Kevyn Adams left no doubt Thursday. He's going to be in lockstep with Jason Karmanos and the new associate general manager will have his hands on all areas of the Buffalo Sabres' organization.
"This was a critical hire for us. I feel that Jason is someone that for me checked all the boxes," Adams, the Sabres' general manager, said on a video call to introduce his new right hand man. "He is a person of integrity, high character, has great experience, a track record of success in multiple organizations, and certainly someone that I've known for many years and trust."
How big a hire is it? Until he names a permanent head coach, it's easily the most important one since Adams moved into his role 10 months ago.
"Everything that's going to be happening from today moving forward in our organization, Jason's going to be involved with," Adams said. "We're going to make decisions together. We're going to work hand in hand in every area with other staff members."
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Karmanos and Adams have a long relationship that dates back to their roles as teammates on the 1994 United States team at the World Junior Championship. Karmanos, who played at Harvard and had a brief pro career in the ECHL, and Adams were reunited in Carolina on the Hurricanes' 2006 Stanley Cup championship team.
Adams was a grinder and locker room leader while Karmanos, the son of the owner, served as executive vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager. Karmanos served as vice president of hockey and assistant GM in Pittsburgh from 2014-2020, winning Cups in 2016 and 2017.
Asked how he can help Adams spark a culture turnover in Buffalo, Karmanos took a cautious approach.
"I'm a big believer that when you're an outsider to an organization, you're just that," he said. "You might have an opinion, you have an outside perspective. But until you get in and start talking to people that are within the organization and understanding the processes that are in place, your opinion isn't what it needs to be."
Karmanos, whose role includes that of GM of the Rochester Amerks, said he is reporting to Buffalo Monday to get glimpses of the Sabres' three-game series against the Boston Bruins as well as the Amerks' games against Syracuse and Utica. He will then be heading to Frisco and Plano, Texas, for the World Under-18 Championship April 26-May 6.
"There aren't too many opportunities to see live games these days. That's one and there's a lot of players there," Karmanos said. "And obviously, we are going to have a very good draft pick, and lots of picks in general. I've been involved in the draft very intimately in Pittsburgh for the last four years. So I look forward to working with the staff."
Karmanos, who was dismissed by the Penguins in October, revealed he chose the Sabres over another job opportunity.
"At the end of the day, I was more excited about coming to Buffalo and being part of helping Kevyn, the Pegulas and everybody else in the organization and getting to where we want to get to," he said.
Karmanos looking forward to heading to Rochester as soon as next week and then to Texas for the U-18 tournament. #Sabres pic.twitter.com/n153fnCPif
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) April 15, 2021
Adams said he and Karmanos were "philosophically aligned."
"There's certainly history and a trust that we have had built over the years," Adams said. "But in saying that, we've never worked in this type of setting together. So it was critical that we talk philosophically about what we believe."
Karmanos said he did not know how many changes/additions he would make to the team's scouting department before the draft is held in July. The Sabres do not currently have a scout in the Western Hockey League and remain thin in overseas scouting as well.
"The basic idea of having depth in your organization is something that has contributed to all three of the Stanley Cup championship teams that I've been a part of," he said. "It's a process that takes time."
