Buffalo Sabres Debate! Who is the best player in franchise history?

Gilbert Perreault, Center

Perreault holds the honor as the first draft pick in Buffalo Sabres history. And if you look at most top picks for expansion teams, they often don’t play well considering the lack of talent around them.

That wasn’t the case for Perreault, who snagged the Calder Trophy during his first NHL season and even took 13th for the Hart. He scored 72 points in 78 games that year, and it was the beginning of what would be a Hall of Fame outing with the Sabres.

He took Second Team NHL All-Star honors twice, and appeared in six All-Star Games. Perreault also led the legendary French Connection, and he was a pivotal part of the Sabres 1974-75 team that reached the Stanley Cup Final.

Perreault was an outstanding player who was the first in franchise history to see his number retired. It is rare that a franchise’s first overall pick from over 50 seasons ago can still stake the claim as the best overall player in its history. But Perreault’s career has definitely made a compelling argument.

Rick Martin, Left Wing

Martin joined Perreault as a winger on the French Connection, and his four NHL All-Star honors actually best Perreault’s. He also saw one more All-Star Game than his line mate, but Martin spent just 10 seasons with the Sabres compared to Perreault’s 17.

Martin also had 1.02 points per game while Perreault scored 1.13 in the same category. Another knock on Martin is that, other than All-Star honors and All-Star Games, he is the only member of this list that has not yet been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame – though he is in the Buffalo Sabres Hall.

Like Perreault, Martin has his #7 hanging in the rafters, and his 0.56 goals per game holds the edge over Perreault’s 0.429. So this is a close contest, in which Martin does hold the edge over Perreault in a few categories. But with fewer accolades other than those listed above, Martin might be one rung below his former line mate.

Phil Housley, Defenseman

When you think of the top players in Buffalo Sabres history, Perreault and Hasek are often the first to pop into your mind. But Phil Housley also deserves to be part of this discussion. Like Rick Martin, Housley finished second for the Calder Trophy in 1983, and he was also First Team All-Rookie. He was so effective as a defenseman, that he also finished in second for the Norris Trophy in 1984.

And while Housley never won the Norris Trophy during his career, he did snag 558 points and 178 goals in 608 games, an outstanding number for a defenseman. His 11.1 shooting percentage was even more impressive for a player at his position, and for his efforts, Housley appeared in three All-Star Games a member of the Sabres.

During his career with Buffalo, he never secured a spot on the NHL All-Star Team, but eventually earned Second Team honors as a member of the Winnipeg Jets in 1991-92. Housley, at worst, is the best defenseman to ever suit up for the Sabres. And even if his accolades aren’t the same as Hasek’s Perreault’s, or Martin’s, his two-way prowess made him one of the most dangerous players in Sabres history.

Dave Andreychuk, Left Wing

And finally, we have reached another dark horse candidate in Dave Andreychuk. Like Housley, Andreychuk was a bit of a journeyman later in his career, having suited up for six different NHL franchises. And unlike many elder statesmen in the NHL, Andreychuk remained at least a serviceable player when he finally hung up the skates in 2006.

During his time with the Buffalo Sabres, Andreychuk played in just one All-Star Game, and he never earned any NHL All-Star honors. However, he came close on three occasions before the Sabres traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs in February 1993.

Andreychuk, unlike the other four on this list, has few accolades other than a spot in the Hall of Fame. But let’s look past them and talk about his production, which took off from the time he stepped onto the ice as a Sabre when he scored 37 points in just 43 contests. In 1983-84, he had 80 in 78 games, before knocking down 61 in 67 appearances.

Overall, Andreychuk saw action in 837 games with the Sabres and scored 804 points, just under a point per game. Even more impressive, he logged a shooting percentage of 20 percent or higher in his first three seasons.

Andreychuk may be the afterthought on this list. But you can’t deny his production, and 15.7 career shooting percentage with the Sabres, deserves more recognition than it received in NHL circles. He was a great player and he deserves to at least be mentioned in this discussion.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)