Kraken hire ex-Sabres general manager Botterill as assistant GM
Former Blackhawks executive Norm Maciver named director of player personnel
The Seattle Kraken made two more additions to their front office Tuesday, bringing in former Buffalo general manager Jason Botterill as an assistant GM and Norm Maciver as director of player personnel.
Botterill joins the Kraken after serving as the GM of the Sabres for three seasons. Botterill was fired in June in a strange flipflop after the Sabres ownership initially announced he would return for a fourth season.
Botterill came under fire for mismanaging the lineup with numerous questionable moves while attempting to rebuild the roster through youth. Buffalo currently has the longest playoff drought in the NHL.
Botterill also spent 10 years working for the Pittsburgh Penguins as the director of hockey administration, assistant GM and associate GM.
"Jason brings a great deal of experience and has worked with some of the best in the business," Kraken GM Ron Francis said in a statement. "I previously worked with him at Hockey Canada during the 2019 world championships, and he is an excellent addition to our team."
Botterill is the second assistant GM joining the Kraken. Ricky Olczyk has been with the club since September 2019 as one of Francis' first hires.
Maciver spent the past 14 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks in a variety of roles. Maciver has been serving as Chicago's vice-president of player personnel but had also worked as an assistant GM for the Blackhawks during his time in their front office.
"I am excited about the prospect of building something from the ground up," Maciver said. "I'm so glad to be able to help meet the challenge of building a team in an ever-evolving league."
