On July 12th 2014, I read an article on The Hockey News called: Why the Buffalo Sabres will be Stanley Cup Champions in 2020 that stated that with a new GM, a bevy of draft picks, a committed owner and proper development, the Buffalo Sabres stand the chance to be an NHL contender in several years. The article ended with the following sentence: If they hit on the right notes and have some luck along the way, the Sabres will be out of the front row and the lottery before too long and among the NHL’s elite.
Fast forward to 2021 and with some luck, the Buffalo Sabres will score a goal and end their double digit losing streak. The Sabres haven't come close to becoming a contender and they haven't made the playoffs since the 2010-2011 season. The last time the Sabres won a playoff series was in 2007. The 2 seasons following the 2004-2005 NHL lockout were the most exciting brand of hockey I have seen the Buffalo Sabres play perhaps even more than the 1998-1999 Stanley Cup final team. The lockout allowed several prospects (Vanek, Pominville, Roy, Gaustad, Paille, Miller... heck even Jason Botterill was part of that team!) to develop their game in the AHL and join the big boys Brière, Drury, Afinogenov, Dumont, Campbell and company the following season. Those were the days when I was proud to say I am a Buffalo Sabres fan. The players played as one team and had a never say die attitude like the team in the 90's.
What's gone wrong since that article that was written in 2014? A lot of change, several head coaches and GM have come and gone. Missed draft picks like Alex Nylander, Casey Mittlestadt... Good starts in the early parts of the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons saw the team come back to earth because of a lack of scoring depth and average goaltending. Perhaps the Buffalo Sabres need to take the George Costanza pick the opposite path in order to stop being the laughingstock of the league and put a respectable team on the ice for their diehard fans. However, there is hope... Not too long ago, another sports team the Buffalo Bills were in the same situation. The Bills had missed the playoffs for almost two decades but when the team hired Sean McDermott as their head coach followed by Brandon Beane as GM, the culture of the team changed and with a little luck, the playoff drought was over after one season at the helm. A couple of years later, with some solid drafting and proper development with good coaching, the Bills are a serious contender like the one the Sabres aspire to become. In order to establish the winning culture like the Bills have done, the first order of business is to have the right men lead the way. Kevyn Adams is a young GM. Is he the right man for the job? Time will tell. The players seem lost on the ice and have perhaps already quit on their head coach Ralph Krueger. Kevyn Adams needs to shake things up!
The season is lost but there are some foundation pieces like Jack Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin. The team should become active sellers as soon as possible to maximize returns on Staal, Hall and any other player headed to free agency that can bring back an asset. Do not make the same mistake like Botterill did by not trading Skinner at the deadline when his value was sky high. Trade Hall and if you want, you can try signing him this summer but so far I haven't been overly impressed. Everyone should be available, even Eichel and Dahlin. While I agree that Eichel is elite and that you don't trade number one centers, if you get an offer you can't refuse or the return is fair value (a win-win trade for both teams), the Sabres should definitely listen. Do not repeat the same mistake like the O'Reilly trade and don't bother talking to a GM trying to get Eichel for a return like the Thornton trade to San Jose. I am talking about quality instead of quantity, something in the likes of Byfield, one of Turcotte and/or Vilardi and a 1st round pick from LA or a forward like Lafrenière or Kakko, a defenseman Miller or Lundkvist? and a goalie like Shesterkin or Georgiev. After this lost season, Eichel has 5 years remaining on his contract before becoming a UFA and the last 4 years come with a no movement clause. His body language shows he is frustrated with losing and that he is fed up. While I believe Eichel cares about winning, I think his attitude and him being pissed off most of the time and not having fun affects his teammates hence why I would be willing to pull the trigger on a franchise altering move. If the overall depth of the team doesn't improve in the near future, Eichel will ask to be traded within the next year or he will leave the Sabres for nothing once he becomes a free agent if the team keeps missing the playoffs every year. The Sabres need to evaluate every player until the end of the season to see who wants to stay here and who wants to go. Make some trades in order to stockpile picks for the upcoming draft(s). The Buffalo Bills have proven that the process works. If the players and members of the team trust the process and work as a team, anything is possible. Even becoming a contender after being the laughingstock of a league for so many years. The time is now for the Buffalo Sabres to establish a process of excellence by choosing the right men to lead, make some trades and nail their upcoming draft(s) in order to become a contender as well and to fulfill the mission of One Buffalo where fans will be proud to call the Sabres their favorite hockey team again.
Long suffering Sabres fan and former long suffering Bills fan, Loukas√