The Buffalo Sabres got another early start on their summer this season following game No. 82. It was a disappointing end to a season that was filled with hope at its outset.
Meanwhile, two former Sabres players, Sam Reinhart and Jeff Skinner, face off against one another in a duel to the death as the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers duke it out for the 2025 Stanley Cup.
Yes, it’s a gut-wrenching situation as the Sabres fans can only imagine what it would be like to have had Reinhart and Skinner play for the Stanley Cup while in Buffalo.
Perhaps that is the case in an alternate universe
That alternate universe is one where the Buffalo Sabres won the 2015 NHL Draft Lottery and got Connor McDavid (no disrespect to Jack Eichel). It’s also the same universe where the Sabres built a dynasty.
But in this universe, that’s not the case. Sabres fans, if they are so inclined, can only watch with a certain sense of nostalgia as Reinhart and Skinner chase their dreams. In a sense, it’s like watching an ex-boy/girlfriend show off pics of their engagement to someone else on social media.
It may sting on the surface. It may set off feelings of angst and frustration. But deep down inside, there’s something that makes you happy for them. You don’t wish them any ill will, as you just want to see them happy.
Looking back at the Sabres-Panthers Sam Reinhart trade
The Buffalo Sabres faced a tough choice with Sam Reinhart in 2021. He was an RFA and didn’t look likely to re-sign in Buffalo.
So, the Sabres went ahead and moved Reinhart’s rights to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Devon Levi and a 2022 first-round pick.
The move was seen as a desperate move at the time. It was like the Sabres were trying to salvage what they could from a potentially hopeless situation. They got a solid goaltending prospect in Levi, who continues to be a factor in the organization.
Levi appeared in nine games this past season, racking up two wins to go with a none-too-impressive 4.12 GAA and an .872 SV%. Considering he was a seventh-round pick and is still only 23, Levi has been a decent performer for the Sabres.
Then, there is the first-round pick
The pick was a top-ten protected. In other words, the Sabres would only get the pick if it fell outside the top ten. It did and it became the 28th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
The Sabres used the pick to select Czech forward Jiri Kulich. Kulich actually had a decent year for the Sabres in 2024-25. He played 63 games, scoring 15 goals and adding 24 points. If he continues the same pace next season, Kulich could hit 20 goals and 40 points.
While that production isn’t going to blow anyone’s mind, it’s not bad for a player who was essentially a second-round pick.
As for Reinhart, well, his production explored in Florida. He topped 94 points last season, adding 81 this year. Those numbers earned him an eight-year extension with the Panthers. We could speculate that Reinhart would have never put up those numbers in Buffalo, but then again, he could have.
In an alternate universe, he did.