Sabres' Kevyn Adams Had Deadline to Show Improvement Before Firing

The Buffalo Sabres fired general manager Kevyn Adams on Monday, December 15, ending a five-plus year tenure that saw the team miss the playoffs every single season. For those who had been paying attention, the move wasn't exactly a surprise. In fact, according to Elliotte Friedman, someone predicted Adams' demise months ago with remarkable accuracy.

Speaking on Oilers Now on December 17, Friedman revealed that he'd been told before the season started exactly how much time Adams had to turn things around.

The Thanksgiving Deadline

Friedman explained that someone close to the situation gave him a very specific timeline for when Adams would be in serious trouble if the Sabres didn't show significant improvement.

"Somebody had told me before the season that they thought Kevyn Adams' runway was US Thanksgiving, that he had to show that the team was better, he made big improvements, was challenging for a playoff spot or he was going to be in trouble," Friedman said.

US Thanksgiving fell on November 28 this year. Adams was fired on December 15. That's about two and a half weeks later, which Friedman noted with a bit of dark humor. Friedman continued, "They basically were off by two weeks."

The prediction was eerily accurate. Whoever gave Friedman that information understood exactly how much rope Adams had and when ownership would finally run out of patience.

Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Ryan McLeod (71) looks on during the second period against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Blake Dahlin-Imagn Images | Blake Dahlin-Imagn Images

Why the Timeline Made Sense

The Thanksgiving deadline isn't arbitrary in the NHL. It's long been used as a benchmark for playoff races, with teams in a playoff spot at Thanksgiving having a strong likelihood of making the postseason.

For a team like the Sabres, already staring down an NHL-record 14th consecutive season without playoff hockey, Thanksgiving represented a critical checkpoint.

If Adams couldn't have the team competing for a playoff spot by that point, it meant another lost season was likely. And for an organization that's been stuck in rebuild mode since 2011, another lost season wasn't acceptable.

The Final Record

When Adams was fired, the Sabres sat at 14-14-4, tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference and six points out of a wild card spot. They had just finished a three-game winning streak, their first of the season, but it wasn't nearly enough to save Adams' job.

During his tenure, the Sabres went 178-196-42 and never finished higher than 20th in the league standings. The playoff drought continued unabated, and fan frustration reached a boiling point with regular "Fire Adams" chants at home games.

The Writing Was on the Wall

Adams entered this season on the hottest seat in the NHL. Everyone knew he needed results immediately or he'd be gone. The fact that someone was able to predict his firing window so accurately speaks to how obvious the situation had become.

Jarmo Kekalainen, who had been hired as a senior adviser in June, was promoted to replace Adams. The move had been expected for days after reports emerged Friday that the Sabres were seriously considering making a change.

Friedman's source was almost perfect in their prediction. They just missed by a couple of weeks.

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