Botterill fired as Sabres general manager, replaced by Adams

“This morning, we informed Jason Botterill he will no longer be the general manager of the Sabres,” owners Terry and Kim Pegula said in a statement. “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.”

The Sabres announced May 26 that Botterill would return for his fourth season as GM after finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo (30-31-8) is 88-115-30 since Botterill was hired May 11, 2017. They would miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs after not making the Stanley Cup Qualifiers as part of the NHL Return to Play Plan to extend the longest active streak in the NHL to nine seasons.

Adams was hired by the Sabres as senior vice president of business administration Sept. 23, 2019. He joined the organization in 2009 as player development coach and was an assistant coach from 2011-13. The retired center played 11 NHL seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Phoenix Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks.