Adams - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres to open 2026-27 season Oct. 1 in Columbus, start home schedule Oct. 3 versus Chicago

The Buffalo Sabres will open the 2026-27 season Oct. 1 on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets and hold their home opener Oct. 3 versus old friend Bowen Byram and the Chicago Blackhawks at KeyBank Center.

The NHL this morning announced the home openers for all 32 teams. The rest of the 84-game schedule will be released Thursday.

The Sabres, of course, recently traded Byram to Chicago in a blockbuster deal, so the home ... Read the full article

Bruins hire former Sabres GM Kevyn Adams as senior advisor

Former Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams is back in the NHL.

The Boston Bruins on Tuesday named Adams, 51, a senior advisor to GM Don Sweeney.

The Sabres fired Adams on Dec. 15, almost halfway through his sixth season as GM, and replaced him with Jarmo Kekalainen, who had been serving as a senior advisor.... Read the full article

Sabres make depth signings, trade after free agency opens; Jarmo Kekalainen open to making more moves

BUFFALO – After free agency opened Wednesday, the Sabres stayed pretty quiet, signing four depth players likely ticketed for the minors and trading goalie Devon Levi.

While more notable moves could materialize – “We’re still open for business,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in LECOM Harborcenter – the roster might be pretty much set.

“By no means we’re desperate to add anything right now,” Kekalainen said. “It needs to be a perfect fit both from ... Read the full article

Sabres trade goalie Devon Levi to Oilers

BUFFALO – Goalie Devon Levi’s time with the Sabres organization has ended.

The Sabres this afternoon traded Levi, 24, and a seventh-round pick in 2028 to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a third-round pick in 2028.

The Oilers have struggled to find a No. 1 goalie, so Levi, who must clear waivers next season before going to the minors, should have a strong opportunity in Edmonton.

Levi, once a highly touted prospect, fell ... Read the full article

Surfeit of goalies means Sabres could trade Devon Levi this summer

BUFFALO – On Jan. 20, 2025, following two months in the minors, goalie Devon Levi made a rare start for the Sabres, stopping 28 shots in a 6-4 road loss to the Kraken.

A day later, they sent Levi back to the AHL, where he spent the next season and a half with the Rochester Americans.

No one knew it that day in Seattle, but Levi, once a prospect so highly regarded that many viewed ... Read the full article

Following injury-plagued year, Sabres trade Michael Kesselring to Sharks

Almost a year ago, the Buffalo Sabres made their biggest move of the offseason, acquiring right-shot defenseman Michael Kesselring as the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade with the Utah Mammoth.

Today, after playing just 34 games last season, Kesselring, 26, is a member of the San Jose Sharks.

The Sabres on Wednesday made their first move this offseason, trading Kesselring and the 27th overall pick in the NHL Draft on June 26 in Buffalo to ... Read the full article

Following injury-plagued year, Sabres express belief in Michael Kesselring: ‘We’ve seen the potential’

“Honestly, I think it’s been pretty good for me, and whenever the next opportunity comes, I’ll be probably the most ready I’ve been all year.” – Michael Kesselring on March 25 prior to sitting out his sixth straight game as a healthy scratch

BUFFALO – As he morphed into a spare part down the stretch, Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring tried to make the most of a difficult situation.

If the arrival of defensemen Logan ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jarmo Kekalainen, Lindy Ruff established strong relationship before new contract

BUFFALO – Jarmo Kekalainen established a strong relationship with coach Lindy Ruff long before the Sabres promoted him to general manager.

Following his arrival one year ago as a senior advisor to former GM Kevyn Adams, Kekalainen spent every day with the Sabres, even participating in coaches meetings.

In their early days together, two hockey lifers developed mutual respect for each other.... Read the full article

Alex Tuch loves playing for Buffalo, but can the Sabres re-sign him to a long-term contract?

BUFFALO – As the Sabres took their place among the NHL’s heavyweights this season, their success bled into winger Alex Tuch’s family life.

Tuch said his oldest son, Tripp, “is just obsessed with hockey.”

So Tuch and his wife, Kylie, found a mini rink for Tripp’s playroom, where he puts on his roller blades, hears his father introduce him as “No. 89 for the Buffalo Sabres, Trippy Tuch” and skates a couple of laps with ... Read the full article

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff named finalist for Jack Adams Award

BOSTON – For the fifth time in his career, Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award.

“That just means our coaching staff did one hell of a job,” Ruff said of his nomination today in the Four Seasons One Dalton. “This isn’t a one-man job. The hours these guys have put in and where we got to, a complete team effort.”

This season, Ruff and his staff led the ... Read the full article