Jarmo Kekalainen was ‘upset,’ called meetings amid Sabres’ poor start

Buffalo Sabres senior advisor John Davidson revealed that general manager Jarmo Kekalainen held meetings with the team after becoming upset following consecutive blowout losses to the Dallas Stars and Utah Mammoth. Kekalainen stepped in to address the sluggish start before Buffalo secured a 5-3 victory over the Florida Panthers, as the front office looked to quickly reset expectations and prevent lingering struggles early in the campaign.

Writer Tim Daniels notes that despite strong five-on-five analytics led by Tage Thompson and Owen Power, the Sabres are hindered by struggling special teams and weak goaltending while Alex Lyon recovers from injury. Sabre Noise argues that Kekalainen and head coach Lindy Ruff may need to consider pursuing roster upgrades, including potentially exploring a trade for suspended Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.