Jan 15, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Nicolas Deslauriers (44) and Minnesota Wild defenseman Mathew Dumba (55) fight during the first period at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
A couple of weeks ago, we took a look at some of the biggest enforcers the Buffalo Sabres roster has seen since 1970. The top five most penalized players in Buffalo Sabres history were some of the biggest enforcers, guys who were never afraid to drop the gloves, make a hit and take a fight.
Today, we turn the tides and look at the other side of things: the least penalized players in Buffalo Sabres history. If there was a team-wide Lady Byng trophy for sportsmanlike conduct, these are the guys who would get it.
In order to accurately and fairly judge this one, we’re setting some ground rules. This list encompasses skaters who have appeared in at least 82 games with the Buffalo Sabres. It does not include goaltenders (because let’s face it, those guys would be at the top of this list!) and does not include any players who appeared in less than 82 games over the course of their careers with the Sabres.
Finally, to make it fair and even across the board, we’re looking at the average of how many penalty minutes a player took. For instance, Luke Adam appeared in 82 games with the Buffalo Sabres and racked up 32 penalty minutes, an average of 0.3678 PIM/game. Stu Barnes had 98 penalty minutes in 310 games, an average of 0.316129, and so on.
According to that standard, here are the top five least penalized players in Buffalo Sabres history.