Jarmo Kekalainen didn’t sit quietly through Buffalo’s early stumble.
According to longtime NHL executive John Davidson, the Sabres general manager was frustrated after the team’s recent blowout losses to the Dallas Stars and Utah Mammoth, and he made sure everyone in the room knew it. Davidson, speaking on the Sabres’ MSG pregame show before Tuesday night’s shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens, said Kekalainen responded the right way after a rough patch.
"No, [Kekalainen] doesn't show emotions, but he gets angry. But it's usually very measured.
An example, a little bit off the record, was the other night when we lost at home and we weren't very good. Prior to yesterday's game (a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers), Jarmo was upset, which he should be - you don't wanna get into a funk too long at this time of the year - and had some meetings with everybody.
And that's how it should be. You know what, bite it and tear it off right away, and get back at it.
Don't let it fester. And Jarmo's good that way, but he's measured.
He thinks his way through. He's a very bright guy."
John Davidson on Jarmo Kekalainen
That frustration comes with Buffalo sitting at 3-3-1 through seven games, and the early picture is mixed in a way that should make the front office uneasy.
At 5-on-5, the Sabres have actually been strong. They’re sixth in the NHL in expected goal share at 55.9%, according to Natural Stat Trick, and several players have opened the year well, led by Tage Thompson and Owen Power. Over a full 84-game season, that kind of even-strength profile usually travels.
But the other parts of Buffalo’s game are dragging hard.
The Sabres rank 29th in team save percentage at .850, with neither Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen nor Colten Ellis delivering enough while Alex Lyon recovers from injury. Luukkonen has shown some encouraging signs lately, but the overall results still haven’t been there. The special teams numbers are even more alarming: Buffalo sits 29th on the power play at 11.1% and 30th on the penalty kill at 60.9%.
That combination is a brutal one to survive, no matter how well a team plays at even strength.
Last season, Buffalo got support from the other side of the ledger, finishing third in cumulative save percentage at .899 and fourth on the penalty kill at 81.9% to help cover for a power play that ranked 20th at 19.5%. That power-play issue has been around for a while, but the current start puts even more pressure on the rest of the roster.
There were already questions about how the Sabres would replace the production of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram after both were traded over the summer. Those two were major special-teams pieces last year, and so far the concern looks justified.
Kekalainen’s plan depended heavily on young players taking another step, and the sample is still small. But the early returns are at least worrying, and Buffalo doesn’t yet look like the team that reached the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Maybe that changes as players settle into new jobs and the group finds its rhythm. Still, Davidson’s comments suggest the patience meter could already be moving the wrong way.
Buffalo’s decision-makers, led by Kekalainen and head coach Lindy Ruff, talked plenty before training camp about internal growth filling the holes left by Tuch and Byram. That outlook probably won’t get tossed out after one rough week.
But it may need a reality check soon.
The Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division are deep enough that Buffalo can’t afford to sit back and hope the fixes arrive on their own. The team also can’t count on another historic heater to launch it up the standings the way it did last year. At some point, the front office has to decide whether this group is good enough to keep pace.
That evaluation could come within the next month, and if the answer is no, the Sabres may have to act.
One obvious route would be a major move for Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who has been suspended since not reporting to training camp after requesting a trade. Hellebuyck is 33 and just came off the worst season of his career, but his résumé still makes him a more proven option than Luukkonen, Lyon or Ellis.
Goaltending isn’t the only avenue. The free-agent market still has some recognizable names, including forwards who could help the power play and give the offense a jolt.
Buffalo also entered the season with more bodies up front than spots available, so a roster shakeup wouldn’t be a shock if the scoring stays below expectation. And if the price of fixing things means parting with a valued asset like Radim Mrtka or the Sabres’ first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, that may end up being the cost of staying on the right path.
In Other News...
Sabres Open Road Trip With A Dahlin Problem Ruff Must Solve
The Sabres head into the start of their road trip already facing a lineup wrinkle, with Rasmus Dahlin still listed day-to-day as Buffalo tries to get through the opening stretch without one of its most important defensemen. Around the league, a flurry of injury and roster updates has hit several clubs, but for Buffalo the focus is squarely on how Lindy Ruff manages the blue line if Dahlin is unavailable early on.
Ruff said Dahlin will not travel with the team as the trip begins today, leaving the Sabres to sort out their defensive look on the fly. For a club trying to settle into a road rhythm, losing its top-pair anchor right away adds another layer of uncertainty, and it keeps the attention on how long Buffalo might have to get by before Dahlin is back in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Catch A Break As Canadiens Lose A Key Blue Liner
The Sabres will face a slightly different Montreal blue line this time around, with the Canadiens ruling out Mike Matheson because of a lower-body injury. He has been part of Montreals lineup in every game this season and is in the first year of a five-year extension, so his absence is a notable shift for a defense corps the Sabres were already preparing to test.
Owen Beck will step in as Montreal adjusts to a 12-forward, eight-defensemen setup, giving Buffalo a different look to target than expected. For a Sabres team trying to take advantage of every edge it can find, any late change on the Canadiens back end changes the opening a little, even if Montreal still has enough depth to stay organized. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Blue Line Suddenly Looks Shakier Than Buffalo Wanted
The Sabres had to adjust their blue line again, recalling Dennis Gilbert from AHL Rochester as the roster picture shifted around their defense. Matt Grzelcyk was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 1, and Gilbert is back in the organization for a second stint after spending time with the Americans.
Buffalos next game now carries a different look than it did just a day ago, especially with captain Rasmus Dahlin unavailable because of an upper-body injury. Gilbert is expected to draw into the lineup, giving the Sabres another experienced option at a spot that suddenly needs one. [Read more 🡒]