In 2015, the Buffalo Sabres tried winning a certain player's sweepstakes and got stuck with a guy who ended up going to Vegas and winning a Cup. In 2026, they could serve themselves poetic justice with a Workhorse from Whitehorse known as Gavin McKenna.
Most hockey fans have heard of McKenna, who will spend some time with the Penn State Nittany Lions before he eventually transitions to the NHL. So, if you haven't heard of this Whitehorse native, you will sooner than later, because he's got that 'generational talent' label attached to him, much like Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini.
The difference? The Sabres, as bad as they'll be this season, actually have some decent players. Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson could easily stick around, even if the Sabres are destined to finish in the Atlantic Division's basement.
They have a high-energy player in Ryan McLeod, and the kid can score, too. Plus, players like Jack Quinn and Zach Benson, despite underperforming, have a lot of upside. So, adding McKenna with the first pick in 2026 should the Sabres be lucky enough to win the draft lottery would be franchise-altering.
As one Workhorse from Whitehorse left, another one could be on the horizon
You may remember that the Sabres traded Dylan Cozens, the Workhorse from Whitehorse, this past March. And if the Sabres are bad enough to compete for that top pick, it won't be long until a potential successor is in town and the fanbase, for once during the Terry Pegula era, will be optimistic.
As I write this, we're roughly 50.5 weeks away from the 2026 NHL Draft, and anything could happen. The Sabres look like a hopeless team, but who knows? Maybe Kevyn Adams saw something in Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring that the rest of us didn't see?
Maybe Justin Danforth brings more to the table than we're all thinking, and maybe disappointments like Jack Quinn turns it around while Jiri Kulich puts up 25-plus goals? Hey, I can't see the future, and we already saw the Senators and Canadiens shock the league last season in the best ways, and the Bruins shock the league in the worst.
But on paper, the Sabres look miserable, especially after the Peterka trade. So, if I were to guess, it's that Buffalo's a bottom-three team and could fall further than some of the worst in the league from last season.
At this point, Sabres fans might just start cheering on the opposing team
You get flashbacks of this happening once upon a time, when fans erupted in cheers after the Arizona Coyotes beat Buffalo back in March 2015. At the time, Connor McDavid was on everyone's mind, and Gavin McKenna could draw the same vibes.
If the Sabres do find themselves losing early, don't be surprised if and when it happens. Back then, the team was tanking during what was a relatively small playoff drought.
Well, that drought's still alive and well, so it wouldn't surprise me if fans started selling tickets to fans of other teams to force the Blue and Gold to play 'road games' for most of the season if it meant putting themselves in the best position to land McKenna.
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