THE LONGEST PLAYOFF DROUGHT IN NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS – BUFFALO SABRES DISASTER
welcome back to another video today I’m going to be going over the Buffalo Sabres last decade plus i mean their 14 years uh the longest active playoff drought North America in North American sports i’m going to be going over their whole franchise um how their teams went year to year their trades and signings they’ve made uh between their management their coaching uh how it’s all came to be like this so let’s get into the video uh it’s a little a little bit better for me to make being a Sens fan to laugh at another team’s expense but it is pretty sad like I feel bad for these these fans who deserve better but uh let’s get right into it so the last time they were able to actually make the playoffs was the 2010 2011 season they did have 43 wins 29 losses 10 overtime losses uh they finished with a conference quarterfinal loss for the second year in a row so they made it back to back moving into the 2011 2012 season was where it started the downhill they didn’t make playoffs they did have 39 wins i mean that’s not the worst that’s they were close enough but uh looking at their team in 2010 2011 they still had Ryan Miller obviously he was still good for another few years before he’s moved on um Jonas Enroth was their backup and Patrick Lim as well some names there they were headlined by Thomas Vanic with 73 points that year they had Drew Stafford Pommenville Tyler Annis Tim Connelly Tyler Meyers Leopold i love Derek Roy he was in there gerby they had a decent core to move forward um I’m sure it wasn’t like it wasn’t the best at the time that you know they they weren’t a top team in the league but I mean to just turn from this into a immediately 14 years of not making playoffs like it had to go really bad from there now from the team’s perspective they had a 100 point season ending in 2010 96 points in 2011 they dropped down to 89 points in 2011 2012 the first year they didn’t make it so they were close 89 points that’s an all right year and then it completely started to drop off now mind you the next year only 48 games were played they had 20 win 21 wins 21 losses six overtime losses follow that up with uh 21 wins in an 82 game season they the same they played double the games and had the same amount of wins they finished with 52 points brutal 30th place in the league dead last uh the following season 2014 2015 same thing dead last um that’s obviously where we went into the 2015 draft they got Eel it started to turn around they had pieces we’ll go over that we’ll go over their drafting they had pieces um but it went downhill quick and then they finished 23rd in the league 26th in the league 31 in the league in 2018 27th 25th 31 and it was just it was not good and it still hasn’t been great still underperforming um so let’s get into more of this now for any team I truly believe it starts right from the top it starts with the ownership which has not been great it is the same owners that own the Bills and people have known for a long time that’s this isn’t their number one priority it’s kind of sad but it starts right at the top you need consistent ownership who want to spend the dollars necessary to have a good team uh to have that consistency and then it goes to the management you want your general managers to be consistent uh have good oversight and um future thinking with a plan of what you want to accomplish uh to your coaches then to your players i mean there’s scouts and and everything else involved with it but going into their general managers uh in Tim M to start with Tim Murray appointed 2014 he oversaw the drafting of Jack Eel in 2015 and Sam Reinhardt he was fired with the coach in April of 2017 then comes in Jason Broll he comes in 2017 he he lasted until 2020 uh his notable moves are drafting Dalene he hired Phil Hley traded Ryan O’Reilly uh signed Jeff Skinner longterm he had a brief spark before firing both How’sley and himself getting fired u and amid the continued drought now you move to uh the next hire is Kevin Adams in 2020 he is still the general manager now people are not happy with them who knows if he has this job any longer i don’t know but uh his time is definitely running short uh changes under his watch he fired uh Ralph Krueger mid-season 2021 promoted Don Granado to head coach hired Lindy Ruff added Yarmmo Kakalinan as senior advisor um but the exact same thing has happened with all their decisions of signings and trades and whatnot and has led to today’s time now three general managers in that time that’s not great you want your general manager to be there like a a good five plus years to actually foresee a plan it’s It’s hard if you give them three years i mean you’re telling them to come in change the team around give them a playoff team within three years no matter what the roster is looking like i mean long term that’s never going to work you’re giving up assets to try and make a playoff push quick to please the fans please the ownership and then you’re throwing away your future for a quick return and then the if the return doesn’t work out you’re spiraling so now you get into the coaches the coaches are even worse so uh 20 from February 20 uh 2013 to the end of the season they had Ron Rollston as an interim head coach uh from November 2013 to the end of that season they had Ted Nolan as the interim coach they had Dan Bilesma from 2015 to 2017 Phil How’sley from 2015 or from 2017 to 2019 like you see all these changes that’s hard to build with a a core group of players or anything like that when you have the general manager going in and out in and out or the coach sorry i mean uh it’s pretty hard though like you got to build together with the coach and the group i find a lot of teams like you can have an instant uh connection with the new coach but I mean it’s much better to to have a few years to work with them to sort of see what works what doesn’t uh they had Ralph Krueger uh 2019 to 2021 d they had Don Granado from 2021 on to 2024 still wasn’t great they had Lindy Ruff come in April of 2024 returned for his second tenure and he’s still the active head coach going into the 2024 25 season and we’ll see what happens with that too but I mean this leadership instability uh from the management to the coaching staff it mirrors exactly what was seen on the ice and it’s kind of not surprising that you would then see the team has struggled the entire way through so let’s get into some of the trades now we’ll get into some drafting after and let’s let’s go over what they’ve done uh for as far as trading players to me growing up uh when I seen the Buffalo Sabres logo what what would come to me is Ryan Miller uh for my generation I would think and yes he he was doing very well for them they weren’t in a good spot but moving him away it was it was a sign of what’s to come so they trade away Ryan Miller and Steve I love Steve too to the Blues for Yaruslav Hak Chris Stewart William Kerier a 2015 first and a 2016 third uh marking the beginning of a full-scale rebuild under Tim Murray the return at that time was underwhelming now Tyler Meyers actually did win rookie of the year he’s one of the only defenseman in the last couple decades to win it uh they decided to trade him away they want some scoring they trade away Tyler Myers Drew Stafford great player joel Arma Brandon Lemieux I didn’t know he was in the trade a first round pick and they got back a Vander Kane who was a good scorer for a few years but it wasn’t a home run trade zack Begoian great defenseman had a long career as well didn’t stay with the Sabres and a throwin so it was mixed results at the time but it wasn’t a home run now in 2015 they realized oh we gota we got to go out and get a goalie so they go and they trade for Robin Leonard i mean great they traded to the sends David Lewan and a first round pick solid goalending addition but was too soon to be trading for it now July 1st 2018 this is really the start of the downfall i mean they’ve had a few years a few struggling years with Jack Eel and Co but they tried they decide that they want to move on from Ryan O’Reilly which is just too bad trade him away i mean he was he went on to win a cup with the Blues not too long after they got back Patrick Berglin Sabotka Tage Thompson luckily they were so lucky they got Tage back in the trade ros that would have blew up even worse in their face um a first and a second so they’re instantly laughed at with the with the cup of O’Reilly i mean it did work out that they got Ta Thompson an amazing player but I find that was more lucky and and that was like there was a high chance that Thompson wouldn’t have been anything and that trade would have been a bust now the the Evander Kane um experiment wasn’t working as much in their locker room and such they moved on from him they traded him for a conditional first and a fourth and a player uh it was a typical deadline cap dump and uh once again I mean you’re just moving on from your talent now here’s where it really falls apart again they decide to trade Jack Eel there was the whole situation with his injury where he wanted to get uh certain surgeries done he had a like a disc replacement i forget what it was exactly but he had an injury that wasn’t so common the way he wanted to go about it there wasn’t too many athletes who did that type of procedure that he wanted and the Sabres for some reason were pushing against it it really made really pushed a distance between Eel and the management they probably both wanted out I guess and they decide to move on from Jack Eel another massive mistake so they traded Jack Eel and a third it became a second on conditions so Eel and a second to the Knights of course for Alex Tuck Payton Krebs uh firstrounder and a third rounder so Eel went on again to win the cup tuck was a fan favorite uh he’s been an amazing player since i’m sure he’ll probably be gone the next year or two as well amazing player i love him i’d love for the Sen to trade for him but at least they got that back I guess but still that’s not what you want to see from your best player and then that was in November of 2021 and by the end of that season July 2021 they moved on from Sam Reinhardt now sent him to Florida so they sent him to Florida for Devin Levi great um future stud tendy he really shined in the World Juniors kind of came out of nowhere uh so that’s I mean that’s great if he turns out but you you moved away Sam Reinhardt like he he he’s like a $12 million player right now on a cupinning team like brutal but they got and they got a firstrounder with him so another player they trade away to win a cup then they went they traded Rasmin Rush to Lion in a way i mean good defenseman uh underrated by the end of his term with Buffalo but still another another one of their top picks they moved on they got Robert Hag a firstrounder and Isaac Rosen and a second rounder so I mean it it was all right I guess but it didn’t end up helping them at all they haven’t gotten anything from that and that was in July of 2021 as well actually a day before Sam Reinhardt I believe was traded then Casey Middlestat was traded at the trade deadline of 2024 last year they traded him away for Bowen but Byum they brought in another left-hand defenseman that does the exact same things as some of their other defense so very weird trade for them of why they wanted it now obviously they’ve been shopping by him again sure they’ll probably lose value on him once again but uh it was a weird trade to begin with middle stat was okay he he was all right with the abs for a bit but they moved on from him too and then the they went on at the same deadline last year they traded Kylo Aoso to the Panthers they didn’t get anything back of use it was just more of doing a good service to their longtime captain and he went on to win a cup with the Panthers as well so then you move to now they just decided to trade away JJ Purka shocking that that even was a possibility but I mean I guess another person who wants out he was still RFA and a young player didn’t have all the the cards in his hands but they still somehow leaned towards the player said “H he doesn’t want to be here let’s get him out of here.” So they trade him away for Josh Dolan Michael Kessle ring not as good of a value as you’d like to see coming back i mean they would need to win now if they want to keep Dene and players happy and fans happy they need to win now josh Jones a player that they could use like he has a grittier side um that’s what they need more of and Kessle Rings 65 right defenseman and I don’t think Utah was selling him for picks so you had to give a roster player and that’s kind of the situation right now if you want a right defenseman you want to upgrade your your right D you kind of have to give roster players everyone’s trying to get better except for roughly the Penguins so uh once again this probably will slam into their face and Peter who’s already scored multiple 30 goal seasons basically 70 points who knows what he’ll become but he’s moved on as well now so that’s what made me make this video now let’s get into the drafting now in 2012 in the sixth round they drafted Lena an absolute steel home run um was was good for them but once again they moved on from Mark as well another piece he’s now in Ottawa thank you so much um we fleeced the Bruins for him luckily we didn’t have to fleece the Sabres for for their sake but they also drafted Jake McCabe in the second round some really good value picks there they’ve they’ve always drafted well their development’s okay like they show promise enough for other teams to bet on them but they don’t ever break over the edge to helping the actual Sabres improve and make a playoff spot so I their their development it’s either they’re not developing them enough or they don’t have enough time with it or I don’t know but it’s all leading to the same thing 2013 in the first round eighth overall they got Rristto Linan who was there for a while till they traded him nikita Zidorov they didn’t get enough out of either uh 2014 they had Sam Reinhardt drafted second overall he’s absolutely shown worth it now he amazing they had Victor Olson in the seventh round like they’ve had some good hits that they just don’t keep around olson was a good player for them but moved on as well 2015 first overall or second overall behind McDavid jack Eel amazing stud but he’s moved on uh 2016 they had Alex Knander as their eighth overall pick not a good hit nothing really in this draft except sixth round Brandon Haggel i’m just figuring out this now i didn’t even realize Brandon Haggle was drafted to the Sabres i actually had no idea um what a stud now a topline left winger that you’d any team would love to have 2017 draft eighth overall Casey Middlestat is an okay pick eh but I mean again they moved on from him and he didn’t he didn’t pan out uk Lucan in second round he’s starting to show it but last season is a little rough i don’t know i still believe that Ukah I still believe UPL is going to be a great goalie though it just depends on what they do with him uh 2018 first overall pick again they had Raasmus Dalene gifted another horse he’s still there for now we’ll see how long he stays but for now what a stud matias Samuelson’s third 32nd overall pick uh second rounder there decent decent player they they kind of overpaid him for a long-term deal hoping he’d turn into a amazing top four defenseman we’ll we’ll see how that works 2019 seventh overall Dylan Cousins baby let’s go ottawa Senators trade him away as well and uh that trade how Stoos talked Cousins in a trade for Norris I’m not sure norris hasn’t like Norris if they’re both completely healthy you could make the argument Norris could be the better player maybe we’ll see how that ends up turning out but I mean with the healthwise you have to take Cousins all day he’s making 900k less and he’ll play full seasons norris plays half of them and I don’t know how Norris’s career is going to going to work out but I loved him in Ottawa then you go to 2020 eighth overall they drafted Jack Quinn i’d love for him to come home to Ottawa ottawa native uh great pick there 34th but it was known as a reach at that time too uh 34th pick overall they took JJ Purka what a steal there second rounder in 2020 just moved on from him once again 2021 first overall pick owen Power baby he hasn’t been He’s been one of the weaker first overall picks in the last decade still a great defenseman though and paired with Dalene they’re really good just they don’t have other help around them isaac Rosen 14th overall haven’t seen anything from him yet we’ll see nobody else played 2022 Matthew Savois Seavoy he was traded away as well ninth overall pick to the Oilers uh Yuri Kulich was a steal at 28th i love Kulich um great player but I mean we’ll see again it’s all with all the new new picks and prospects it’s always the let’s see how this works because for 14 years we’ve kind of seen the same pattern 2023 they took Zack Benson at 13th stud he already has 60 points in 150 games that’s great 13th overall pick can’t complain there but nothing else really hit and in 24 2024 uh 14th overall they put they pick Consta Helenius which I think he’s a decent pick decent Finn there we’ll see how he turns out but wow a lot of play a lot of talent has came through their roster i mean being bad for that long you hope to draft a lot of talent because you’re getting good value picks like you’re up at the top of the draft but it hasn’t panned out for them hopefully they could turn the page soon but uh yeah that’s it for the drafting when it gets to this point I feel so bad for their fans their players too like you’re just the joke of the league like everyone’s laughing at you they know it they can’t really say anything about it all their players just tend to want out at this point management serves it to them and it’s it’s just a brutal cycle could they turn it around i really hope so i mean they’re in the same division as the Sens so maybe not quite yet but I mean I really do hope that they they can turn this around because it’s hard at that point the Sens were in that about four years ago three years ago they were in the laughing stock category it’s hard to bring in any free agents to play there there’s not good weather nothing really going for the team and so you got to retain your players but they can’t retain them they all want to they all want out it’s just a mess so hopefully they can turn it around in the future years maybe starting next year show some steps here to improve maybe bring in a couple leaders but without spending to the cap I hope they do this year because without spending to the cap and making use of free agency and then maybe trading away those those signings if they want to go to a playoff team at a deadline and retain some picks like they could have been making use of the the free space that they’ve always had they’re the only team with uh se I think it was like seven million of space over the last five years every year i mean that’s unacceptable you got to at least be going out to overpay some players to bring them in if you have space make use of it but anyways that’s it for this video not sure what I’ll be doing next kind of just going over with whatever catches my interest but thank you all for watching let me know down below anything uh any fun ideas you know anything in this video that you that you liked or didn’t like or you want to laugh at them or you feel bad for them let me know down below i like I like the discussions so thank you all for watching hit that subscribe button hit that like button and we’ll be back in the next video
I hope you enjoyed this video, or hated it as a Sabres fan lol. That was painful to go over the history and I still didnt get to cover every move or trade!
Let me know below any thoughts on the sabres last 14 years and stuff I maybe didnt touch apon. Subscribe to stay tuned for more videos!
2 Comments
Buffalo is a mess 😂
They need stability so bad. Constantly changing shit year to year