Buffalo Sabres Debate! Who is the best player in franchise history?
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.
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.
Looking back on the Dominik Hasek trade. light. Related Story
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)