Seattle Kraken general manager Jason Botterill had an opportunity Wednesday to lay out a new vision for the organization, which is mired in a three-year playoff drought and going through a transition phase after the departure of president of hockey operations Ron Francis.
Instead, Botterill leaned heavily on clichés and failed to create much optimism within the fanbase. It was like watching an instant replay for fans of the Buffalo Sabres, who witnessed the same song and dance from the executive across three years leading their front office (2017-20).
"Bottom line is, we are not where we want to be after five years," Botterill told reporters. "It's an important time for our franchise. We have a strong foundation here, but changes need to be made."
The 49-year-old Canadian, who played six seasons in the NHL, also expressed his strong belief in head coach Lane Lambert.
"We will focus on players that can help and help our team play to Lane's standard," Botterill said. "A team that plays with speed, that attacks and competes every night. We'll look at the free agent market, but that can't be our only avenue. We'll evaluate trades. And we'll find creative ways to continue to develop our young players."
Emerald City Hockey summed up the media session quite perfectly:
That Botterill presser was pretty discouraging. It sounded like more of what we've heard the last 5 years.
— Emerald City Hockey (@EmeraldCityHky) April 22, 2026
Happy with the core, "aggressive" offseason promises, lots of positives, wouldn't answer about a transition year.
If you were hoping for real change, I doubt it's coming.
Botterill never inspired confidence throughout his time in Buffalo in terms of there being a strong overarching plan in place. It was always a series of disjointed moves, some big and some small, that never created a roster capable of consistently strong performance.
Now, at a key turning-point moment for Seattle, it's more of the same. The Kraken are not one or two moves away from Stanley Cup contention. It's going to take a handful of key roster upgrades to turn things around, including a few savvy deals for underrated players.
Botterill hasn't proven capable of executing a coordinated multi-step plan of attack, and it sounds like Kraken fans are already starting to lose patience as he enters his second year as GM after being promoted to the role last year.
It puts a lot of pressure on his shoulders to prove people wrong this summer.
Jason Botterill's struggles with the Seattle Kraken are a cautionary tale for franchises showing interest in Kevyn Adams
For whatever reason, it seems like NHL owners believe there are only about 40 people capable of being a general manager. The same names get recycled on an annual basis, no matter how poorly their tenure went at their previous stop.
Botterill is just one example, and it sounds like Kevyn Adams, who guided the Sabres' front office from June 2020 through December 2025, may be next.
Matthew Fairburn and Thomas Drance of The Athletic reported the Vancouver Canucks requested permission from Buffalo to speak with Adams about their GM vacancy. It was granted.
Rival organizations appear to think failure in Buffalo doesn't count. Adams had nearly six years to get the Sabres away from laughingstock status and couldn't do it, and it's not a coincidence the team finally turned things around instantly after the master of excuses' departure earlier this season.
The Canucks, who've made the postseason just three times in the past 13 years, must find a courageous decision-maker willing to take some bold swings for the fences. They need an overhaul, potentially starting at the top with a blockbuster Elias Pettersson trade.
Vancouver has suffered enough in recent seasons. It doesn't want to wait through another handful of years at the bottom of the standings so it can accumulate enough lottery selections to maybe start turning a corner early in the 2030s.
History suggests that's exactly what they'd get from Adams but if you're an NHL GM once, you're in the discussion for the rest of your career, so the interview opportunities keep coming.
The Canucks should see the slow pace of roster improvement under Botterill in Seattle, compare his similarly ineffective tenure to Adams in Buffalo and look in a different direction.
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