Sabres’ Kekäläinen enters GM role demanding work ethic and compete

Jarmo Kekäläinen cut straight to the point in his introductory press conference as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres.

On Tuesday, a day after replacing Kevyn Adams atop Buffalo’s hockey operations department, Kekäläinen, originally hired in May as a senior advisor, volunteered his biggest observation of these Sabres:

“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, and that’s going to be something that we’re going to focus on every day here, each and every day. Because the talent, the skill alone, is not going to get you the wins in this league. Every team’s too good, so you’ve got to work and you’ve got to compete, you’ve got to be relentless, and that’s what I want the identity of the Buffalo Sabres to be.”

• TICKETS: The Kekäläinen era begins Thursday against Philadelphia

It’s clear the Sabres are plenty talented, and Kekäläinen acknowledged as much. But, to his point, that’ll be just part of the equation if they’re to climb out of their current position (tied for last in the Eastern Conference through 32 games) and earn their first Stanley Cup Playoffs berth since 2011.

“I think we're very close. I firmly believe we can make the playoffs this year,” he said. “There's a lot of hockey left.”

Here are the biggest takeaways from Tuesday’s press conference.

Full press conference

Working relationship with Pegula

Kekäläinen expressed confidence that working in a small market – he previously spent 12 years as the Columbus Blue Jackets’ general manager – won’t prohibit him from building a winner.

“Terry's given me full autonomy to run the hockey department,” he said. “We can spend to the cap. We have every resource available for us that we need to make this team better, make it more attractive for the guys to stay or attract free agents.

“That's all I can ask for as a general manager.”

Lindy Ruff and the coaching staff

Kekäläinen shared no immediate plans to change the Sabres’ coaching staff but didn’t rule anything out.

“Lindy’s resume speaks for itself,” he said. “He's been a great coach in the league for a long time. I've really enjoyed my interaction with him day to day. He works his tail off every day. He's early, he's watching tape, he's analyzing, he’s talking to the players who’ve got a good line of communication with him, and he's looking for ways to get better. I've really enjoyed my time so far with Lindy.

“… We're going to evaluate everything moving forward, whether it's the scouting staff, management, coaches. Everybody is under evaluation at this point, but there are a lot of good people here that are great at their jobs.”

Tuch negotiations

The Sabres continue to negotiate with forward Alex Tuch, who’s currently eligible for a contract extension and is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency July 1. The alternate captain, 29 years old and in his fifth Sabres season, ranks second on the team with 28 points (11+17).

Tuch’s value may be clearer, now, thanks to long-term deals signed by other pending free agents since October, namely Jack Eichel (8 years x 13.5 million, Kyle Connor (8 x 12), Martin Necas (8 x 11.5) and Adrian Kempe (8 x 10.625). That said, their extensions might make Tuch an even hotter commodity should he reach the open market in July.

“I'll take charge of that situation now, talk to his representatives,” Kekäläinen said. “… Alex is a really good hockey player. We appreciate him, we like him, we want to get him signed. I think that's been clear the whole time. Now, we just have to agree on a number that works for both sides.”

3-goalie roster

The Sabres rostered three goalies from Oct. 23, when Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returned from injured reserve, until last Thursday, when Colten Ellis landed on IR with a concussion. Ellis isn’t expected to be out long, though.

“It's not the ideal situation to have three, for the workload they get in practice, for the rotation, the amount of games they get if there's three goalies,” Kekäläinen said. “… We're probably to a point where we're going to have to start making decisions to get down to a two-goalie rotation.”

• Injuries and transactions | Latest on Ellis, Zucker, Kesselring, others

Fearless approach

At the 2018-19 trade deadline, most expected Kekäläinen to sell pending free agents Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky. The Blue Jackets were unlikely to re-sign those high-priced stars, the thinking was, so better recoup some value before they walk away for nothing.

Instead, Kekäläinen held onto them and traded a first-round pick for forward Matt Duchene, strengthening a roster that proceeded to sweep the record-setting Tampa Bay Lightning. On and off the ice, that Columbus team embodied its general manager's mindset.

“We’ve got to play free; we’ve got to play without fear of failure,” he said. “I apply that to myself in work, too. Whatever it takes to make our team better, we're going to do. We're not going to be afraid of making a mistake.”

Blunt assessments

Tying things back to his opening statement, in which he demanded more work and compete from the players, Kekäläinen isn’t afraid to voice his opinions.

“You’ll hear it in front of you, not behind you,” he said. “That’s one of the big principles that I believe in life: if I don’t have the guts to say it to your face, then don’t say it at all.”

That assertiveness, the Sabres hope, will help Kekäläinen get the best out of this team, pursue the right additions and turn them into a Stanley Cup contender.