Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen says new adds necessary, willing to make more

OTTAWA – It took just days for new Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to revamp the front office by hiring Marc Bergevin as an associate GM and Josh Flynn as an assistant GM.

Of course, when Kekalainen replaced Kevyn Adams on Dec. 15, he inherited two assistant GMs in Jerry Forton and Mark Jakubowski. Both front-office veterans are respected voices who have remained in the organization through multiple regimes.

The Sabres on Saturday fired associate GM Jason Karmanos.

Kekalainen said prior to Tuesday’s game against the Senators that Forton and Jakubowski will be staying put.

“We’re all going to work together,” he said in the Canadian Tire Centre.

Kekalainen said he brought in Bergevin and Flynn on Sunday because he felt the moves “were necessary now.” More additions could be coming.

“We told everybody all along that we’re going to keep evaluating the staff, and our goal is to get better every day as a staff, too,” he said. “And that’s what I expect from everybody: to approach their job with diligence that is going to make us better into the future. … If we need to add some people, we’ll add some people.”

After the Sabres named Kekalainen a senior advisor to Adams in late May, he attended the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup in Czechia and saw Forton, who’s in charge of amateur scouting, and the staff up close. He also worked with the staff as they prepared for the NHL Draft.

“I’ve taken a very close look at our amateur scouting process and the staff, and they do a good job, and they’re very diligent about their work,” Kekalainen said. “I’m happy with the way things have gone so far on that side. That’s why I attended the Hlinka tournament in August, so I can speak with them and talk to them, get to know them.”

Kekalainen said he has “enjoyed my time working with Mark.” Jakubowski works closely with the collective bargaining agreement and salary cap, which Flynn did in his recent job as an assistant GM with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“We’ve already talked amongst the staff that everybody’s going to have a role,” Kekalainen said. “Everybody’s going to have an important role, and the responsibilities are going to be spread. We’re going to be working on this together as a team, just like the guys on the ice.

“Sometimes you’re going to have to grind, sometimes you’re going to be on the power play and sometimes you’re going to be on the penalty kill.”

Bergevin most recently worked as a senior advisor for the Los Angeles Kings. Much of his nine-year tenure as GM of the Montreal Canadiens overlapped with Kekalainen’s run as GM in Columbus.

While they’ve never worked together, Kekalainen knows Bergevin well.

“I think he brings a lot of experience, something that I was looking for,” Kekalainen said. “Somebody that’s been in my seat and knows the ins and outs of it and what you’re dealing with. So I’ve always had a lot of respect for him as a general manager who was at the other end of it when we were talking about things.

“I know he works hard, he’s a good player evaluator. I think his track record in Montreal, as far as the trades go, he’s among the best in the league. So I think it’s a great fit for us.”

Kekalainen said Flynn, an attorney he called “extremely organized,” knows “exactly the way I want things organized.”

“He knows the cap, the CBA in and out,” he said. “He knows the analytics, he’s got scouting experience. He’s from Toronto, so he’s grown up watching hockey, following hockey, loving hockey.”

On the ice, the Sabres have won six straight games entering Tuesday’s contest. They’re 3-0 since Kekalainen took over.

For now, expect the roster to stay intact.

“There’s no need to disrupt anything right now with the good flow going,” Kekalainen said.

Over the final two periods of Sunday’s 3-1 win in New Jersey, the Sabres held the Devils scoreless and to just 15 shots. Kekalainen called those 40 minutes “clinical.”

“It’s amazing what confidence does,” he said. “I always say that if you can bottle that thing and sell it, you’d be a billionaire, because it’s everything.”

In those recent outings, the Sabres have showcased a more disciplined and focused style.

“I think we’re playing to win rather than playing to score another goal, and I think that’s important as the team matures and learns to play the right way is to understand that there are certain situations when you’re up 3-1 or 4-2, or whatever, it may be that you don’t have to score another goal,” Kekalainen said. “You just need to play the right way to win.”