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Top 5 greatest defensemen of all-time on the Buffalo Sabres

By Sion Fawkes

TORONTO - SEPTEMBER 21: Nathan Perrott #47 of the Toronto Maple Leafs tries to stop Brian Campbell #51 of the Buffalo Sabres from attacking the net during the game at Air Canada Centre on September 21, 2003 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images for NHLI)
TORONTO - SEPTEMBER 21: Nathan Perrott #47 of the Toronto Maple Leafs tries to stop Brian Campbell #51 of the Buffalo Sabres from attacking the net during the game at Air Canada Centre on September 21, 2003 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images for NHLI) /
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Buffalo Sabres
BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 13: Phil Housley head coach of the Buffalo Sabres during the second period against the Arizona Coyotes at the KeyBank Center on December 13, 2018 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images) /

Defenseman #1: Phil Housley

Long before his two-season stint coaching the Buffalo Sabres, Phil Housley was arguably the best defenseman of his era. A smallish player, the 5’10, 185lb Housley wasn’t as well known for his defensive capabilities as much as he was for his all-out scoring, 558 points total with the Sabres in 608 games.

Of those 558 points, he had 178 goals and 380 assists. He lit up the league in 1982-83, snagging a First Team spot on the All-Rookie Team plus a second-place finish for the Calder Trophy. The following season, he finished fifth for the Norris and received strong consideration for the NHL All-Star Team.

Housley eventually earned NHL All-Star honors in 1992, at which point he was already with the Winnipeg Jets. Although he was an outstanding member of the Sabres, some may rank him lower since he played over half his career in seven other cities, effectively giving him the journeyman label.

Related Story. Greatest forwards of all-time on the Sabres. light

But given his early career success and Hall of Fame induction, he still goes down as the best defenseman in Buffalo Sabres history as of 2022. And that won’t change for quite some time.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)

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