In sports, being mediocre is probably the worst thing a team can do. They aren't the worst of the worst to get a high draft pick, but they aren't good enough to make the playoffs which leaves them in this weird limbo.
For the Buffalo Sabres, that is seemingly where they have been for nearly 15 years, and was highlighted recently in an article on The Daily Faceoff looking at the Top 5 most mediocre teams over the past 10 years.
Scott Maxwell defined mediocre as teams with the fewest playoff appearances, fewest playoff series wins, Top 5 picks and 100-point seasons. It is a smart way to look at this because it seems to cover both ends to find the teams living in that middle ground.
The Sabres came in at number three in this list of five teams but seem to be trending in the right direction.
"Perhaps seeing the Sabres crack this list after last season is a surprise, since all signs point to the team finally turning things around after a 14-year playoff drought. The Sabres might not be mediocre anymore, but it doesn’t change how they were the worst team in the league for many, many years before then."
Over the past decade, the Sabres have notably had only one playoff appearance, one playoff series win, and one 100-point season (all this past season) with three Top 5 draft picks. However, one of those picks was in the latest NHL Draft when they traded for the fourth overall pick with the Blackhawks.
Buffalo Sabres are heading in the right direction out of mediocrity
While the Sabres haven't had as many Top 5 picks, they have been in the top half of the first round most years. They may not have found players who can make an immediate impact but have added players that seemingly are hitting that point where they are ready to contribute.
This includes former first-round picks like Jack Quinn, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich, Zach Benson, and Konsta Helenius, without even mentioning the obvious ones of Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.
In the end, it took the Buffalo Sabres much longer to get to this point than any fan wanted to see. However, the pieces are in place that point to this team finally moving out of that middle ground and becoming a consistent playoff contender.
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