"He's not a spring chicken anymore, but he's a student of the game. I view it the same way.
I feel like I've got to be a better general manager," he added.
Roster Decisions Ahead
The front office faces several roster decisions this summer, with Buffalo holding $12.9MM in salary cap space and multiple pending free agents.
Kekalainen identified re-signing restricted free agent defenseman Bowen Byram to a long-term contract as a major priority.
Contract negotiations with pending unrestricted free agent forward Alex Tuch remain unresolved.
Tuch completed his fifth season in Buffalo with 33 goals and 66 points in 79 regular-season games, adding seven points during the team's 13 playoff appearances.
Several players battled severe injuries during the postseason, including defenseman Owen Power, who played through a Grade 3 right ankle sprain, and forward Tage Thompson, who managed lingering lower back injuries.
Thompson finished his campaign with 81 points in 81 games and added 15 playoff points after playing continuously since winning gold with Team USA at the 2025 World Championships and competing in the 2026 February Olympics.
Center Sam Carrick also rushed his return from a regular-season left arm injury to appear in one playoff game, while defenseman Logan Stanley played through an undisclosed injury.
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The Sabres enter the offseason looking to retain key free agents, including unrestricted forwards Beck Malenstyn, Tanner Pearson, and Joshua Dunne, alongside defensemen Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley, and restricted free agents Peyton Krebs, Zach Benson, and Michael Kesselring.
