The Buffalo Sabres were arguably the NHL’s least stable franchise in the 2010s and it was unarguably their worst decade in franchise history.
After a solid draft and a first wave of free agency in which general manager Kevyn Adams did what was expected from him, the Buffalo Sabres will enter 2022-23 with at least wild card aspirations. Adams, who is building this team through the draft and through within the organization, resisted temptations to use the Sabres large amount of cap space to sign and trade for so-called prize free agents.
Instead, he re-signed gadgets like Malcolm Subban (AHL), Vinnie Hinostroza (lower lines), and Craig Anderson (backup goaltender/mentor). He even held onto Victor Olofsson and Jacob Bryson, both of whom played pivotal roles for the Sabres.
Adams and Granato are doing all the right things for the Buffalo Sabres
I grew up 45 minutes west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I watched both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers routinely dominate their respective leagues. To this day, they remain playoff teams. The common denominator? Build through the draft, promote within the organization, win Stanley Cups and Super Bowls.
Since 1972, the City of Pittsburgh has won 11 of them. They won five of those 11 titles since 2005. The Steelers have used the draft-first, organization-first, free agency and trades mentality-second approach since then. The Penguins eventually picked up on it, and it led to three Stanley Cups.
Today, I’m seeing a lot of similarities between the post-lockout Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres. In the seasons preceding the 2004-05 lockout, the Penguins were among the NHL’s worst. Enter Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Kris Letang, and company, and you had a borderline dynasty.
Adams wants the same thing in Buffalo and right now, I have no reason to doubt him. I also have no reason to doubt Don Granato will remain the head coach moving forward. Here are three reasons Adams and Granato will remain with the Buffalo Sabres long-term.