• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Buffalo Sabres

Sabres Fire Botterill

By Brandon Share-Cohen June 16th, 2020

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

The Buffalo Sabres have fired general manager Jason Botterill and assistant general managers Randy Sexton and Steve Greely. The Sabres would also name senior vice president of business administration Kevyn Adams the new general manager of the team.

Statement from Sabres Owners Terry and Kim Pegula. pic.twitter.com/np3SzkdDXq

— Sabres PR (@SabresPR) June 16, 2020

This decision came as a surprise to the hockey world given the fact that Sabres’ co-owner Kim Pegula publicly stated that Botterill’s job was secure just three weeks ago.

In a statement made by Kim and Terry Pegula, the two outlined their decision to move on from the current Sabres’ management team and move forward in a different direction.

This morning, we informed Jason Botterill he will no longer be the General Manager of the Sabres. This decision was made after many candid discussions with Jason during a full review of our hockey operation. We recognized we have philosophical differences regarding how best to put ourselves in a position to compete for a Stanley Cup. So, we decided to make this change.

We wish Jason and his family all the best moving forward, and we thank him for his time and energy devoted to our organization and to the City of Buffalo.

New General Manager Kevyn Adams and Head Coach Ralph Krueger already have a close working relationship and we are excited to see what they can do together as we reconfigure our hockey operations. We have the benefit of this long 2020 pause to take time to reorganize and re-energize our hockey department. We recognize the importance of this offseason with so many player decisions to be made.

We have had the pleasure of watching Kevyn build his post-playing career over the past nine years under multiple roles throughout our organizations. We are confident Kevyn and Ralph will work together to build a consistent contender. As always, we are here to provide the necessary resources.

Our fans deserve better, and we are all tasked with the burden to improve and provide them a consistent, contending team for years to come.

Kim and Terry Pegula

The Sabres would go 30-31-8 this pat season. That record put them in 13th place in the Eastern Conference and just one spot short of the 24-team NHL playoff format that’s in place this season.

Sabres Nearing Historically Bad Drought

In his three seasons with the Sabres, Botterill was unable to turn the Sabres around and their now nine-year playoff drought is still alive and unfortunately well. It’s the longest active streak in the NHL and is only one season short of tying the league record. This is something the Sabres would undoubtedly like to change.

Jason Botterill Buffalo Sabres
Jason Botterill, Buffalo Sabres, 2019 NHL Draft (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

During his time with the Sabres, Botterill made some good moves and some not-so-good moves which ultimately kept the team stagnant. This stagnancy also led to players like captain Jack Eichel and defender Rasmus Ristolainen speaking out on their displeasure with the direction of the team.

It’s unclear what the future of the Sabres holds and whether or not the team will be looking to fully rebuild or continue on their trajectory.

There’s no arguing that the team has a young core filled with very talented players who can be impactful in the NHL. Unfortunately, though, the “next year is the year” claim has been made for years regarding the Sabres and it’s taken them to an almost historically bad drought.

  • Tags
  • Jason Botterill
  • Top Story
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 18th 3:10 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers News & Rumors: Yamamoto, Kahun, Bear, Goalie News, More

Jan 18th 3:00 PM
Column

Flyers Who’s Hot & Who’s Not: Konecny, Hart, Voracek & More

Jan 18th 2:50 PM
Ottawa Senators

From the Senators’ Chambers: White Will Get His Chances

Jan 18th 2:40 PM
Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs Weekly: Goalie Controversy, Injuries, Waivers and More

Jan 18th 2:30 PM
Column

Oilers Weekly: Inconsistent Play, Goalie Carousel & COVID-19

Jan 18th 1:35 PM
Column

NHL Players of the Week: McDavid, Stamkos & More

Jan 18th 1:20 PM
Archives

Mark Messier – NHL Legend and 6 Time Stanley Cup Winner

Jan 18th 12:50 PM
College Hockey

College Hockey Report: Recapping the Weekend Action (Jan. 16-17)

Jan 18th 12:35 PM
Boston Bruins

NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Oilers, Jets, Bruins, Penguins, More

Jan 18th 12:15 PM
Vancouver Canucks

Canucks’ Weekly Report: Miller, Hoglander, Markstrom & More

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information