The Buffalo Sabres haven't skated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011. That's unacceptable regardless of the circumstances, but it's particularly unforgivable because half the NHL's teams qualify for the postseason every year, so it's not exactly a difficult bar to jump.
James Mirtle of The Athletic took a shot at the Sabres' long-term struggles on Wednesday while discussing the league's balanced standings early in the 2025-26 season.
"In the league's view, the extreme parity we see right now, where almost everyone can win night to night, is a selling feature, not a bug," Mirtle wrote. "That's because it keeps everyone in a narrow band of success and sells hope in every market (except Buffalo, I guess)."
Buffalo, led by head coach Lindy Ruff, currently sits last in the Eastern Conference with 18 points (7-8-4 record) and it ranks 31st out of the NHL's 32 games in percentage of arena capacity filled per game (86.1%), which shows one of North America's best hockey markets continues to dwindle.
Buffalo Sabres' laughingstock status will remain until the franchise becomes consistently competitive for the first time in decades
The Sabres front office, led by general manager Kevyn Adams, operates as if merely making the playoffs would represent a monumental achievement.
Buffalo has needed significant roster additions since the moment Adams took over the GM chair in 2020. Instead of swinging for the fences, he's made a series of modest moves, many of them failing to work out, that don't move the needle in any meaningful way.
It's a mindset that suggests ending the playoff drought is the only goal and, while playoff hockey in downtown Buffalo would be a welcome sight, the ultimate aim should be trying to build a legitimate Cup contender. That hasn't been the case for the Blue and Gold in a long time.
That's why it may be time for a leadership change. The Sabres have been linked to former Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, a fiery competitor who may finally be able to convince team owner Terry Pegula to spend the money necessary to attract talented players.
Pegula is at the core of the organization's longtime struggles. Buffalo has cycled through countless front office regimes, coaching staffs and players over the past 14 years, but the owner has remained the same.
Five years ago, he announced the Sabres were going to become more financially conscious — "I mentioned three words: effective, efficient and economic." — and the Sabres have left millions of dollars in unused salary-cap space on the table every year since those remarks.
Does spending every penny of cap space guarantee wins? Of course not. Yet, adding another impact player or two to the roster each year certainly wouldn't hurt.
The lack of spending is why it's hard to have much confidence in the Sabres until Pegula changes his approach. Even if the club sneaks into the playoffs in the near future, there's no reason to believe it's within striking distance of seriously competing for a championship.
That's a far cry from the years prior to the playoff drought when one Buffalo core led by Dominik Hasek quickly transitioned to another featuring Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and Ryan Miller, both of which put the franchise firmly in the Stanley Cup conversation.
Those memorable moments are now far in the rear-view mirror, however, and Mirtle's comments show how the Sabres are viewed in essentially a different class than every other NHL organization.
Perhaps one day the tide will finally turn back in Buffalo's favor, but it doesn't feel like that day is going to arrive any time soon.