Botts started out in a hole that was dug by TM for sure. It is also true that other teams, at that time and since, were in deep holes but have managed to fly past the Sabres easily. The Red Wings and Seattle are next.
The Sabres are in a tough spot because any new GM will have only Botts magical salary cap money but far more holes to fill than available players. They need an architect but a good one will see the disarray created by the two GMs. There is no easy fix for even the best of GMs. The Sabres seem poised to break the NHL record playoff drought. A new GM probably won't matter for that because there would be only two seasons to climb from under Botts rubble and find 5 forwards and a goalie. The danger is keeping Botts and watching him dig deeper by adding more horrible forwards than he already has. He has been here three years and has a bad coaching hire, a good coaching hire and a lot of treading water with the roster. Apathy is a natural reaction.