Kevyn Adams has kept a low profile since his firing as Buffalo Sabres general manager in mid-December, and that was certainly by design.“I think it was really important to be respectful to the players and coaches, and I just felt that in no way at all I wanted to be a distraction while the team was playing, whether it was regular season or playoffs,’’ Adams told The Athletic on Wednesday in his first public comments since his Sabres exit.“I just felt that the right thing to do was to stay quiet and then, after the season, share my thoughts, which is what I’m doing now.”First and foremost, he wanted to make it clear how thrilled he was to see his old team go on its wild run this season and reignite the Buffalo hockey market the way it did.“Ah, so, so happy,” Adams said enthusiastically. “It’s my hometown. I grew up as a Sabres fan. I was sitting in the oranges with my dad as a kid. I understand what the team means to the fan base in Buffalo, and I’m just so proud to see the success the team had. I spent 16 years in the organization. I got hired by Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff and started in player development back in 2009.“I had a lot of different jobs and different opportunities within the organization for 16 years. So to see the success of the team, I’m just so happy for the organization, I’m happy for the city, and I’m incredibly proud of the players and coaches, the way they were able to navigate the season.’’Jarmo Kekäläinen was hired a year ago in May as a senior consultant and worked alongside Adams before replacing him as GM on Dec. 15. After working together and getting to know each other, Adams said he’s also happy for Kekäläinen.“One of the things last offseason that I felt we needed to do was bring in another experienced hockey person — ideally someone who had been in the GM chair before — and I spent a lot of time thinking who that would be and talking to different people,” Adams said. “Jarmo and I have a great relationship. We hit it off. And I think he brought a lot of value to the organization from the minute he stepped in the door.“So I’m happy for him. I do believe that when you go through what he would have gone through in Columbus (getting let go), and what I’ve gone through, you’re an experienced manager, you learn from every situation. And I’m sure now, in his second time around, he’s that much better than he was before. And I’m really happy for him.’’Just as the Sabres may benefit from the 2.0 version of Kekäläinen, Adams also hopes the 2.0 GM version of himself will benefit, too, learning from the good and the bad of his six and a half year tenure as GM.No doubt people now view Adams’ work in Buffalo differently after the team he largely built went on this run. They certainly should.