting (rightful) internal discussions about identity and operational independence. These questions lingered in various ways over time. In some ways, following the model of other pro sports ownership groups with multiple teams helped us; in other ways, we went another direction.

This is where a quote in Fairburn’s article rubbed me the wrong way. A former staffer apparently told him, “Everything Bills was always more important than everything Sabres,” and honestly, I couldn’t disagree more with that sentiment. I was there. It’s revisionist history.

First of all, there’s this narrative of ownership’s attention shifting. From my perspective, Terry and Kim Pegula's attention to or passion for the Sabres didn’t wane at all after the Bills acquisition. Their commitment to the Sabres remained solid. I personally witnessed their presence and continuous interest in the club and its success, which translated into both providing resources and empowering those in the organization to execute.

Beyond the high-level side of things, I observed something that was even more meaningful, to me anyway – a genuine personal touch. Terry and Kim, from my experience, are first and foremost good people with good Christian values. They take the time to genuinely get to know employees at all levels and foster a positive environment. The struggles were real, undoubtedly, but I saw a continuous commitment to the hockey club from ownership. There’s no doubt, they genuinely care a great deal.

---

The Hamster Wheel

A hamster on a wheel with a blue and gold background.

The article equates the Sabres’ cycle of losing to a hamster wheel, citing an executive in the league. Let’s examine that analogy further.

Crucially, the constant rotation of coaches and GMs every couple of years doesn't help the long-term prospects of any sports club (or organization for that matter). Each new leader brings fresh ideas, perspectives, and personal experiences. While that can sometimes be invigorating, it can also fundamentally change the course of a franchise, much like Jell-O – wobbly and ultimately not sustainable. This lack of consistent vision and strategy from the top can indeed lead to a doom-loop cycle.

This is precisely why Sabres fans should hold a glimmer of hope now. The commitment to Kevyn Adams extending his stay in the GM role since June 2020, while controversial for some, is a step toward stability. Even more so now that he has Jarmo Kekäläinen as his Senior Advisor, just announced on May 30.

Kekäläinen, bringing proven experience as General Manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets, strategic insights, and a track record of not being risk-averse, adds invaluable gravitas, credibility, and a fresh, yet stable, perspective to the management team. This kind of experienced leadership is exactly what's needed at this moment to get to sustained success.

---

Lindy Ruff is a Winner

Obviously Lindy Ruff’s history as a coach (and pedigree as a player in the Blue and Gold before that) speaks for itself. He deservingly became the 5th coach in NHL history to reach 900 wins in the season finale of 2024-25.

His record says it all. He goes about coaching the right way and finds the tools to motivate his players to succeed.

In his history, he’s done a lot with a little. He has elevated the game of players who would otherwise falter. He has challenged them.

He opened up publicly this past season about the 13-game losing skid being “the toughest solve I’ve been around” in his career, and said he takes “full responsibility” for it. That stretch was devastating for fans to watch. For his part, Adams has also taken ownership of that free fall: “If I had to do it over again, I may have shook something up.” Great leaders hold themselves accountable.

Truth is, they are not to blame for all of the microcosms that have plagued the Sabres for so long. But they are dedicated to the solution.

---

The Long Term is in Mind

While every fan is understandably focused on the results on the ice, or lack thereof, I also want to highlight an aspect of the last decade or so that, from my perspective, deserves a positive emphasis: the discipline of the rebuild.

It's not easy to stay committed to a strategy that requires tearing down to the foundation. When you're losing consistently, the pressure to make quick fixes, to chase a fleeting playoff spot, becomes immense. We've seen other organizations falter by abandoning their rebuilds prematurely.

It did lead to “lost seasons,” if you will. But pain can be part of the process of what can turn into success. (Case in point: If Connor McDavid ended up here, maybe we’re playing in the Stanley Cup Final right now for the 2nd straight year instead of Edmonton. I’m not being salty, just realistic, and yes, there is an element of luck along the way to win it all.)

However, the Sabres, through much of the period I worked for them, displayed an unwavering interest in the long-term vision. They didn't deviate or chase short-term gains at the expense of the long view. They focused on things like developing their young core at any given time, accumulating and protecting draft assets, and adding veterans who embodied important values to show young players the way (true pros like Brian Gionta, 2014-2017, Jason Pominville, 2017-2019, and Kyle Okposo, 2016-2024, come to mind).

During the tenure of Sabres GM Tim Murray - who I loved working with by the way, enjoyed his no-nonsense, direct communication style and how he green-lighted this moment - GMTM took some swings to accelerate the rebuild. Key assets were given up, but if it worked, the team would have likely been good for years. He brought in O’Reilly, Evander Kane, and a goalie he knew well in Robin Lehner to join a young Reinhart and Eichel. I can still vividly remember how O’Reilly would stay on the ice long after practice to keep working on his game, and how it began to rub off on Reinhart, who started to do the same. These are winning habits. The team ultimately didn’t mesh in a way to have sustained success, but in sports, and in life, you have to take some swings and risks, and I don’t think anyone can put fault in that.

Prior to that squad, it’s no secret. This hockey club was torn down to the studs, patiently acquiring high draft picks and focusing on player development. There’s a reason one of our marketing campaigns was Blueprint, which extended beyond the ice to include the literal building of the transformational Harborcenter, which has brought so many hockey people of all ages to the doors of Buffalo, New York (and where the NHL Combine is taking place right now). That was a tangible result of the Pegulas’ vision that remains a visible reminder of their commitment to Buffalo every time you’re downtown, instead of a parking lot that once stood there.

While the fruits of all the labor are still to be seen, the sheer discipline required to stick to such challenging plans to rebuild, especially in a market as passionate as Buffalo, is something often overlooked but it deserves recognition.

One vocal voice in Buffalo, media personality Jeremy White, understood the vision and embraced the rebuild strategy. Voices around the league quietly applauded the organization, saying it was the right approach, pointing to previous successes like Chicago and Pittsburgh that went to dark places before winning it all.

Sometimes, when you go about a drop-to-the-bottom rebuild like that, it doesn’t work. Plain and simple. You’re starting fresh, you need to build, and it doesn’t always work. So you retool and get back to work. You try things a little bit differently next time.

Personnel inevitably changes. Players come and go. But at some point, if you’re dedicated to a plan and empower the right leaders, it will finally work out. And it will.

Remember, it’s not just about making the playoffs. I’m sure we all agree. It’s about a championship. That is done by carefully building a team that can be competitive for years to come. Look at what has been built in Rochester with the Amerks’ recent success this past season. (And let’s remember the core group in Rochester that paved the way for the Sabres in 2005-06, as Marty Biron recalls.) Patience is part of this very difficult long game.

And yes, there is momentum going on right now at One Bills Drive that the Sabres can learn from. Buffalo obviously can be a destination.

---

Let’s Talk About Kevyn Adams

If it feels like there’s an elephant in the room from Fairburn’s article I haven’t fully addressed yet, by all means, let’s do it.

From my experience working with Kevyn Adams – and I did work directly with him at various times, especially when he led the Academy of Hockey program at Harborcenter and I assisted with the social media efforts – I have nothing but good to say of him.

Honestly.

He was personable, down-to-earth, clearly hardworking, and obsessed with the process as any strong leader is to generate consistent positive results.

He’s a good person with good values. It’s important to not lose sight of that because that type of behavior from leadership is easily modeled and it’s contagious.

He also has a pedigree that fits our market. He’s literally from here, growing up in Clarence. Dedicated to the game. As a player, he was part of a Stanley Cup-winning team (we won’t get into that). As a student of the game and later a student of business, he always worked to get better.

He was one of the first people to respond to my “goodbye” email to the Pegula Sports & Entertainment organization in 2021 and included a nice personalized message that I’ll keep private. That speaks to the quality of the person.

I believe in Kevyn Adams, his dedication to his craft, and the fact he can get this done.

So with that in mind, I was elated to hear that he’s now teaming up with a hockey mind like Kekäläinen. He’s sat in the GM role, he knows people around the league and has connections in the game globally. He is credible, smart, and he’ll have ideas to right the ship.

In an interview with Brian Duff and Biron just yesterday, Kekäläinen said he’s “one-hundred percent in, 24/7, doing everything I can to help Kevyn and the Buffalo Sabres.” He’s ready to throw his full self into this role. This is a brilliant hire and a perfect guy to team with Adams. Absolutely what this team needs.

---

The Business Side

And yes, let’s talk about the business side.

Terry Pegula didn’t become a billionaire out of pure luck. It takes a unique type of person to be able to accomplish that.

It probably doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the Sabres’ lack of success over an extended period of time isn’t helpful to their bottom line.

Here’s my view, and let me clear, this is my personal view only: The Sabres need to be smart and save money as they can. (A lot of money has been spent without a return on the investment.) When the right pieces are in place and the time is right, the Pegulas will do what good business people do: They will invest further. I have no doubt about that. They will spend. But throwing money around for the sake of throwing money around? Not ideal.

Money in itself doesn’t bring a championship. It’s dedication to the process, the bonding of a true team, the formation of the right leadership group, and veteran voices like Jason Zucker to navigate the peaks and valleys that the 82-game grind brings. Being committed to the process, focused on proper development, and staying the course amidst turbulence is critical to get to the wins part.

I should add that for the economics of the organization, I wasn’t privy to the conversations, so it’s purely speculation on my part. But I’m just connecting the dots as I see them. Yes, be efficient when possible, save money, as you can, but when it’s go time, this team is going to hit go, big time.

Keep in mind, big deals have been handed out. Key players that have been projected to serve needed roles for years to come like Dahlin and Owen Power have been locked up long-term. Same for Tage Thompson.

And by making investments like Harborcenter, or even contributing toward a new stadium for the Bills, the Pegulas have shown repeatedly they are not shy to spend money when it helps Buffalo in the long term.

---

What’s Next?

So, where do the Sabres go from here? And why do I believe they are, indeed, on the right track?

First, a foundation is in place. The patience and methodical work in acquiring high-end talent like Dahlin and Tage Thompson – who scored the gold-winning goal at the 2025 IIHF World Championship recently – forms the start of a core. These are not just promising prospects; they are top-end NHL players that you need to win. They’re good people too and they come from good families.

Secondly, and critically, the structural changes within hockey operations, including the recent addition of Kekäläinen, signal a vital step forward. This brings invaluable, seasoned perspective and a proven track record to the top decision-making circle. It's a strategic shift that should provide the necessary guidance and accountability to navigate the final, most crucial stages of this rebuild.

Bringing it all together, Adams, Kekäläinen, and Ruff will work tirelessly to make sure the team that hits the ice next training camp and next season is the best possible one it can be. They know it’s going to be a lot of work, but they’re also aware what didn’t work last season. Just as an example, you can bet the power play is going to have a new look. If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, why not this new structure? A GM now 5 years in, a senior advisor with GM experience, and a future Hall-of-Famer coach who will undoubtedly be prepared, not to mention a special advisor in Eric Staal who can help form a bridge with the player community.

No one is guaranteeing a Stanley Cup next season. That would be foolish. But some critical pieces are finally coalescing. The internal discipline of the repeated rebuilds and lessons along the way, however painful, will pay off. The ownership, from what I observed and everything I know about them, remains deeply invested. And with consistent, experienced leadership now guiding Hockey Ops, the path to becoming a competitive team for years to come feels closer than it has in a very long time.

It’s time to move past the blame and look towards the future. For the Buffalo Sabres, from my view, that future is starting to come together. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.