The Buffalo Sabres have announced the hiring of former Montreal GM Marc Bergevin and Josh Flynn as the club continues to reshape its hockey operations department.
Only a few days removed from the firing of former GM Kevyn Adams, the club brought in Bergevin in an associate GM position, with Flynn taking on the role of assistant GM. ”[They] bring a wealth of unique experience and perspective,” said new general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. “Adding both to an already strong group adds versatility and helps us continue to build a well-rounded hockey operations staff.”
“Marc has firsthand experience as an NHL general manager and a track record as a strong talent evaluator…His insight will be invaluable as we continue to identify and develop talent throughout the organization.”
“I know that [Flynn’s] attention to detail and nuanced understanding of league processes will help to enhance how we support our broader organization,” Kekalainen continued.
Holdovers from the previous regime, Mark Jakubowski (assistant GM) and Jerry Forton (chief amateur scout), will remain in their current roles, however their focus will shift to the AHL ranks in the coming days.
There was a void in oversight at the AHL level after Kekalainen relieved associate general manager Jason Karmanos on Saturday. Karmanos, who was in his 5th season with the organization, mostly oversaw the Rochester Americans, and Buffalo’s top prospects. Jakubowski and Forton are expected to oversee most of the major decisions at the AHL level now moving forward.
Buffalo has missed the playoffs in each of the last 14 seasons, and currently sit 3rd to last in the Eastern conference at 16-14-4 (36 points). Owner Terry Pegula previously stated that “we are not where we need to be as an organization” prior to Adams’ firing. With more than half the season remaining, it’s clear that the club is hoping that the restructuring of the front office will lead to a late season resurgence, and possibly even an end to the NHL’s longest active playoff drought as well.
Photo: Lisa Gansky. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.