Buffalo Sabres: Listing 5 players and their Buffalo Bills equivalent
The Buffalo Sabres are taking a path much like their NFL cousins, the Buffalo Bills. In fact, you can even make correlations between the players.
Today, I want to talk about five notable players on the Buffalo Sabres and their Buffalo Bills equivalents. This will be the first in what I am hoping to be a four-part series comparing the Sabres to their cousins who play in Orchard Park.
One variable that motivated me to write this series stems from the likeness between the Sabres and Bills, something we touched on earlier in the month at Sabre Noise. The Sabres, like the Bills once upon a time, are experiencing a long playoff drought and another long drought since they had even won a division title.
Like the Bills, the Sabres are primarily rebuilding through the draft and the players they already have in favor of dramatic trades and free agency. Of course, the Bills did pull off one blockbuster for Stefon Diggs, but he was more of a final puzzle piece than anything else. One that fully catapulted the Bills back into one of the NFL’s elite.
Shifting gears back to our Buffalo Sabres, the same thing can happen. But before a team can become a fixture within their respective sports league, they must have a franchise player to build around. And as it turns out, the Sabres have one.
5 notable Buffalo Sabres and their Buffalo Bills equivalent: Player #1 – Rasmus Dahlin, D
Buffalo Bills Equivalent: Josh Allen, QB
Let’s face it: 2018 was a good year to be a Buffalo sports fan. The Buffalo Sabres selected Rasmus Dahlin with the first overall pick that season. Earlier in the year, the Bills took Josh Allen from the University of Wyoming at seventh overall. I shook my head, thinking Allen would be a major bust considering his spotty numbers in school.
And for a while there, Allen looked like a bust, posting a 52.8 completion percentage and a 67.9 quarterback rating. Dahlin had a better rookie season, earning a First Team spot on the All-Rookie Team and placing third for the Calder Trophy. Then, he fell flat when Ralph Krueger took over in 2019-20.
Dahlin’s bust potential peaked in March 2021 when the Sabres admitted their mistake and promoted Don Granato. The Granato Effect took over, and Dahlin ended up playing in his first All-Star Game just 11 months later.
Allen had an identical career path. Though he led the Bills to the playoffs in 2019, he did so on the heels of a strong defense and running game. Since 2019, however, he has evolved into one of the NFL’s top dual-threat quarterbacks. As for Dahlin, he is set to become one of the NHL’s elite defensemen. Talk about two players who are changing the scope of their respective franchises.
Tage Thompson, C
Buffalo Bills Equivalent: Dawson Knox, TE
Knox is a tight end, and Thompson is built like a tight end, standing at 6’7. And while Thompson was a first round pick and Knox, a third-rounder, they both have undergone similar career paths. This time last season, no one had a high opinion of either player, with Thompson often finding time on the lower lines, and Knox having snagged just 52 career receptions and five touchdowns in 27 contests.
Then Thompson became a leading scorer on the Buffalo Sabres whereas Knox evolved into one of the NFL’s most dangerous red zone threats. Thompson logged 68 points and 38 goals, and Knox, in 15 games, had 49 receptions and nine touchdowns.
While neither Thompson nor Knox made their respective All-Star games, you can expect both of them to grow this season. And no, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Thompson represents the Sabres in the NHL All-Star Game this year while Knox sneaks into the Pro Bowl. If he doesn’t have a Super Bowl to prepare for, that is.
Owen Power, D
Buffalo Bills Equivalent: Tremaine Edmunds, LB
Power is the hottest commodity in the eyes in some of the Buffalo Sabres faithful. And I wanted to compare him to another upstart player on the Buffalo Bills who was also a first round draft pick. Edmunds was just 19 years old (turned 20 on May 2nd, 2018) when the Bills drafted him, the second 19-year-old drafted in NFL history.
Power made his NHL debut at 19, and like Edmunds, he impressed from the get-go. Edmunds has since earned two Pro Bowl appearances, and Power can be on his way to earning annual trips to the NHL All-Star Game in his future.
Another reason I compared Edmunds to Power is the fact that they both possess sheer size. Power stands at 6’6 and is still growing into his frame while Edmunds is 6’5; tall for an inside linebacker.
And just as Edmunds has become a fixture on the Bills defense, I fully expect Power to become a staple in the Sabres defensive rotation. It’s going to be fun to watch these two play in their respective games this season.
Kyle Okposo, RW
Buffalo Bills Equivalent: Von Miller, OLB
Okposo is the veteran every player on the Buffalo Sabres looks up to and you can bet Miller will play the same role for the Bills. At least as far as defense goes. What I like about comparing Okposo to Miller is the fact that they were both first round draft picks and are hard workers in their respective craft.
And while I don’t see Okposo as a future Hockey Hall of Famer, he does have one NHL All-Star Game to his resume. Miller, of course, has played in eight Pro Bowls and is almost a lock to see himself enshrined in Canton five years after he retires.
Another link Okposo has to Miller is that neither the Buffalo Sabres nor the Buffalo Bills drafted them. Instead, the duo played elsewhere before arriving in the Queen City and taking leadership roles with their respective franchises.
And finally, both Okposo and Miller are practically locks to be voted in as a team captain. We already touched on the fact that Okposo will most likely snag the C patch in 2022-23. And you can also expect Miller to be wearing one with the Bills.
Dylan Cozens, C
Buffalo Bills Equivalent: Gabriel Davis, WR
I went back and forth on this one, before I finally decided to pair Dylan Cozens with Gabriel Davis. One reason is that if you were to choose one forward on the Buffalo Sabres to enjoy a breakout campaign in 2022-23, it would most likely be Cozens. And Davis has been a popular choice for the Bills in NFL outlets.
Further, both Davis and Cozens flashed undeniable potential during their first two seasons. But they unfortunately have yet to live up to their immense expectations. Neither of the duo show any signs of giving in, and it is very possible they will thrive in Year 3 of their respective campaigns.
While I do not believe they will produce eye-popping numbers that will place them among the top tier of their respective leagues, both will play closer to their potential and prove to their critics that their careers are on the up and up.
More. Sabres: The good, the bad, and the concerning. light
Overall, we can take one Sabre from the projected roster and liken them to a specific player on the Bills. Something I plan on doing over the next three installments, and perhaps even have room to link a few prospects to recent draft picks. It’s a fun experiment and I am looking forward to hearing a bit about your own comparisons between players on the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bills.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Pro-Football-Reference)