Red Wings executive VP/general manager Steve Yzerman speaks to the media following their season on April 19, 2024, in Detroit. (AP file photo)

Kevyn Adams doesn’t need to hear the booing fans, read placards calling for his firing or field another question about his job security to appreciate what is on the line entering his sixth season as Sabres general manager.

Though Buffalo’s NHL-record 14-season playoff drought long predates his hiring, Adams knows there is only one way to change the negative narrative.

“We’ve got to win hockey games,” said Adams, who is in the final year of his contract.

“Honestly, I could stand up here all day and I can explain exactly why we’ve made the moves or what I’m excited about with our roster, and it really doesn’t matter,” he added. “We need to win. And I’m fully aware of that.”

In a league in which coaches have been replaced nearly twice as often as general managers over the past 20 years, Adams enters this season on the hottest of seats. The GM chairs appear warming in a handful of other markets, including Detroit, where Steve Yzerman enters his seventh season overseeing a franchise that hasn’t reached the playoffs in nine years.

There’s urgency in Anaheim for the Ducks to show signs of development entering their fourth season under GM Pat Verbeek. A similar case can be made for Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson, entering his fifth season. Vancouver’s Patrik Allvin will be under scrutiny after locker room strife and coach Rick Tocchet’s abrupt departure after leading the Canucks to the playoffs in 2023.

As in most sports, general managers traditionally get a much longer leash than coaches. Since the 2005-06 season, the NHL has employed just over 120 GMs along with 215 coaches, not including those serving in interim capacities.

There were nine coaching changes made this offseason compared to three GM shuffles, including Seattle, where Jason Botterill took over after Ron Francis was promoted. The coaching carousel has spun so quickly that Lindy Ruff in Buffalo and Glen Gulutzan in Dallas are in their second stints with their teams.

In Detroit, Yzerman is on his third coach with Todd McLellan taking over after Derek Lalonde was fired after two seasons.

“We’re not completely tone deaf, obviously. We know the expectations and the hopes of our fan base and media as well,” Yzerman said of a Hockeytown market that’s not enjoyed the playoffs since 2016.

“How many years is it supposed to take, I don’t know. Is it four, is it five, is it 10 years?” he added before referring to Red Wings CEO Chris Ilitch. “Ultimately, it’s ownership’s decision when they feel they’re not happy with the direction of the club or the plan. But Chris and I have spoken about it, and he’s understood the process and where we’re at.”

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AP Hockey Writer Larry Lage contributed to this report.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl