It's now been five years since the 2020-21 season, one that was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant divisional realignment that was required to even stage a campaign.
The Buffalo Sabres and their fans may be hesitant to look back on a season that extended what's become the longest playoff drought in NHL history.
But what if I told you that it laid the groundwork for the current team's success?
"But Noah! I don't want to think back to the pandemic!"
"Don't remind me of that season!"
Say what you will while reading that question, but I think the events of that season set up the team's success during the 2025-26 campaign.
The catalyst that I think pushed Buffalo upwards? Their 18-game losing streak, which started on Feb. 25 with an overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils and lasted an entire month, ending with a 6-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
The run consisted of five shutouts — which were as minimal as a 3-0 loss to Philadelphia and as big as a 6-0 loss to the Washington Capitals — five one-goal decisions (including three overtime decisions), and three-consecutive 5-2 losses to the New York Islanders. Funnily enough, those three 5-2 losses took place one right after the other.
Right in the middle of the stretch, the Sabres fired then-head coach Ralph Krueger, who represented the sixth head coach fired over the previous eight years, and appointed then-assistant Don Granato to take over the coaching staff.
For Krueger and the Sabres, it got to a point where he was celebrating/mocking Jeff Skinner for scoring his first goal of the campaign against the Islanders on March 7.
"That's certainly something for Jeff Skinner, who's measured his whole career in goals," he said. "Getting that zero out of the way is an encouraging sign moving forward."
Famous last words? Krueger lasted another week as the head coach but my point stands; he was only in the second year of his contract.
Why the firing of Ralph Krueger was the first step in a major Buffalo Sabres turnaround
Following his arrival, Granato was able to stop the losing streak by the end of the month and put together a 9-11-2 run to close the season. The team's final 13-31-7 record was a far cry from the 6-8-3 tally they had before the losing streak, but it was over.
Over the next three seasons in charge, Granato would put together a 113-109-24 record while getting the Sabres to fifth place in the Atlantic in two of those three campaigns. While the Sabres' finishes in 2021-22 and 2023-24 could partially be attributed to a weaker-than-anticipated Atlantic, Buffalo's 2022-23 season saw the team put together a strong end-of-season run that saw them finish one point and a handful of close results away from a playoff berth.
It's also worth noting that Granato was in charge while the front office shipped in several pieces that would play crucial roles in the team's success this year. The most notable addition was that of Alex Tuch, who was part of the return in a trade that saw former second overall pick Jack Eichel shipped off to Vegas due to disagreements related to an operation that he wanted to undergo in order to repair a herniated disk in his neck.
Some of the other players that came to the team under Granato's leadership include defenseman Bowen Byram, who won the Stanley Cup in 2022 with the Colorado Avalanche.
Even with the uptick in performance and a perceived effort to build towards contention, Granato was fired due to an inability to get the Sabres to the next level. In his place, the team appointed former coach Lindy Ruff, who would ultimately be the one to finish the job that was started under Granato and push Buffalo back to a point that they have been unable to reach since 2011: the playoffs.
Fans may view Ruff as the hero for his work this season, and they have every right to do so. But it was Granato who was able to get the team's performance back over .500 and to a point where they could be competitive in a playoff race.
Like it or not, that only happens with the 18-game losing streak and the resulting changes to the team's operation.