Buffalo Sabres Debate! Who is the best player in franchise history?
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres have a storied history full of outstanding players in nearly every era. So who is the best player to ever put on the uniform?
When you look back at the Buffalo Sabres, you will find hundreds of good players, dozens of great players, and a few candidates that can be considered the greatest in franchise history. You may have your own viewpoints as to who deserves the title of The Best Player in Buffalo Sabres History, but online research points to five candidates.
The following five players have either been labeled as the best in franchise history by other outlets, or they routinely find themselves as serious contenders. So today, I am not listing the overall best player or anything in any particular order, so Candidate #5 is just as viable as Candidate #1 in this article.
Instead, I will outline their respective careers with the Buffalo Sabres and let you decide on who holds the title as the Greatest Sabre of All-Time. Are you ready to explore five viable candidates? Let’s get started.
Who is the best player in Buffalo Sabres history? Candidate #1 – Dominik Hasek, Goaltender
Hasek is the most unique candidate on today’s list, as he was the only player the Buffalo Sabres never drafted, but instead, traded for. The now-famous trade occurred on August 7th, 1992 and Hasek discovered the Chicago Blackhawks traded him shortly before he departed to a movie.
In the years that followed, Hasek did everything except win a Stanley Cup with the Sabres, but he did help lead the franchise to the 1999 Stanley Cup Final. And it took a controversial goal to defeat Hasek as the Dallas Stars took the series 4-2.
But his time with the Sabres and even subsequent seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators have padded his legacy as arguably the greatest goaltender in league history. Hasek is also a viable candidate to being the greatest player in Sabres history, given his six First Team NHL All-Star honors, six Vezinas, two Harts, and two Pearsons.
Hasek also enjoyed a 0.926 save percentage and 2.22 GAA during his time with the Sabres. And he finished his career with a 0.922 save percentage and 2.20 GAA. Hockey-Reference has listed Hasek as the top player in Sabres history, but there are four more candidates who can challenge the legendary goaltender for the title.