Buffalo Sabres hire Jason Botterill as general manager

The Buffalo Sabres poached one of the NHL’s brightest front offices to fill their general manager vacancy.

On Thursday, Sabres owner Terry Pegula announced the team had hired Jason Botterill as the eighth general manager in franchise history. Botterill takes over from Tim Murray, who was fired after the regular season ended in April.

“We are very happy to welcome Jason Botterill to the Buffalo Sabres family,” Pegula said in a statement. “Jason’s hockey knowledge, experience drafting and developing players, and his approach to management stood out to us during our interview process. Jason has built a solid reputation as a leader that connects strongly with players and staff around him. We are confident he will have a positive impact within our organization and will help us get to our ultimate goal.”

Botterill has spent the last ten seasons in the Pittsburgh Penguins front office. He became assistant general manager when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2009 and advanced to associate general manager in 2014, helping lead the Penguins to another Cup win in 2016.

Before that, Botterill served as a scout for the Dallas Stars for a season. As a player, Botterill played for the Stars, Atlanta Thrashers, Calgary Flames, and Sabres over seven seasons.

Buffalo moved on from Murray and coach Dan Bylsma after a step back this season, even though the franchise is still in rebuilding mode. Botterill’s first big move could be selecting eighth overall for the Sabres at the NHL entry draft.