The Buffalo Sabres don't seem to be close to a Stanley Cup any time soon but that hasn't always been the case. In fact there has been a few times in franchise history they have been right there as they reached the Stanley Cup Final twice (1975, 1999) and reached the Conference Finals/NHL Semi-Finals four times (1980, 1998, 2010, 2011).
Over that time, the Sabres have had some great players that have given everything they had to the franchise and deserved to win the ultimate prize in Buffalo. These are some of the players that fall into that category.
4 players who deserved to win a Stanley Cup with the Buffalo Sabres
Gilbert Perreault
If there is a player who should hold the title for the 'Greatest Player in Buffalo Sabres History' it probably belongs to Gilbert Perreault. He played his entire 17-season career with the Sabres and holds numerous franchise records, including goals, assists, and games played.
Perreault was the Sabres first ever draft pick as they took him first overall in the 1970 NHL Draft and even with all his success, he only got to play in one Stanley Cup Final. The Sabres went to the playoffs 11 times in his career and a player of his caliber deserved more than one appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.
Craig Ramsay
There has been only two players in franchise history who have played over 1,000 games for the Buffalo Sabres with Perreault being one and Craig Ramsay being the other. He would play 14 seasons for the Sabres and while he didn't have the same stats as Perreault, he was still a key part of the team and helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1975.
That playoff run to the Stanley Cup Final was Ramsay's best playoff performance as he finished with five goals and seven assists in the 17 games.
Rob Ray
While Rob Ray didn't have the same number of games as Ramsay, he played the same number of seasons for Buffalo and is only one of four who have played 14 seasons for the Sabres.
He is a player that often would be forgotten but was one of those players that is willing to do the dirty work that makes teams successful. Ray owns the franchise record for penalty minutes with 3,189 and is over 1,700 more than the next player on the list in that category.
Rob Ray came close and would be part of the 1999 team that reached the Stanley Cup Final before coming up short to the Dallas Stars.
Ryan Miller
Dominik Hasek was one of the greatest goalies in NHL history but Ryan Miller owns more franchise records for the Sabres. He would play in 540 games, started in 404, and owns the franchise record for wins at 284.
Miller never got a chance to play in a Stanley Cup Final but helped the Sabres reach the Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons. In the four seasons the Sabres made the playoffs with Miller in net, he had a save percentage of .917 and a goals against average of 2.47.