Top 3 best players that were originally drafted by the Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have drafted a plethora of stars since their inception. But who are the top three picks in team history?
The Buffalo Sabres have a rich history, and when it comes to the NHL Draft, they have selected not just a few memorable players, but Hockey Hall of Famers. They have also had more misses than we can probably count. But we don’t need to go there for this article.
Below, you will meet three players whose names and legacies are cemented in Buffalo Sabres lore. Not all of them spent their entire careers in Buffalo. But they earned numerous trips to All-Star Games and earned dozens of accolades.
So who are the top three picks originally drafted by the Sabres? Let’s find out, starting with arguably one of the greatest players in NHL history.
Best player drafted in Buffalo Sabres history: Gilbert Perreault
Perreault was a member of the legendary French Connection (pictured above). He was the first draft pick in Buffalo Sabres history, and to this day, the best. He finished his first season in Buffalo by winning the Calder Memorial Trophy after posting 72 points in 78 games.
And it was a sign of things to come, as Perreault‘s statistics only improved from there. His best season came in 1975-75, when he scored 113 points, 44 goals, and 69 assists, including 14 power play goals.
He would spend his entire career with the Sabres, playing until the 1986-87 season. And in that frame, Perreault played in six All-Star Games and earned NHL All-Star Honors twice. Besides winning the Calder Memorial Trophy in his rookie season, Perreault also won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1972-73.
His number currently hangs in the rafters at the KeyBank Center and he is a member of both the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame.
Ryan Miller
Regardless of the sport, fifth-round draft picks are nothing more than a gamble. General managers often draft these players based on their potential, and many don’t make it past the AHL level. But 138th overall pick Ryan Miller became the face of the Buffalo Sabres franchise between 2007 and 2013.
After starting his career with a 6-11-1 record, Miller broke out in 2005-06 when he finished the season 30-14-3, allowing just a GAA of 2.60. He followed that up in 2006-07 with a 40-16-6 record, and from there, it was smooth sailing.
His best season occurred in 2009-10, when he finished 41-18-6 with a 2.22 GAA and a 0.929 save percentage. While Miller’s statistics waned following the season, he was still an effective player for a Sabres team that floated into irrelevance.
He appeared in the 2007 All-Star Game, won first-team All-Star honors in 2009-10, and even snagged the Vezina Trophy that season. In June 2022, the Sabres hung Miller’s legendary number 30 jersey in the KeyBank Center’s rafters, cementing his legacy in Buffalo.
Phil Housley
Not many journeymen land on The Best Of… lists. But when you play 21 seasons in the NHL, you are going to play for any team that requires your services. For Phil Housley, that number was eight. But he spent most of his playing days with the Buffalo Sabres.
He burst onto the scene in 1982-83, with 66 points in 77 games. Not bad, considering he played defenseman. But Housley was just getting started with showing off his two-way prowess.
And by the end of his career with the Sabres, he had 558 points, 178 goals, and 380 assists in 608 games. Look in the NHL’s history books, and you will find very few defensemen who scored so often.
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Housley earned trips to three All-Star Games during his time with the Sabres, and seven total throughout his career. He also snagged a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1982-83. Housley is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame.
(All statistics provided by Hockey Reference)