The Canucks have requested and been granted permission to interview former Sabres GM Kevyn Adams for their vacant GM job, I’m told. He still had time on his contract when he was fired, hence the need for the request. Story from me and @ThomasDrance: nytimes.com/athletic/artic…
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Sabres grant Canucks permission to interview Kevyn Adams for GM job: report
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Apr 21, 2026, 15:25 EDTUpdated: Apr 21, 2026, 15:30 EDT
The Vancouver Canucks have requested and been granted permission to interview ex-Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams for their vacant GM position, according to a report from Matthew Fairburn and Thomas Drance of The Athletic.
Here is some of what Drance and Fairburn wrote:
The Vancouver Canucks have requested and been granted permission to interview former Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams for their vacant GM position, according to a league source. The source was granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the Canucks’ search.A Canucks team source declined to confirm whether the club had requested permission to discuss its general manager vacancy with Adams, but did not deny it, citing an organizational preference for running this interview process quietly and privately.The Canucks needed permission to interview Adams because he still had time left on his contract when the Sabres fired him in December.
Adams, 51, spent five NHL seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, including their Stanley Cup-winning 2005-06 season, so he is presumably more than familiar with Canucks president Jim Rutherford, who was the architect behind those Hurricanes teams.
Following his playing career, Adams first worked with the Sabres as a development coach beginning in 2010, and held various roles within the organization before being named GM in the 2020-21 season. Adams held that role until he was fired on December 15th, 2025. The Sabres held a 14-14-4 record and were tied for last place in the Eastern Conference the day they fired Adams. Buffalo then went 36-9-5 the rest of the season and would go on to win the Atlantic Division and are currently up 1-0 in their first round matchup over the Boston Bruins after an epic comeback win in Game 1.
Some key moves during his time with Buffalo includes trading Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights, dealing Sam Reinhart to the Florida Panthers, adding Bowen Byram into the mix, and signing Tage Thompson to a long-term deal that will continue to be one of the NHL’s best value contracts right up until it expires in 2030. All things considered, Adams drafted fairly well during his time as GM, adding players like JJ Peterka, Zach Benson, Matt Savoie, Owen Power, and more through the draft.
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