Jason Botterill is leaving the Pittsburgh Penguins' bid to defend their Stanley Cup title for an opportunity to build the Buffalo Sabres into a contender as general manager.

The Sabres hired the Penguins' associate GM on Thursday to lead a franchise that owner Terry Pegula criticized for lacking structure and discipline.

"We are very happy to welcome Jason Botterill to the Buffalo Sabres family," Pegula said in a news release. "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."