It has been over 15 seasons since the last time the Buffalo Sabres had a player win a league-wide award. During the 2009-10 season, they actually had two players win awards as Ryan Miller won the Vezina Trophy and Tyler Myers won the Calder Trophy, which goes to the top rookie.
When looking ahead to this upcoming season, there are four Buffalo Sabres who have a good chance to end this drought of individual awards.
Norris Trophy - Rasmus Dahlin
Rasmus Dahlin has been one of the best defensemen in the NHL almost his entire career. He finally got that recognition this past season when he was a finalist for the Norris Trophy, finishing third in voting. In fact, he has received votes for the award in each of the past four seasons.
This season, though, may finally be the one he breaks through to win the Norris Trophy and be the first Buffalo Sabres player to do so in franchise history.
Last season, Dahlin finished with a career-high in points with 74 and a +/- of +18. The Sabres' captain also got his first taste of playoff hockey and responded with 14 points in 10 games.
The difference between the Top 5 defensemen in the NHL is very small, and this is usually one of the more competitive awards. If Dahlin plays as well as he did, or slightly better, he has a great chance at winning the Norris Trophy.
Selke Trophy - Josh Doan
The Selke Trophy goes to the best defensive forward, and the Sabres have had two players win that award, with Craig Ramsay winning in 1985 and then Michael Peca winning in 1997. Recently, Alex Tuch has been considered to be the Sabres player with the best chance and has received votes the past two seasons, although has never been higher than 14th in the voting.
It certainly would be a surprise for Josh Doan to win the award, but not if considering the improvements he made in his first season in Buffalo. He got a chance to play a bigger role than he had at any point prior in his career, and he responded with 52 points, 31 blocked shots, and 46 takeaways (which was the fourth-best total in the NHL last season).
However, he was the only player in the NHL who played more than 50 games and had a takeaways per 60-minute average above two. If he gets more ice time, which he should with the departure of Alex Tuch, he might have a chance to bring home the Selke Trophy.
Calder Trophy - Konsta Helenius
There might not be a player fans are more excited about going into this season than Konsta Helenius. He played only nine regular season games but had four points; however, it is the playoffs that really showed his ceiling.
Helenius was put in a tough spot for a young player as he made his playoff debut on the road against the Montreal Canadiens. He would play the final four games of that series and have two goals during that stretch.
The moment didn't look too big for Helenius, and going into next season, he should have a permanent spot in the Top 6 for the Buffalo Sabres. If he plays as he did in the playoffs over an entire season, it is tough to imagine any rookie playing better than him.
Jack Adams Trophy - Lindy Ruff
There is no way around it, Lindy Ruff absolutely should have won the Jack Adams Trophy last season. When comparing what he was able to accomplish, notably winning the Atlantic Division over the Lightning, alongside what Jon Cooper did in Tampa Bay, it is tough to understand how the Sabres' coach didn't win.
If the Sabres put together another season like the one they had last season, Lindy Ruff once again should be a finalist. The voters hopefully will get it right this time around, and Ruff will win his second Jack Adams Trophy.
Individual awards are rarely won in a vacuum, and naturally are a result of team success. If the Sabres build on last season's momentum, at least one of these four figures has a prime opportunity to finally end Buffalo's 15-year individual award drought.
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