The Buffalo Sabres have slipped out of a playoff spot over the past month, but general manager Jason Botterill said Wednesday that head coach Phil Housley's job is not in jeopardy.

Housley is in his second season with the Sabres and the team has already topped their point total from last season, when they finished last in the league with 62 points.

The Sabres have a 28-23-7 record this season and sit six points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The team is in the midst of a three-game losing skid and has won just seven of 19 games since the turn of the calendar to 2019.

Botterill said Wednesday that he's open to adding players to the Sabres ahead of the trade deadline, but the focus remains on developing the team's young players.

"We’re always looking to make additions to our group of players, to help our players out," Botterill said, per The Athletic. "We’re not going to change our model and our focus on trying to bring players in that are going to help this team not only this year but for the future. That’s what we’re looking at."

The Sabres will visit the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.