Buffalo Sabres Fans, Were The Tank Seasons Really Worth It?

Hey Buffalo Sabres fans, I have a couple quick questions if you have a minute.

How did you feel after our hometown Buffalo Sabres laid an egg against our arch-rival Toronto Maple Leafs the other day?  Were you pissed about losing at home to the Leafs?  Did it bother you that home probably felt like the road?  Or were you a little happy, because the result bettered our chances at a higher draft pick?  Be honest with yourself, because the answer might be a necessary realization. I’ll tell you how I felt.

Unfortunately, due to a situation out of my control, I wasn’t able to watch the 4-2 loss to the Maples Leafs, so I obviously don’t feel comfortable analyzing the game.  That said, when I checked my phone for a result, and saw a 4-2 regulation loss, there was a little monster inside of me that said, “Nice, that improves our draft position in this now meaningless, almost petulant season.”  This little monster will need a name.  Let’s call this little guy, “Brady.”  Brady is simply defined as the acceptance that losing is ok and can be justified in one way or another in certain situations.

It is hard to admit, but I’ve been living with little Brady for some time now.  By no means am I assuming most Buffalo Sabres fans have their own little Brady, although I’d venture to guess more do now than 6 years ago.  I’m simply asking for your help in answering a couple questions.  When did this start for me, and more importantly, WHY does Brady exist?

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To trace the birth of Brady, I believe we have to go all the way back to the ‘12-‘13 lockout season, where teams only played 48 games due to the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).  The lockout season was just a year after we barely missed the playoffs in ’11-’12, after making the playoffs in ’09-’10 and ’10-’11.  The season following the lockout, we had our 2nd lowest 82 game point total in franchise history (52 points).  At that point, the tank was on.  We followed that up with our 3rd lowest 82 game point total in franchise history (54 points), in a somewhat insulting attempt to land either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel in the following years draft.  This was a move I had accepted and embraced at an early point in that season, and a decision that I believe instilled a losing culture within me, and within Buffalo for our Sabres.

I hate the expression, but I’m going to say it anyway…obviously hindsight is 20/20 when looking back at the 2015 draft.  No question McDavid and Eichel are generational players, and I would never even entertain a debate on whether there is anyone that came out of that draft who is more skilled than McDavid and Eichel, despite the possible production difference.  That said, you don’t have to go too far down the draft order to find players that have been key contributors on playoff teams.  Just to summarize a few:

Dylan Strome – 3rd overall pick, spent his first few years on the Tuscon Roadrunners, the Phoenix Coyotes’ AHL team, before being traded to the Blackhawks this year.  That trade has lit a fire under Strome, who has 44 points in just 51 games since joining the Blackhawks.

Mitch Marner – Unfortunately, the Leafs landed a gem at 4th overall.  Marner is currently leading his team in points and has grown steadily since making his NHL debut at the beginning of the 2016-2017 season.

Noah Hanifin – 5th overall pick was a sound contributor for the Carolina Hurricanes before being traded to the Flames this offseason.  He is currently a solid top 4 defenseman on one of the best teams in the league, boasting a +/- of +15.

Zach Werenski – The 8th overall pick has been as solid as they come on defense, currently leading his team in points amongst defenseman.  It has certainly helped that he’s been opposite another young defensive star in Seth Jones.

Mikko Rantanen – Maybe the strongest example of why a team shouldn’t feel the need to tank to land a star.  The 10th overall pick has been a diamond in the rough for the Avs.  For much of this season he led the league in scoring.  Although he’s faded a touch, Rantanen will still finish in the top 15 in scoring and the Avs have rebounded after a mid-season skid, currently battling for a playoff spot.

Jake Debrusk – Bruins landed a goal scorer with the 14th overall pick.  This second line winger has fit in beautifully with the culture in Boston.  My rigid Bruins friend Walker Macon calls Debrusk “a relentless puck pursuer, with hands and a shot.  He can do it all.”  Debrusk has 23 goals in just 61 games this season.  That would be 3rd on the Sabres current roster.

I feel like I have to say this again, and three more times before this piece is over…I WOULD NOT TRADE JACK EICHEL FOR ANY ONE OF THESE PLAYERS!  Goes without saying, some players that I did not mention who came out of that draft, like Pavel Zacha of the Devils, or Ivan Provorov of the Flyers, have been below-average to average, statistically speaking, in their first few years.  I have to remind myself that all of these guys range in age between 21 and 23 (WOWZA!), and each player could still turn into a superstar, if they haven’t already.

Sitting here after 74 games in this season, after 4 straight seasons without a playoff berth since drafting Jack, and 8 straight since our last trip to the postseason, it’s hard not to look back and ask, has the tank been worth it?

I have always firmly disagreed with the idea of tanking, not just in hockey but in all sports.  Having said that, I do not disagree with the idea of rebuilding.  In my opinion, these are two very different approaches to regaining success after having to unload some veteran players after a good run.  Of course, they would never admit it publicly, but the Buffalo Sabres tanked in the 2014-2015 season, and I bought in.  I believe this buy in was the birth of Brady, and for me, Brady cannot exist anymore if the Sabres are going to turn around their losing ways.

I’m here, pledging to you all, that from here forward, I will do everything in my power to bury little Brady.  I don’t care if we find ourselves 3-78 next year, with a home finale against the Manitoba Moose (Assuming we were relegated half way through the season), I plan on treating that game as a must win.  Every game needs to be a must win.  That is how we must murder Brady, and I’d love for those who live with a similar monster inside of them to join me in entombing the losing culture that has grown within KeyBank Center.