List of Buffalo Sabres general managers

The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York, United States. The Sabres are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Hockey League (NHL). Founded as an expansion franchise in 1970, the Sabres have had ten general managers since the team's inception. ^[1]

Key

Key of terms and definitions

Term	Definition
No.	Number of general managers [a]
Ref(s)	References
–	Does not apply
†	Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder category

General managers

General managers of the Buffalo Sabres

No.	Name	Tenure	Accomplishments during this term	Ref(s)
1	Punch Imlach †	January 16, 1970 – December 4, 1978	1 Stanley Cup Finals appearance (1975) 1 conference title, 1 division title, and 5 playoff appearances	[2] [3]
2	John Anderson	December 4, 1978 – June 11, 1979	1 playoff appearance	[4]
3	Scotty Bowman	June 11, 1979 – December 1, 1986	1 conference title, 2 division titles, and 6 playoff appearances	[5] [6]
4	Gerry Meehan	December 1, 1986 – July 30, 1993	6 playoff appearances	[6] [7] [8]
5	John Muckler	July 30, 1993 – May 14, 1997	1 division title and 3 playoff appearances	[7] [9]
6	Darcy Regier	June 11, 1997 – November 13, 2013 [b]	1 Stanley Cup Finals appearance (1999) Won Presidents' Trophy (2006–07) 1 conference title, 2 division titles, and 8 playoff appearances	[10] [11]
7	Tim Murray	January 9, 2014 – April 20, 2017	No playoff appearances	[1] [12]
8	Jason Botterill	May 11, 2017 – June 16, 2020	No playoff appearances	[13]
9	Kevyn Adams	June 16, 2020 – December 15, 2025	No playoff appearances	[14]
10	Jarmo Kekalainen	December 15, 2025 – present		[15]

See also

• List of NHL general managers

Notes

• ^a A running total of the number of general managers of the franchise. Thus any general manager who has two or more separate terms as general manager is only counted once.
• ^b During the 2013–14 interim in which there was no general manager, Pat LaFontaine fulfilled the duties of the position under the title of "President of Hockey Operations." ^[16]

References

1. Snow, Kevin (January 9, 2014). "MURRAY BRINGS A NO-NONSENSE APPROACH TO SABRES GM POSITION". Buffalo Sabres. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
2. "Punch Imlach Buffalo Coach". Standard-Speaker . January 17, 1970. p. 17. Retrieved July 14, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Sabres Fire GM Imlach, Pronovost". Chicago Tribune . December 5, 1978. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
4. "Sabres Name Neilson". Spokane Daily Chronicle . June 20, 1979. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
5. "Unhappy Bowman Sabres' new boss". Kokomo Tribune . June 12, 1979. p. 8. Retrieved July 14, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Bowman fired as Sabres run out of patience". Montreal Gazette . December 2, 1986. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
7. "Christie Wins, Lewis Is Third". Los Angeles Times . July 31, 1993. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
8. "HASEK JERSEY RETIREMENT CEREMONY ON JANUARY 13". Buffalo Sabres. October 20, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
9. "Sabres Dismiss Muckler". The New York Times . May 15, 1997. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
10. "Sabres Hire Regier". The New York Times . June 12, 1997. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
11. "LaFONTAINE & NOLAN RETURN TO THE SABRES". Buffalo Sabres. November 13, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
12. "Statement from Sabres owner Terry Pegula". Buffalo Sabres. April 20, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
13. "Sabres Hire Botterill as General Manager". May 11, 2017.
14. "Kevyn Adams named General Manager of Buffalo Sabres". Buffalo Sabres. June 16, 2020.
15. "Kekalainen named Sabres general manager, replaces Adams". NHL.com. December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
16. Harrison, Doug (November 13, 2013). "Pat LaFontaine, Ted Nolan return to Sabres". CBC Sports. Retrieved November 13, 2013.