Two Years of Suffering Will Pay Off for Buffalo Sabres

By Justin LaDuca |

While being a Buffalo Sabres fan for pretty much my entire life, no two seasons in team history were more miserable than the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons. These were two seasons of tanking and transition. Not to mention, these were also two seasons that were topped off with consecutive last place finishes in the entire National Hockey League.

Everybody knew what this franchise was doing. They were simply rebuilding for the future. The future being the “Glory Days” yet to come for the Buffalo Sabres.

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This all started in April of 2013 when former General Manager, Darcy Regier, began the rebuilding process by shipping away key veteran players such as Jason Pominville and Robyn Regehr. During that 2013 trade deadline, every Buffalo fan knew that more veterans would soon be shown the door in the year to come.

That 2013-2014 season, the Sabres would finish dead last in the NHL and would ship away longtime franchise players Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller. After losing the draft lottery, Buffalo would select Sam Reinhart second overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

2014-2015 wasn’t any better. Let’s be honest here…we tanked. This would be the year that the Sabres’ end goal was another last place finish, securing the right to draft generational phenoms Jack Eichel or Connor McDavid. Not only did Buffalo draft Eichel, but Tim Murray acquired winger, Evander Kane, in February and center, Ryan O’Reilly, during the NHL Draft in June.

Finally, Murray hired Dan Bylsma as the team’s new head coach. Bylsma has had a track record for success and has shown he can win a Stanley Cup when he coached the Pittsburgh Penguins. After two miserable seasons, the Sabres transitioned from tank mode to win mode, and the feeling couldn’t be any sweeter.

This past Monday as I attended the Sabres vs. Blue Jackets game, First Niagara Center just felt different.

May 28, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray (left) and head coach

Dan Bylsma

hold a jersey at a press conference at the First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

For the first time in years, their was a different energy in the building. There was more excitement in the building that I hadn’t felt since the glory days of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. For once, people were cheering for the Sabres to win, not to lose. A completely different experience, unlike last year’s game against Arizona that I also attended.

What’s even better is that this young star-studded roster is just getting its feet wet. I can only imagine how exciting this city will be when this team makes a Stanley Cup run in the short years to come.

It has been a long time since Buffalo has had an absolute superstar represent their city. The last great Sabre to throw on the blue and gold was good old Pat Lafontaine, way back in 1996. For once, Buffalo will get national spotlight because the whole entire league will be paying attention to see what our prize, Jack Eichel, will do. He has been compared to Sidney Crosby by many hockey analysts, in a way in which he can turn a whole franchise around.

The two years of suffering were worth it because as a reward, we’ll have another ten years of dominance. This certainly is the “Next Chapter” in Buffalo Sabres hockey – and what an exciting chapter it will be.

Next: Will Jack Eichel Win the Calder?

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