The Buffalo Sabres owned the best odds (20%) to land the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, which was headlined by generational talent Connor McDavid, who's lived up to those sky-high expectations by becoming the league's best player.
Alas, the ping pong balls bounced in the Edmonton Oilers' favor on that fateful night in April 2015, as the Sabres instead dropped to the No. 2 slot, where they selected Jack Eichel. Of course, Eichel has since went on to win a Stanley Cup title with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Now, McDavid's future has become a point of contention with the Oilers unable to get over the hump in their own championship pursuit. The Canadian superstar has two seasons left on his current contract, and could become an unrestricted free agent in 2028.
What if Edmonton ultimately decides to consider trade offers for the 29-year-old center? It's an extreme long shot, but it's an idea explored by Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report, who chose the Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning as potential landing spots.
Here was Gretz's mock trade proposal between Buffalo and Edmonton:
First thought? That's probably not enough.
Tage Thompson is a dynamic offensive talent but he's nowhere close to the same level as McDavid when it comes to all-around impact. While Mattias Samuelsson is coming off a breakout season, his prior track record was of a pretty middling defenseman. And a Sabres first-round selection with No. 97 on the roster probably wouldn't carry a ton of value.
Buffalo would likely need to include a couple more pieces, perhaps a young NHL forward like Jiri Kulich or Noah Ostlund — it'd do everything in its power to keep Konsta Helenius — and a prized prospect like Radim Mrtka to make it a five-asset offer.
Even as McDavid nears age 30, his production remains elite (138 points in 82 games last season) and there's no reason to believe a significant drop off is on the horizon. Pittsburgh Penguins icon Sidney Crosby is still playing above a point-per-game pace in his late 30s.
For Sabres fans, many of whom frequently made the trip down the 90 to watch the Ontario native play for the OHL's Erie Otters, it would be a surreal moment to finally see him don a Buffalo jersey over a decade after losing the "McEichel" sweepstakes.
Is it likely? Of course not. But there's nothing wrong with dreaming.
Connor McDavid would instantly fill the Buffalo Sabres' biggest roster hole
The Sabres finally ended the longest playoff drought in NHL history (14 years) last season and their organizational depth chart is one of the league's most promising thanks to an impressive amount of young talent, both with the big club and within the farm system.
Yet, Buffalo's search for a legitimate No. 1 center has been ongoing pretty much since the moment Eichel walked out the door.
The hunt has continued since Jarmo Kekalainen took over as general manager from Kevyn Adams in December. He made an effort to land St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas ahead of last season's trade deadline, but that bid came up short.
McDavid would turn that crucial weakness into an extraordinary strength.
Just for fun, here's a look at what the Sabres' forward lines could look like (based on the above trade ideas) with the seven-time All-Star taking over in the middle of the first line:
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
Zach Benson | Connor McDavid | Josh Doan |
Noah Ostlund | Josh Norris | Konsta Helenius |
Jason Zucker | Ryan McLeod | Jack Quinn |
Peyton Krebs | Sam Carrick | Beck Malenstyn |
Not too shabby.
Calling the McDavid-to-Buffalo discussion a pipe dream may be an overstatement. The chances of the six-time Art Ross Trophy winner ever joining the Blue and Gold are probably about the same as the Vancouver Canucks capturing the Stanley Cup title season.
Yet, don't forget, it was once stated: "If Josh Allen succeeds, the Bills will have outsmarted basically all regular humans and the entirety of math itself." Now he's the best player in the NFL.
Sometimes miracles happen.
Add us as a preferred source on Google